1953 VFL Season

These are the results for the 1953 season of the Victorian Football League (currently known as the Australian Football League).

It featured eighteen rounds. Geelong were the minor premiers.

The season ended with a finals series following the Page-McIntyre system. Collingwood were the premiers, with Lou Richards as the premiership captain and Phonse Kyne as the premiership coach.

Season Details

Name: 1953 VFL Season
Teams: 12
Rounds: 18
Finals System: Page-McIntyre System
Matches: 112

Team Details

Team Home Ground Coach (Appointed) Coach (Caretaker)
Carlton Princes Park Perce Bentley
Collingwood Victoria Park Phonse Kyne
Essendon Windy Hill Dick Reynolds
Fitzroy Brunswick Street Oval Allan Ruthven
Footscray Western Oval Charlie Sutton Wally Donald
Geelong Kardinia Park Reg Hickey
Hawthorn Glenferrie Oval Jack Hale
Melbourne MCG Norm Smith
North Melbourne Arden Street Oval Wally Carter
Richmond Punt Road Oval Alby Pannam
South Melbourne Lakeside Oval Laurie Nash
St Kilda Junction Oval Col Williamson

Season Results

Premiers: Collingwood
Runners-Up: Geelong
Minor Premiers: Geelong

Team Results

Minor Premiership Results

Team Ladder (W-D-L, PP & P%) PF PA GF BF GA BA
Geelong 1st 15 -0- 3 60 143.3% 1,546 1,079 220 226 147 197
Collingwood 2nd 14 -0- 4 56 123.5% 1,518 1,229 208 270 174 185
Footscray 3rd 13 -0- 5 52 136.5% 1,309 959 181 223 131 173
Essendon 4th 13 -0- 5 52 129.9% 1,529 1,177 217 227 162 205
Carlton 5th 10 -0- 8 40 107.6% 1,409 1,310 191 263 183 212
Fitzroy 6th 10 -0- 8 40 85.0% 1,208 1,421 168 200 198 233
North Melbourne 7th 9 -0- 9 36 107.8% 1,388 1,287 198 200 175 237
South Melbourne 8th 9 -0- 9 36 104.7% 1,385 1,323 192 233 183 225
St Kilda 9th 5 -0- 13 20 68.2% 1,065 1,561 144 201 216 265
Richmond 10th 3 -1- 14 14 81.3% 1,220 1,501 170 200 213 223
Melbourne 11th 3 -1- 14 14 80.1% 1,137 1,420 157 195 200 220
Hawthorn 12th 3 -0- 15 12 68.5% 974 1,421 135 164 199 227

Overall Premiership Results

Team Position (Outcome)
Collingwood 1st Premiers
Geelong 2nd Runners-Up
Footscray 3rd Defeated by Geelong (Preliminary Final)
Essendon 4th Defeated by Footscray (Semi Final)
Carlton 5th Did not qualify for finals
Fitzroy 6th Did not qualify for finals
North Melbourne 7th Did not qualify for finals
South Melbourne 8th Did not qualify for finals
St Kilda 9th Did not qualify for finals
Richmond 10th Did not qualify for finals
Melbourne 11th Did not qualify for finals
Hawthorn 12th Did not qualify for finals

Ladder Chart

This chart is based on the nominal round, i.e. only one result (win, loss, draw, bye) per round, which may result in not being accurate from a chronological perspective. The positions during the finals series is determined via bespoke logic. You can click on the teams in the legend to add/remove their respective results.

Season Fixture

Regular Season

Round 1

Date Match Venue Result Attendance
SAT 18/04/1953 2:15 PM Carlton v Footscray Princes Park 60 - 65 27,198
SAT 18/04/1953 2:15 PM Collingwood v South Melbourne Victoria Park 118 - 77 29,678
SAT 18/04/1953 2:15 PM Essendon v Fitzroy Windy Hill 111 - 88 23,100
SAT 18/04/1953 2:15 PM Geelong v Hawthorn Kardinia Park 87 - 38 19,877
SAT 18/04/1953 2:15 PM Richmond v Melbourne Punt Road Oval 73 - 67 19,394
SAT 18/04/1953 2:15 PM St Kilda v North Melbourne Junction Oval 57 - 105 14,000

