1971 VFLR Season
This page displays the results for the 1971 season of the Victorian Football League Reserves (currently known as the Australian Football League Reserves).
It featured twenty-two rounds in a double round-robin format. It should also be noted that Fitzroy forfeited 4 matches (16 premiership points) due to fielding an unregistered player against Footscray, Geelong, St Kilda and Sydney. It is presumed here that the matches were those from rounds 6, 7, 8 and 9, though this is yet to be confirmed. The Richmond Reserves were the minor premiers.
The premiership ended with a finals series following the Page-McIntyre system. The Richmond Reserves were the premiers, with Verdun Howell as the premiership coach.
Premiership Details
Name:
1971 Victorian Football League Reserves Season
Known As:
1971 VFLR Season
Teams:
12
Rounds:
22
Finals System:
Page-McIntyre System
Matches:
136
Team Details
| Team | Home Ground | Coach (Appointed) | Coach (Caretaker) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carlton (R) | Keith McKenzie | ||
| Collingwood (R) | Neil Mann | ||
| Essendon (R) | |||
| Fitzroy (R) | |||
| Footscray (R) | |||
| Geelong (R) | |||
| Hawthorn (R) | |||
| Melbourne (R) | Bernie Massey | ||
| North Melbourne (R) | |||
| Richmond (R) | Verdun Howell | Allan Cooke | |
| South Melbourne (R) | |||
| St Kilda (R) |
Premiership Results
Premiers:
Richmond Reserves
Runners-Up:
Essendon Reserves
Minor Premiers:
Richmond Reserves
Team Results
Minor Premiership Results
| Team | Ladder (W-D-L, PP & P%) | PF | PA | GF | BF | GA | BA | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Richmond (R) | 1st | 18 | -0- | 4 | 72 | 130.2% | 2,340 | 1,797 | 336 | 324 | 257 | 255 |
| Essendon (R) | 2nd | 17 | -0- | 5 | 68 | 135.6% | 2,376 | 1,752 | 340 | 336 | 254 | 228 |
| Hawthorn (R) | 3rd | 16 | -0- | 6 | 64 | 119.9% | 2,081 | 1,735 | 302 | 269 | 246 | 259 |
| Carlton (R) | 4th | 14 | -0- | 8 | 56 | 117.3% | 2,074 | 1,768 | 288 | 346 | 249 | 274 |
| Melbourne (R) | 5th | 13 | -0- | 9 | 52 | 115.4% | 2,229 | 1,931 | 319 | 315 | 278 | 263 |
| Collingwood (R) | 6th | 10 | -0- | 12 | 40 | 95.3% | 2,046 | 2,148 | 292 | 294 | 308 | 300 |
| Footscray (R) | 7th | 9 | -0- | 13 | 36 | 83.8% | 1,897 | 2,263 | 274 | 253 | 322 | 331 |
| North Melbourne (R) | 8th | 8 | -0- | 14 | 32 | 93.3% | 2,116 | 2,268 | 308 | 268 | 323 | 330 |
| Fitzroy (R) | 9th | 7 | -0- | 15 | 28 | 104.9% | 2,187 | 2,085 | 314 | 303 | 294 | 321 |
| South Melbourne (R) | 10th | 7 | -0- | 15 | 28 | 78.1% | 1,723 | 2,206 | 246 | 247 | 317 | 304 |
| Geelong (R) | 11th | 7 | -0- | 15 | 28 | 76.7% | 1,803 | 2,350 | 255 | 273 | 343 | 292 |
| St Kilda (R) | 12th | 6 | -0- | 16 | 24 | 74.1% | 1,624 | 2,193 | 229 | 250 | 312 | 321 |
Overall Premiership Results
| Team | Position (Outcome) | |
|---|---|---|
| Richmond (R) | 1st | Premiers |
| Essendon (R) | 2nd | Runners-Up |
| Carlton (R) | 3rd | Defeated by Richmond (R) (Preliminary Final) |
| Hawthorn (R) | 4th | Defeated by Carlton (R) (Semi Final) |
