| 1968 VFA season | |
|---|---|
| Division 1 | |
| Teams | 10 |
| Premiers | Preston 1st D1 premiership |
| Minor premiers | Preston 1st D1 minor premiership |
| Division 2 | |
| Teams | 10 |
| Premiers | Geelong West 2nd D2 premiership |
| Minor premiers | Williamstown 1st D2 minor premiership |
The1968Victorian Football Association season was the 87th season of the top division of theAustralian rules football competition, and the eighth season of second division competition. The Division 1 premiership was won by thePreston Football Club, after it defeatedPrahran in the Grand Final on 22 September by 14 points; it was Preston's first Division 1 premiership. The Division 2 premiership was won byGeelong West.
The Division 1 home-and-home season was played over 18 rounds; the top four then contested the finals under thePage–McIntyre system. The finals were held at thePunt Road Oval, inRichmond.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | D | PF | PA | PP | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Preston(P) | 18 | 15 | 3 | 0 | 1648 | 1288 | 128.0 | 60 |
| 2 | Prahran | 18 | 13 | 5 | 0 | 1651 | 1294 | 127.6 | 52 |
| 3 | Sandringham | 18 | 12 | 6 | 0 | 1762 | 1435 | 122.8 | 48 |
| 4 | Dandenong | 18 | 11 | 6 | 1 | 1601 | 1315 | 121.7 | 46 |
| 5 | Port Melbourne | 18 | 10 | 7 | 1 | 1702 | 1480 | 115.0 | 42 |
| 6 | Yarraville | 18 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 1743 | 1749 | 99.7 | 36 |
| 7 | Waverley | 18 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 1400 | 1436 | 97.5 | 36 |
| 8 | Brunswick | 18 | 4 | 14 | 0 | 1370 | 1780 | 77.0 | 16 |
| 9 | Oakleigh | 18 | 4 | 14 | 0 | 1253 | 1762 | 71.1 | 16 |
| 10 | Coburg | 18 | 2 | 16 | 0 | 1149 | 1744 | 65.9 | 8 |
| Semi-finals | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunday, 1 September | Sandringham 20.13 (133) | def. | Dandenong 11.19 (85) | Punt Road Oval | [2] |
| Sunday, 8 September | Preston 13.17 (95) | def. by | Prahran 18.15 (123) | Punt Road Oval | [3] |
| Preliminary Final | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunday, 15 September | Preston 22.11 (143) | def. | Sandringham 18.7 (115) | Punt Road Oval | [4] |
| 1968 VFA Division 1 Grand Final | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunday, 22 September | Prahran | def. by | Preston | Punt Road Oval (crowd: 18,000[5]) | [6] |
| 2.3 (15) 7.9 (51) 10.10 (70) 12.12 (84) | Q1 Q2 Q3 Final | 4.3 (27) 8.4 (52) 12.7 (79) 15.8 (98) | Umpires: Alan O'Neill | ||
| Power 6, Bartlett 3, Payne 2,Rose | Goals | Joyce 5,Dalton 3, Lempriere 2, Weston 2, Corbett,Heard, Reid | |||
The Division 2 home-and-home season was played over seventeen rounds; the top four then contested the finals under the Page–McIntyre system.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | D | PF | PA | PP | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Williamstown | 17 | 15 | 1 | 1 | 1911 | 1009 | 189.4 | 62 |
| 2 | Geelong West(P) | 17 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 1952 | 1441 | 135.5 | 56 |
| 3 | Sunshine | 17 | 11 | 5 | 1 | 1634 | 1158 | 141.1 | 46 |
| 4 | Werribee | 17 | 11 | 6 | 0 | 1417 | 1442 | 98.3 | 44 |
| 5 | Northcote | 17 | 9 | 8 | 0 | 1391 | 1435 | 96.9 | 36 |
| 6 | Frankston | 17 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 1599 | 1594 | 100.3 | 32 |
| 7 | Caulfield | 17 | 5 | 12 | 0 | 1382 | 1682 | 82.2 | 20 |
| 8 | Mordialloc | 17 | 4 | 13 | 0 | 1250 | 1672 | 74.8 | 16 |
| 9 | Camberwell | 17 | 4 | 13 | 0 | 1219 | 1925 | 63.3 | 16 |
| 10 | Box Hill | 17 | 3 | 14 | 0 | 1214 | 1611 | 75.4 | 12 |
| Semi-finals | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunday, 11 August | Sunshine 13.24 (102) | def. | Werribee 10.11 (71) | Yarraville Oval | [8] |
| Sunday, 11 August | Williamstown 19.18 (132) | def. | Geelong West 19.11 (125) | Toorak Park (crowd: 8,000) | [9] |
| Preliminary Final | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunday, 18 August | Geelong West 17.12 (114) | def. | Sunshine 11.18 (84) | Toorak Park | [10] |
| 1968 VFA Division 2 Grand Final | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunday, 25 August | Williamstown | def. by | Geelong West | Toorak Park (crowd: 6,000[5]) | [11] |
| 4.3 (27) 11.8 (74) 15.11 (101) 18.15 (123) | Q1 Q2 Q3 Final | 4.3 (27) 10.6 (66) 14.12 (96) 20.15 (135) | Umpires: O'Neill | ||
| Ware 4, Camilleri 3, Mulligan 3, Barnes 2,Papley 2, Szyszka 2, Patterson, Raffle | Goals | W. Adams 5,Harris 3,Tenabel 3, Deeath 2, Emond 2, Stacey 2,Brushfield, Gibbons, Skowronksi | |||
| Mulligan, for striking an unknown player in the second quarter Mulligan, for striking Keys in the second quarter Johnson, for striking Skowronski in the third quarter | Reports | Snell, for strikingPapley in the first quarter | |||
The Association contested two interstate matches during 1968.Keith Burns (Brunswick) captained the team against Canberra, andMax Papley (Williamstown) captained the team against Tasmania.[15]
As a consequence of the Association'sexpulsion from the ANFC in 1969/70, these were the last representative matches played by the Association until 1975.[16]
| 1968 Interstate Matches | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunday, 26 May | Canberra 6.15 (51) | def. by | Victoria (VFA) 21.16 (142) | Manuka Oval (crowd: 3,000) | [17] |
| Saturday, 29 June | Tasmania 18.8 (116) | def. by | Victoria (VFA) 19.15 (129) | York Park (crowd: 10,688) | [18] |