Round 1 Ladder

Team Ladder (W-D-L, PP & P%) PF PA
Geelong 1st 1 -0- 0 4 228.9% 87 38
North Melbourne 2nd 1 -0- 0 4 184.2% 105 57
Collingwood 3rd 1 -0- 0 4 153.2% 118 77
Essendon 4th 1 -0- 0 4 126.1% 111 88
Richmond 5th 1 -0- 0 4 109.0% 73 67
Footscray 6th 1 -0- 0 4 108.3% 65 60
Carlton 7th 0 -0- 1 0 92.3% 60 65
Melbourne 8th 0 -0- 1 0 91.8% 67 73
Fitzroy 9th 0 -0- 1 0 79.3% 88 111
South Melbourne 10th 0 -0- 1 0 65.3% 77 118
St Kilda 11th 0 -0- 1 0 54.3% 57 105
Hawthorn 12th 0 -0- 1 0 43.7% 38 87

Round 2

Date Match Venue Result Attendance
SAT 02/05/1953 2:15 PM Fitzroy v Richmond Brunswick Street Oval 81 - 80 21,000
SAT 02/05/1953 2:15 PM Footscray v Geelong Western Oval 61 - 102 28,500
SAT 02/05/1953 2:15 PM Hawthorn v St Kilda Glenferrie Oval 57 - 92 12,000
SAT 02/05/1953 2:15 PM Melbourne v Carlton MCG 59 - 90 30,325
SAT 02/05/1953 2:15 PM North Melbourne v Collingwood Arden Street Oval 118 - 75 21,377
SAT 02/05/1953 2:15 PM South Melbourne v Essendon Lakeside Oval 99 - 89 29,231

Round 2 Ladder

Team Ladder (W-D-L, PP & P%) PF PA
Geelong 1st 2 -0- 0 8 190.9% 189 99
North Melbourne 2nd 2 -0- 0 8 168.9% 223 132
Carlton 3rd 1 -0- 1 4 121.0% 150 124
Essendon 4th 1 -0- 1 4 107.0% 200 187
Richmond 5th 1 -0- 1 4 103.4% 153 148
Collingwood 6th 1 -0- 1 4 99.0% 193 195
St Kilda 7th 1 -0- 1 4 92.0% 149 162
Fitzroy 8th 1 -0- 1 4 88.5% 169 191
South Melbourne 9th 1 -0- 1 4 85.0% 176 207
Footscray 10th 1 -0- 1 4 77.8% 126 162
Melbourne 11th 0 -0- 2 0 77.3% 126 163
Hawthorn 12th 0 -0- 2 0 53.1% 95 179

Round 3

Date Match Venue Result Attendance
SAT 09/05/1953 2:15 PM Collingwood v Geelong Victoria Park 73 - 98 33,000
SAT 09/05/1953 2:15 PM Essendon v St Kilda Windy Hill 122 - 58 18,000
SAT 09/05/1953 2:15 PM Footscray v Hawthorn Western Oval 111 - 42 15,000
SAT 09/05/1953 2:15 PM North Melbourne v Melbourne Arden Street Oval 84 - 83 12,000
SAT 09/05/1953 2:15 PM Richmond v Carlton Punt Road Oval 98 - 104 31,000
SAT 09/05/1953 2:15 PM South Melbourne v Fitzroy Lakeside Oval 75 - 86 24,000

Round 3 Ladder

Team Ladder (W-D-L, PP & P%) PF PA
Geelong 1st 3 -0- 0 12 166.9% 287 172
North Melbourne 2nd 3 -0- 0 12 142.8% 307 215
Essendon 3rd 2 -0- 1 8 131.4% 322 245
Footscray 4th 2 -0- 1 8 116.2% 237 204
Carlton 5th 2 -0- 1 8 114.4% 254 222
Fitzroy 6th 2 -0- 1 8 95.9% 255 266
Richmond 7th 1 -0- 2 4 99.6% 251 252
Collingwood 8th 1 -0- 2 4 90.8% 266 293
South Melbourne 9th 1 -0- 2 4 85.7% 251 293
St Kilda 10th 1 -0- 2 4 72.9% 207 284
Melbourne 11th 0 -0- 3 0 84.6% 209 247
Hawthorn 12th 0 -0- 3 0 47.2% 137 290

Round 4

Date Match Venue Result Attendance
SAT 16/05/1953 2:15 PM Carlton v Collingwood Princes Park 95 - 103 37,500
SAT 16/05/1953 2:15 PM Fitzroy v North Melbourne Brunswick Street Oval 86 - 75 20,500
SAT 16/05/1953 2:15 PM Geelong v Essendon Kardinia Park 79 - 65 35,000
SAT 16/05/1953 2:15 PM Hawthorn v South Melbourne Glenferrie Oval 53 - 63 12,000
SAT 16/05/1953 2:15 PM Melbourne v Footscray MCG 30 - 75 23,829
SAT 16/05/1953 2:15 PM St Kilda v Richmond Junction Oval 83 - 65 16,500