| Melbourne (R) | 5th | Did not qualify for finals |
| Collingwood (R) | 6th | Did not qualify for finals |
| Footscray (R) | 7th | Did not qualify for finals |
| North Melbourne (R) | 8th | Did not qualify for finals |
| Fitzroy (R) | 9th | Did not qualify for finals |
| South Melbourne (R) | 10th | Did not qualify for finals |
| Geelong (R) | 11th | Did not qualify for finals |
| St Kilda (R) | 12th | Did not qualify for finals |
Premiership Fixture
Regular Season
Round 1
| Date | Match | Venue | Result | Attendance | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SAT | 03/04/1971 | Collingwood (R) v Footscray (R) | 162 | - | 86 | |||
| SAT | 03/04/1971 | Essendon (R) v Hawthorn (R) | 142 | - | 87 | |||
| SAT | 03/04/1971 | Fitzroy (R) v Richmond (R) | 74 | - | 147 | |||
| SAT | 03/04/1971 | Geelong (R) v St Kilda (R) | 94 | - | 96 | |||
| SAT | 03/04/1971 | Melbourne (R) v South Melbourne (R) | 117 | - | 156 | |||
| SAT | 03/04/1971 | North Melbourne (R) v Carlton (R) | 114 | - | 116 | |||
Round 1 Ladder
| Team | Ladder (W-D-L, PP & P%) | PF | PA | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Richmond (R) | 1st | 1 | -0- | 0 | 4 | 198.6% | 147 | 74 |
| Collingwood (R) | 2nd | 1 | -0- | 0 | 4 | 188.4% | 162 | 86 |
| Essendon (R) | 3rd | 1 | -0- | 0 | 4 | 163.2% | 142 | 87 |
| South Melbourne (R) | 4th | 1 | -0- | 0 | 4 | 133.3% | 156 | 117 |
| St Kilda (R) | 5th | 1 | -0- | 0 | 4 | 102.1% | 96 | 94 |
| Carlton (R) | 6th | 1 | -0- | 0 | 4 | 101.8% | 116 | 114 |
| North Melbourne (R) | 7th | 0 | -0- | 1 | 0 | 98.3% | 114 | 116 |
| Geelong (R) | 8th | 0 | -0- | 1 | 0 | 97.9% | 94 | 96 |
| Melbourne (R) | 9th | 0 | -0- | 1 | 0 | 75.0% | 117 | 156 |
| Hawthorn (R) | 10th | 0 | -0- | 1 | 0 | 61.3% | 87 | 142 |
| Footscray (R) | 11th | 0 | -0- | 1 | 0 | 53.1% | 86 | 162 |
| Fitzroy (R) | 12th | 0 | -0- | 1 | 0 | 50.3% | 74 | 147 |
Round 2
| Date | Match | Venue | Result | Attendance | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SAT | 10/04/1971 | Carlton (R) v Essendon (R) | 96 | - | 94 | |||
| SAT | 10/04/1971 | Hawthorn (R) v Fitzroy (R) | 118 | - | 111 | |||
| SAT | 10/04/1971 | South Melbourne (R) v Geelong (R) | 145 | - | 92 | |||
| MON | 12/04/1971 | Footscray (R) v Melbourne (R) | 102 | - | 98 | |||
| MON | 12/04/1971 | Richmond (R) v Collingwood (R) | 143 | - | 95 | |||
| MON | 12/04/1971 | St Kilda (R) v North Melbourne (R) | 72 | - | 79 | |||
Round 2 Ladder
| Team | Ladder (W-D-L, PP & P%) | PF | PA | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Richmond (R) | 1st | 2 | -0- | 0 | 8 | 171.6% | 290 | 169 |
| South Melbourne (R) | 2nd | 2 | -0- | 0 | 8 | 144.0% | 301 | 209 |
| Carlton (R) | 3rd | 2 | -0- | 0 | 8 | 101.9% | 212 | 208 |
| Essendon (R) | 4th | 1 | -0- | 1 | 4 | 129.0% | 236 | 183 |
| Collingwood (R) | 5th | 1 | -0- | 1 | 4 | 112.2% | 257 | 229 |
| North Melbourne (R) | 6th | 1 | -0- | 1 | 4 | 102.7% | 193 | 188 |
| St Kilda (R) | 7th | 1 | -0- | 1 | 4 | 97.1% | 168 | 173 |