Round 4 Ladder

Team Ladder (W-D-L, PP & P%) PF PA
Geelong 1st 4 -0- 0 16 154.4% 366 237
Footscray 2nd 3 -0- 1 12 133.3% 312 234
North Melbourne 3rd 3 -0- 1 12 126.9% 382 301
Fitzroy 4th 3 -0- 1 12 100.0% 341 341
Essendon 5th 2 -0- 2 8 119.4% 387 324
Carlton 6th 2 -0- 2 8 107.4% 349 325
Collingwood 7th 2 -0- 2 8 95.1% 369 388
South Melbourne 8th 2 -0- 2 8 90.8% 314 346
St Kilda 9th 2 -0- 2 8 83.1% 290 349
Richmond 10th 1 -0- 3 4 94.3% 316 335
Melbourne 11th 0 -0- 4 0 74.2% 239 322
Hawthorn 12th 0 -0- 4 0 53.8% 190 353

Round 5

Date Match Venue Result Attendance
SAT 23/05/1953 2:15 PM Carlton v St Kilda Princes Park 52 - 43 9,150
SAT 23/05/1953 2:15 PM Collingwood v Hawthorn Victoria Park 96 - 26 9,627
SAT 23/05/1953 2:15 PM Essendon v Melbourne Windy Hill 46 - 57 9,500
SAT 23/05/1953 2:15 PM Footscray v Fitzroy Western Oval 66 - 6 14,087
SAT 23/05/1953 2:15 PM Richmond v Geelong Punt Road Oval 52 - 106 10,000
SAT 23/05/1953 2:15 PM South Melbourne v North Melbourne Lakeside Oval 58 - 62 11,000

Round 5 Ladder

Team Ladder (W-D-L, PP & P%) PF PA
Geelong 1st 5 -0- 0 20 163.3% 472 289
Footscray 2nd 4 -0- 1 16 157.5% 378 240
North Melbourne 3rd 4 -0- 1 16 123.7% 444 359
Collingwood 4th 3 -0- 2 12 112.3% 465 414
Carlton 5th 3 -0- 2 12 109.0% 401 368
Fitzroy 6th 3 -0- 2 12 85.3% 347 407
Essendon 7th 2 -0- 3 8 113.6% 433 381
South Melbourne 8th 2 -0- 3 8 91.2% 372 408
St Kilda 9th 2 -0- 3 8 83.0% 333 401
Richmond 10th 1 -0- 4 4 83.4% 368 441
Melbourne 11th 1 -0- 4 4 80.4% 296 368
Hawthorn 12th 0 -0- 5 0 48.1% 216 449

Round 6

Date Match Venue Result Attendance
SAT 30/05/1953 2:15 PM Collingwood v Richmond Victoria Park 62 - 39 23,036
SAT 30/05/1953 2:15 PM Geelong v South Melbourne Kardinia Park 100 - 47 24,832
SAT 30/05/1953 2:15 PM Hawthorn v Carlton Glenferrie Oval 67 - 47 12,000
SAT 30/05/1953 2:15 PM Melbourne v Fitzroy MCG 71 - 81 21,202
SAT 30/05/1953 2:15 PM North Melbourne v Essendon Arden Street Oval 51 - 68 25,000
SAT 30/05/1953 2:15 PM St Kilda v Footscray Junction Oval 69 - 93 19,000

Round 6 Ladder

Team Ladder (W-D-L, PP & P%) PF PA
Geelong 1st 6 -0- 0 24 170.2% 572 336
Footscray 2nd 5 -0- 1 20 152.4% 471 309
Collingwood 3rd 4 -0- 2 16 116.3% 527 453
North Melbourne 4th 4 -0- 2 16 115.9% 495 427
Fitzroy 5th 4 -0- 2 16 89.5% 428 478
Essendon 6th 3 -0- 3 12 116.0% 501 432
Carlton 7th 3 -0- 3 12 103.0% 448 435
South Melbourne 8th 2 -0- 4 8 82.5% 419 508
St Kilda 9th 2 -0- 4 8 81.4% 402 494
Melbourne 10th 1 -0- 5 4 81.7% 367 449
Richmond 11th 1 -0- 5 4 80.9% 407 503
Hawthorn 12th 1 -0- 5 4 57.1% 283 496

Round 7

Date Match Venue Result Attendance
SAT 06/06/1953 2:15 PM Carlton v North Melbourne Princes Park 100 - 48 22,219
SAT 06/06/1953 2:15 PM Essendon v Richmond Windy Hill 84 - 48 21,000
SAT 06/06/1953 2:15 PM Fitzroy v Hawthorn Brunswick Street Oval 60 - 44 9,500
SAT 06/06/1953 2:15 PM Footscray v Collingwood Western Oval 51 - 52 32,114
SAT 06/06/1953 2:15 PM Melbourne v Geelong MCG 58 - 82 26,254
SAT 06/06/1953 2:15 PM St Kilda v South Melbourne Junction Oval 53 - 124 21,000

Round 7 Ladder

Team Ladder (W-D-L, PP & P%) PF PA
Geelong 1st 7 -0- 0 28 166.0% 654 394
Footscray 2nd 5 -0- 2 20 144.6% 522 361
Collingwood 3rd 5 -0- 2 20 114.9% 579 504
Fitzroy 4th 5 -0- 2 20 93.5% 488 522
Essendon 5th 4 -0- 3 16 121.9% 585 480
Carlton 6th 4 -0- 3 16 113.5% 548 483
North Melbourne 7th 4 -0- 3 16 103.0% 543 527
South Melbourne 8th 3 -0- 4 12 96.8% 543 561
St Kilda 9th 2 -0- 5 8 73.6% 455 618
Melbourne 10th 1 -0- 6 4 80.0% 425 531
Richmond 11th 1 -0- 6 4 77.5% 455 587
Hawthorn 12th 1 -0- 6 4 58.8% 327 556

Round 8

Date Match Venue Result Attendance
SAT 13/06/1953 2:15 PM Collingwood v St Kilda Victoria Park 131 - 56 16,200
SAT 13/06/1953 2:15 PM Essendon v Carlton Windy Hill 98 - 53 30,300
SAT 13/06/1953 2:15 PM Geelong v Fitzroy Kardinia Park 136 - 50 21,489
SAT 13/06/1953 2:15 PM Hawthorn v North Melbourne Glenferrie Oval 62 - 80 7,000
SAT 13/06/1953 2:15 PM Richmond v Footscray Punt Road Oval 59 - 68 16,000
SAT 13/06/1953 2:15 PM South Melbourne v Melbourne Lakeside Oval 77 - 71 22,565

Round 8 Ladder

Team Ladder (W-D-L, PP & P%) PF PA
Geelong 1st 8 -0- 0 32 177.9% 790 444
Footscray 2nd 6 -0- 2 24 140.5% 590 420
Collingwood 3rd 6 -0- 2 24 126.8% 710 560
Essendon 4th 5 -0- 3 20 128.1% 683 533
North Melbourne 5th 5 -0- 3 20 105.8% 623 589
Fitzroy 6th 5 -0- 3 20 81.8% 538 658
Carlton 7th 4 -0- 4 16 103.4% 601 581
South Melbourne 8th 4 -0- 4 16 98.1% 620 632
St Kilda 9th 2 -0- 6 8 68.2% 511 749
Melbourne 10th 1 -0- 7 4 81.6% 496 608
Richmond 11th 1 -0- 7 4 78.5% 514 655
Hawthorn 12th 1 -0- 7 4 61.2% 389 636

Round 9

Date Match Venue Result Attendance
SAT 20/06/1953 2:15 PM Fitzroy v Carlton Brunswick Street Oval 54 - 60 15,000
SAT 20/06/1953 2:15 PM Footscray v South Melbourne Western Oval 43 - 72 21,105
SAT 20/06/1953 2:15 PM Hawthorn v Essendon Glenferrie Oval 64 - 87 8,000
SAT 20/06/1953 2:15 PM Melbourne v Collingwood MCG 48 - 63 27,175
SAT 20/06/1953 2:15 PM North Melbourne v Richmond Arden Street Oval 45 - 42 9,000
SAT 20/06/1953 2:15 PM St Kilda v Geelong Junction Oval 44 - 60 9,500

Round 9 Ladder

Team Ladder (W-D-L, PP & P%) PF PA
Geelong 1st 9 -0- 0 36 174.2% 850 488
Collingwood 2nd 7 -0- 2 28 127.1% 773 608
Essendon 3rd 6 -0- 3 24 129.0% 770 597
Footscray 4th 6 -0- 3 24 128.7% 633 492
North Melbourne 5th 6 -0- 3 24 105.9% 668 631
Carlton 6th 5 -0- 4 20 104.1% 661 635
South Melbourne 7th 5 -0- 4 20 102.5% 692 675
Fitzroy 8th 5 -0- 4 20 82.5% 592 718
St Kilda 9th 2 -0- 7 8 68.6% 555 809
Melbourne 10th 1 -0- 8 4 81.1% 544 671
Richmond 11th 1 -0- 8 4 79.4% 556 700
Hawthorn 12th 1 -0- 8 4 62.7% 453 723