| Hawthorn (R) | 8th | 1 | -0- | 1 | 4 | 81.0% | 205 | 253 |
| Footscray (R) | 9th | 1 | -0- | 1 | 4 | 72.3% | 188 | 260 |
| Melbourne (R) | 10th | 0 | -0- | 2 | 0 | 83.3% | 215 | 258 |
| Geelong (R) | 11th | 0 | -0- | 2 | 0 | 77.2% | 186 | 241 |
| Fitzroy (R) | 12th | 0 | -0- | 2 | 0 | 69.8% | 185 | 265 |
Round 3
| Date | Match | Venue | Result | Attendance | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SAT | 17/04/1971 | Essendon (R) v Collingwood (R) | 123 | - | 72 | |||
| SAT | 17/04/1971 | Fitzroy (R) v North Melbourne (R) | 121 | - | 143 | |||
| SAT | 17/04/1971 | Footscray (R) v South Melbourne (R) | 65 | - | 102 | |||
| SAT | 17/04/1971 | Hawthorn (R) v Geelong (R) | 65 | - | 104 | |||
| SAT | 17/04/1971 | Melbourne (R) v Carlton (R) | 112 | - | 84 | |||
| SAT | 17/04/1971 | Richmond (R) v St Kilda (R) | 109 | - | 59 | |||
Round 3 Ladder
| Team | Ladder (W-D-L, PP & P%) | PF | PA | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Richmond (R) | 1st | 3 | -0- | 0 | 12 | 175.0% | 399 | 228 |
| South Melbourne (R) | 2nd | 3 | -0- | 0 | 12 | 147.1% | 403 | 274 |
| Essendon (R) | 3rd | 2 | -0- | 1 | 8 | 140.8% | 359 | 255 |
| North Melbourne (R) | 4th | 2 | -0- | 1 | 8 | 108.7% | 336 | 309 |
| Carlton (R) | 5th | 2 | -0- | 1 | 8 | 92.5% | 296 | 320 |
| Melbourne (R) | 6th | 1 | -0- | 2 | 4 | 95.6% | 327 | 342 |
| Geelong (R) | 7th | 1 | -0- | 2 | 4 | 94.8% | 290 | 306 |
| Collingwood (R) | 8th | 1 | -0- | 2 | 4 | 93.5% | 329 | 352 |
| St Kilda (R) | 9th | 1 | -0- | 2 | 4 | 80.5% | 227 | 282 |
| Hawthorn (R) | 10th | 1 | -0- | 2 | 4 | 75.6% | 270 | 357 |
| Footscray (R) | 11th | 1 | -0- | 2 | 4 | 69.9% | 253 | 362 |
| Fitzroy (R) | 12th | 0 | -0- | 3 | 0 | 75.0% | 306 | 408 |
Round 4
| Date | Match | Venue | Result | Attendance | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SAT | 24/04/1971 | Collingwood (R) v Fitzroy (R) | 90 | - | 135 | |||
| SAT | 24/04/1971 | Geelong (R) v Carlton (R) | 65 | - | 88 | |||
| SAT | 24/04/1971 | Melbourne (R) v Essendon (R) | 53 | - | 117 | |||
| SAT | 24/04/1971 | North Melbourne (R) v Footscray (R) | 107 | - | 83 | |||
| SAT | 24/04/1971 | South Melbourne (R) v Richmond (R) | 88 | - | 147 | |||
| SAT | 24/04/1971 | St Kilda (R) v Hawthorn (R) | 58 | - | 102 | |||
Round 4 Ladder
| Team | Ladder (W-D-L, PP & P%) | PF | PA | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Richmond (R) | 1st | 4 | -0- | 0 | 16 | 172.8% | 546 | 316 |
| Essendon (R) | 2nd | 3 | -0- | 1 | 12 | 154.5% | 476 | 308 |
| South Melbourne (R) | 3rd | 3 | -0- | 1 | 12 | 116.6% | 491 | 421 |
| North Melbourne (R) | 4th | 3 | -0- | 1 | 12 | 113.0% | 443 | 392 |
| Carlton (R) | 5th | 3 | -0- | 1 | 12 | 99.7% | 384 | 385 |
| Hawthorn (R) | 6th | 2 | -0- | 2 | 8 | 89.6% | 372 | 415 |
| Geelong (R) | 7th | 1 | -0- | 3 | 4 | 90.1% | 355 | 394 |
| Fitzroy (R) | 8th | 1 | -0- | 3 | 4 | 88.6% | 441 | 498 |
| Collingwood (R) | 9th | 1 | -0- | 3 | 4 | 86.0% | 419 | 487 |