Round 10

Date Match Venue Result Attendance
SAT 27/06/1953 2:15 PM Carlton v Geelong Princes Park 63 - 74 32,526
SAT 27/06/1953 2:15 PM Essendon v Collingwood Windy Hill 80 - 52 31,900
SAT 27/06/1953 2:15 PM Fitzroy v St Kilda Brunswick Street Oval 75 - 52 9,500
SAT 27/06/1953 2:15 PM Melbourne v Hawthorn MCG 74 - 102 11,993
SAT 27/06/1953 2:15 PM North Melbourne v Footscray Arden Street Oval 25 - 42 15,000
SAT 27/06/1953 2:15 PM South Melbourne v Richmond Lakeside Oval 79 - 50 17,000

Round 10 Ladder

Team Ladder (W-D-L, PP & P%) PF PA
Geelong 1st 10 -0- 0 40 167.7% 924 551
Essendon 2nd 7 -0- 3 28 131.0% 850 649
Footscray 3rd 7 -0- 3 28 130.6% 675 517
Collingwood 4th 7 -0- 3 28 119.9% 825 688
South Melbourne 5th 6 -0- 4 24 106.3% 771 725
North Melbourne 6th 6 -0- 4 24 103.0% 693 673
Fitzroy 7th 6 -0- 4 24 86.6% 667 770
Carlton 8th 5 -0- 5 20 102.1% 724 709
Hawthorn 9th 2 -0- 8 8 69.6% 555 797
St Kilda 10th 2 -0- 8 8 68.7% 607 884
Melbourne 11th 1 -0- 9 4 79.9% 618 773
Richmond 12th 1 -0- 9 4 77.8% 606 779

Round 11

Date Match Venue Result Attendance
SAT 04/07/1953 2:15 PM Carlton v South Melbourne Princes Park 97 - 73 29,688
SAT 04/07/1953 2:15 PM Collingwood v Fitzroy Victoria Park 61 - 62 25,078
SAT 04/07/1953 2:15 PM Footscray v Essendon Western Oval 69 - 53 34,884
SAT 04/07/1953 2:15 PM Geelong v North Melbourne Kardinia Park 86 - 85 21,130
SAT 04/07/1953 2:15 PM Richmond v Hawthorn Punt Road Oval 82 - 48 11,000
SAT 04/07/1953 2:15 PM St Kilda v Melbourne Junction Oval 73 - 69 12,000

Round 11 Ladder

Team Ladder (W-D-L, PP & P%) PF PA
Geelong 1st 11 -0- 0 44 158.8% 1,010 636
Footscray 2nd 8 -0- 3 32 130.5% 744 570
Essendon 3rd 7 -0- 4 28 125.8% 903 718
Collingwood 4th 7 -0- 4 28 118.1% 886 750
Fitzroy 5th 7 -0- 4 28 87.7% 729 831
Carlton 6th 6 -0- 5 24 105.0% 821 782
South Melbourne 7th 6 -0- 5 24 102.7% 844 822
North Melbourne 8th 6 -0- 5 24 102.5% 778 759
St Kilda 9th 3 -0- 8 12 71.4% 680 953
Richmond 10th 2 -0- 9 8 83.2% 688 827
Hawthorn 11th 2 -0- 9 8 68.6% 603 879
Melbourne 12th 1 -0- 10 4 81.2% 687 846

Round 12

Date Match Venue Result Attendance
SAT 11/07/1953 2:15 PM Footscray v Carlton Western Oval 90 - 66 31,668
SAT 11/07/1953 2:15 PM Hawthorn v Geelong Glenferrie Oval 62 - 86 14,000
SAT 11/07/1953 2:15 PM Melbourne v Richmond MCG 75 - 75 19,402
SAT 18/07/1953 2:15 PM Fitzroy v Essendon Brunswick Street Oval 62 - 97 25,500
SAT 18/07/1953 2:15 PM North Melbourne v St Kilda Arden Street Oval 131 - 46 10,500
SAT 18/07/1953 2:15 PM South Melbourne v Collingwood Lakeside Oval 81 - 119 30,000

Round 12 Ladder

Team Ladder (W-D-L, PP & P%) PF PA
Geelong 1st 12 -0- 0 48 157.0% 1,096 698
Footscray 2nd 9 -0- 3 36 131.1% 834 636
Essendon 3rd 8 -0- 4 32 128.2% 1,000 780
Collingwood 4th 8 -0- 4 32 120.9% 1,005 831
North Melbourne 5th 7 -0- 5 28 112.9% 909 805
Fitzroy 6th 7 -0- 5 28 85.2% 791 928
Carlton 7th 6 -0- 6 24 101.7% 887 872
South Melbourne 8th 6 -0- 6 24 98.3% 925 941
St Kilda 9th 3 -0- 9 12 67.0% 726 1,084
Richmond 10th 2 -1- 9 10 84.6% 763 902
Hawthorn 11th 2 -0- 10 8 68.9% 665 965
Melbourne 12th 1 -1- 10 6 82.7% 762 921

Round 13

Date Match Venue Result Attendance
SAT 25/07/1953 2:15 PM Carlton v Melbourne Princes Park 96 - 70 16,367
SAT 25/07/1953 2:15 PM Collingwood v North Melbourne Victoria Park 94 - 65 23,868
SAT 25/07/1953 2:15 PM Essendon v South Melbourne Windy Hill 83 - 62 23,000
SAT 25/07/1953 2:15 PM Geelong v Footscray Kardinia Park 78 - 58 32,093
SAT 25/07/1953 2:15 PM Richmond v Fitzroy Punt Road Oval 85 - 90 15,000
SAT 25/07/1953 2:15 PM St Kilda v Hawthorn Junction Oval 67 - 38 7,500

Round 13 Ladder

Team Ladder (W-D-L, PP & P%) PF PA
Geelong 1st 13 -0- 0 52 155.3% 1,174 756
Essendon 2nd 9 -0- 4 36 128.6% 1,083 842
Footscray 3rd 9 -0- 4 36 124.9% 892 714
Collingwood 4th 9 -0- 4 36 122.7% 1,099 896
Fitzroy 5th 8 -0- 5 32 87.0% 881 1,013
North Melbourne 6th 7 -0- 6 28 108.3% 974 899
Carlton 7th 7 -0- 6 28 104.4% 983 942
South Melbourne 8th 6 -0- 7 24 96.4% 987 1,024
St Kilda 9th 4 -0- 9 16 70.7% 793 1,122
Richmond 10th 2 -1- 10 10 85.5% 848 992
Hawthorn 11th 2 -0- 11 8 68.1% 703 1,032
Melbourne 12th 1 -1- 11 6 81.8% 832 1,017

Round 14

Date Match Venue Result Attendance
SAT 01/08/1953 2:15 PM Carlton v Richmond Princes Park 106 - 79 21,508
SAT 01/08/1953 2:15 PM Fitzroy v South Melbourne Brunswick Street Oval 90 - 61 16,000
SAT 01/08/1953 2:15 PM Geelong v Collingwood Kardinia Park 55 - 75 31,635
SAT 01/08/1953 2:15 PM Hawthorn v Footscray Glenferrie Oval 28 - 76 10,000
SAT 01/08/1953 2:15 PM Melbourne v North Melbourne MCG 67 - 64 13,768
SAT 01/08/1953 2:15 PM St Kilda v Essendon Junction Oval 64 - 99 19,500

Round 14 Ladder

Team Ladder (W-D-L, PP & P%) PF PA
Geelong 1st 13 -0- 1 52 147.9% 1,229 831
Essendon 2nd 10 -0- 4 40 130.5% 1,182 906
Footscray 3rd 10 -0- 4 40 130.5% 968 742
Collingwood 4th 10 -0- 4 40 123.4% 1,174 951
Fitzroy 5th 9 -0- 5 36 90.4% 971 1,074
Carlton 6th 8 -0- 6 32 106.7% 1,089 1,021
North Melbourne 7th 7 -0- 7 28 107.5% 1,038 966
South Melbourne 8th 6 -0- 8 24 94.1% 1,048 1,114
St Kilda 9th 4 -0- 10 16 70.2% 857 1,221
Richmond 10th 2 -1- 11 10 84.4% 927 1,098
Melbourne 11th 2 -1- 11 10 83.2% 899 1,081
Hawthorn 12th 2 -0- 12 8 66.0% 731 1,108

Round 15

Date Match Venue Result Attendance
SAT 08/08/1953 2:15 PM Collingwood v Carlton Victoria Park 87 - 70 31,277
SAT 08/08/1953 2:15 PM Essendon v Geelong Windy Hill 61 - 50 41,000
SAT 08/08/1953 2:15 PM Footscray v Melbourne Western Oval 98 - 61 18,075
SAT 08/08/1953 2:15 PM North Melbourne v Fitzroy Arden Street Oval 121 - 51 12,000
SAT 08/08/1953 2:15 PM Richmond v St Kilda Punt Road Oval 94 - 80 9,500
SAT 08/08/1953 2:15 PM South Melbourne v Hawthorn Lakeside Oval 54 - 62 8,500

Round 15 Ladder

Team Ladder (W-D-L, PP & P%) PF PA
Geelong 1st 13 -0- 2 52 143.4% 1,279 892
Footscray 2nd 11 -0- 4 44 132.8% 1,066 803
Essendon 3rd 11 -0- 4 44 130.0% 1,243 956
Collingwood 4th 11 -0- 4 44 123.5% 1,261 1,021
Fitzroy 5th 9 -0- 6 36 85.5% 1,022 1,195
North Melbourne 6th 8 -0- 7 32 114.0% 1,159 1,017
Carlton 7th 8 -0- 7 32 104.6% 1,159 1,108
South Melbourne 8th 6 -0- 9 24 93.7% 1,102 1,176
St Kilda 9th 4 -0- 11 16 71.3% 937 1,315
Richmond 10th 3 -1- 11 14 86.7% 1,021 1,178
Hawthorn 11th 3 -0- 12 12 68.2% 793 1,162
Melbourne 12th 2 -1- 12 10 81.4% 960 1,179

Round 16

Date Match Venue Result Attendance
SAT 15/08/1953 2:15 PM Fitzroy v Footscray Brunswick Street Oval 53 - 98 17,500
SAT 15/08/1953 2:15 PM Geelong v Richmond Kardinia Park 102 - 33 10,000
SAT 15/08/1953 2:15 PM Hawthorn v Collingwood Glenferrie Oval 72 - 88 7,000
SAT 15/08/1953 2:15 PM Melbourne v Essendon MCG 57 - 82 25,543
SAT 15/08/1953 2:15 PM North Melbourne v South Melbourne Arden Street Oval 56 - 87 8,000
SAT 15/08/1953 2:15 PM St Kilda v Carlton Junction Oval 63 - 58 9,700

Round 16 Ladder

Team Ladder (W-D-L, PP & P%) PF PA
Geelong 1st 14 -0- 2 56 149.3% 1,381 925
Footscray 2nd 12 -0- 4 48 136.0% 1,164 856
Essendon 3rd 12 -0- 4 48 130.8% 1,325 1,013
Collingwood 4th 12 -0- 4 48 123.4% 1,349 1,093
Fitzroy 5th 9 -0- 7 36 83.1% 1,075 1,293
North Melbourne 6th 8 -0- 8 32 110.1% 1,215 1,104
Carlton 7th 8 -0- 8 32 103.9% 1,217 1,171
South Melbourne 8th 7 -0- 9 28 96.5% 1,189 1,232
St Kilda 9th 5 -0- 11 20 72.8% 1,000 1,373
Richmond 10th 3 -1- 12 14 82.3% 1,054 1,280
Hawthorn 11th 3 -0- 13 12 69.2% 865 1,250
Melbourne 12th 2 -1- 13 10 80.7% 1,017 1,261

Round 17

Date Match Venue Result Attendance
SAT 22/08/1953 2:15 PM Carlton v Hawthorn Princes Park 87 - 45 8,500
SAT 22/08/1953 2:15 PM Essendon v North Melbourne Windy Hill 78 - 79 18,000
SAT 22/08/1953 2:15 PM Fitzroy v Melbourne Brunswick Street Oval 49 - 64 7,500
SAT 22/08/1953 2:15 PM Footscray v St Kilda Western Oval 90 - 29 15,158
SAT 22/08/1953 2:15 PM Richmond v Collingwood Punt Road Oval 81 - 95 18,000
SAT 22/08/1953 2:15 PM South Melbourne v Geelong Lakeside Oval 98 - 55 21,000

Round 17 Ladder

Team Ladder (W-D-L, PP & P%) PF PA
Geelong 1st 14 -0- 3 56 140.4% 1,436 1,023
Footscray 2nd 13 -0- 4 52 141.7% 1,254 885
Collingwood 3rd 13 -0- 4 52 123.0% 1,444 1,174
Essendon 4th 12 -0- 5 48 128.5% 1,403 1,092
North Melbourne 5th 9 -0- 8 36 109.5% 1,294 1,182
Carlton 6th 9 -0- 8 36 107.2% 1,304 1,216
Fitzroy 7th 9 -0- 8 36 82.8% 1,124 1,357
South Melbourne 8th 8 -0- 9 32 100.0% 1,287 1,287
St Kilda 9th 5 -0- 12 20 70.3% 1,029 1,463
Richmond 10th 3 -1- 13 14 82.5% 1,135 1,375
Melbourne 11th 3 -1- 13 14 82.5% 1,081 1,310
Hawthorn 12th 3 -0- 14 12 68.1% 910 1,337

Round 18

Date Match Venue Result Attendance
SAT 29/08/1953 2:15 PM Collingwood v Footscray Victoria Park 74 - 55 33,867
SAT 29/08/1953 2:15 PM Geelong v Melbourne Kardinia Park 110 - 56 18,124
SAT 29/08/1953 2:15 PM Hawthorn v Fitzroy Glenferrie Oval 64 - 84 5,000
SAT 29/08/1953 2:15 PM North Melbourne v Carlton Arden Street Oval 94 - 105 14,000
SAT 29/08/1953 2:15 PM Richmond v Essendon Punt Road Oval 85 - 126 19,000
SAT 29/08/1953 2:15 PM South Melbourne v St Kilda Lakeside Oval 98 - 36 13,000

Round 18 Ladder

Team Ladder (W-D-L, PP & P%) PF PA
Geelong 1st 15 -0- 3 60 143.3% 1,546 1,079
Collingwood 2nd 14 -0- 4 56 123.5% 1,518 1,229
Footscray 3rd 13 -0- 5 52 136.5% 1,309 959
Essendon 4th 13 -0- 5 52 129.9% 1,529 1,177
Carlton 5th 10 -0- 8 40 107.6% 1,409 1,310
Fitzroy 6th 10 -0- 8 40 85.0% 1,208 1,421
North Melbourne 7th 9 -0- 9 36 107.8% 1,388 1,287
South Melbourne 8th 9 -0- 9 36 104.7% 1,385 1,323
St Kilda 9th 5 -0- 13 20 68.2% 1,065 1,561
Richmond 10th 3 -1- 14 14 81.3% 1,220 1,501
Melbourne 11th 3 -1- 14 14 80.1% 1,137 1,420
Hawthorn 12th 3 -0- 15 12 68.5% 974 1,421

Finals Series

The positions of teams going into the finals:

Team Ladder (W-D-L, PP & P%) PF PA GF BF GA BA
Geelong 1st 15 -0- 3 60 143.3% 1,546 1,079 220 226 147 197
Collingwood 2nd 14 -0- 4 56 123.5% 1,518 1,229 208 270 174 185
Footscray 3rd 13 -0- 5 52 136.5% 1,309 959 181 223 131 173
Essendon 4th 13 -0- 5 52 129.9% 1,529 1,177 217 227 162 205
Carlton 5th 10 -0- 8 40 107.6% 1,409 1,310 191 263 183 212
Fitzroy 6th 10 -0- 8 40 85.0% 1,208 1,421 168 200 198 233
North Melbourne 7th 9 -0- 9 36 107.8% 1,388 1,287 198 200 175 237
South Melbourne 8th 9 -0- 9 36 104.7% 1,385 1,323 192 233 183 225
St Kilda 9th 5 -0- 13 20 68.2% 1,065 1,561 144 201 216 265
Richmond 10th 3 -1- 14 14 81.3% 1,220 1,501 170 200 213 223
Melbourne 11th 3 -1- 14 14 80.1% 1,137 1,420 157 195 200 220
Hawthorn 12th 3 -0- 15 12 68.5% 974 1,421 135 164 199 227

Final Round 1

Semi Final

Date Match Venue Result Attendance
SAT 05/09/1953 2:30 PM Footscray v Essendon MCG 49 - 41 69,467
SAT 12/09/1953 2:30 PM Geelong v Collingwood MCG 60 - 90 70,302

Final Round 1 Ladder

Team Pos.
Collingwood 1st
Geelong 2nd
Footscray 3rd
Essendon 4th

Final Round 2

Preliminary Final

Date Match Venue Result Attendance
SAT 19/09/1953 2:30 PM Geelong v Footscray MCG 63 - 37 58,615

Final Round 2 Ladder

Team Pos.
Collingwood 1st
Geelong 2nd
Footscray 3rd
Essendon 4th

Final Round 3

Grand Final

Date Match Venue Result Attendance
SAT 26/09/1953 2:50 PM Collingwood v Geelong MCG 77 - 65 89,149

Final Round 3 Ladder

Team Pos.
Collingwood 1st
Geelong 2nd
Footscray 3rd
Essendon 4th