| Melbourne (R) | 10th | 1 | -0- | 3 | 4 | 82.8% | 380 | 459 |
| St Kilda (R) | 11th | 1 | -0- | 3 | 4 | 74.2% | 285 | 384 |
| Footscray (R) | 12th | 1 | -0- | 3 | 4 | 71.6% | 336 | 469 |
Round 5
| Date | Match | Venue | Result | Attendance | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SAT | 01/05/1971 | Carlton (R) v St Kilda (R) | 74 | - | 35 | |||
| SAT | 01/05/1971 | Collingwood (R) v North Melbourne (R) | 95 | - | 86 | |||
| SAT | 01/05/1971 | Essendon (R) v Geelong (R) | 136 | - | 74 | |||
| SAT | 01/05/1971 | Fitzroy (R) v Melbourne (R) | 88 | - | 108 | |||
| SAT | 01/05/1971 | Hawthorn (R) v South Melbourne (R) | 103 | - | 71 | |||
| SAT | 01/05/1971 | Richmond (R) v Footscray (R) | 136 | - | 81 | |||
Round 5 Ladder
| Team | Ladder (W-D-L, PP & P%) | PF | PA | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Richmond (R) | 1st | 5 | -0- | 0 | 20 | 171.8% | 682 | 397 |
| Essendon (R) | 2nd | 4 | -0- | 1 | 16 | 160.2% | 612 | 382 |
| Carlton (R) | 3rd | 4 | -0- | 1 | 16 | 109.0% | 458 | 420 |
| North Melbourne (R) | 4th | 3 | -0- | 2 | 12 | 108.6% | 529 | 487 |
| South Melbourne (R) | 5th | 3 | -0- | 2 | 12 | 107.3% | 562 | 524 |
| Hawthorn (R) | 6th | 3 | -0- | 2 | 12 | 97.7% | 475 | 486 |
| Collingwood (R) | 7th | 2 | -0- | 3 | 8 | 89.7% | 514 | 573 |
| Melbourne (R) | 8th | 2 | -0- | 3 | 8 | 89.2% | 488 | 547 |
| Fitzroy (R) | 9th | 1 | -0- | 4 | 4 | 87.3% | 529 | 606 |
| Geelong (R) | 10th | 1 | -0- | 4 | 4 | 80.9% | 429 | 530 |
| St Kilda (R) | 11th | 1 | -0- | 4 | 4 | 69.9% | 320 | 458 |
| Footscray (R) | 12th | 1 | -0- | 4 | 4 | 68.9% | 417 | 605 |
Round 6
| Date | Match | Venue | Result | Attendance | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SAT | 08/05/1971 | Footscray (R) v Hawthorn (R) | 91 | - | 125 | |||
| SAT | 08/05/1971 | Geelong (R) v Fitzroy (R) | 91 | - | 144 | |||
| SAT | 08/05/1971 | Melbourne (R) v Collingwood (R) | 136 | - | 116 | |||
| SAT | 08/05/1971 | North Melbourne (R) v Richmond (R) | 124 | - | 96 | |||
| SAT | 08/05/1971 | South Melbourne (R) v Carlton (R) | 81 | - | 121 | |||
| SAT | 08/05/1971 | St Kilda (R) v Essendon (R) | 48 | - | 97 | |||
Round 6 Ladder
| Team | Ladder (W-D-L, PP & P%) | PF | PA | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essendon (R) | 1st | 5 | -0- | 1 | 20 | 164.9% | 709 | 430 |
| Richmond (R) | 2nd | 5 | -0- | 1 | 20 | 149.3% | 778 | 521 |
| Carlton (R) | 3rd | 5 | -0- | 1 | 20 | 115.6% | 579 | 501 |
| North Melbourne (R) | 4th | 4 | -0- | 2 | 16 | 112.0% | 653 | 583 |
| Hawthorn (R) | 5th | 4 | -0- | 2 | 16 | 104.0% | 600 | 577 |
| South Melbourne (R) | 6th | 3 | -0- | 3 | 12 | 99.7% | 643 | 645 |
| Melbourne (R) | 7th | 3 | -0- | 3 | 12 | 94.1% | 624 | 663 |
| Collingwood (R) | 8th | 2 | -0- | 4 | 8 | 88.9% | 630 | 709 |
| Geelong (R) | 9th | 2 | -0- | 4 | 8 | 77.2% | 520 | 674 |
| Fitzroy (R) | 10th | 1 | -0- | 5 | 4 | 96.6% | 673 | 697 |
| Footscray (R) | 11th | 1 | -0- | 5 | 4 | 69.6% | 508 | 730 |
| St Kilda (R) | 12th | 1 | -0- | 5 | 4 | 66.3% | 368 | 555 |
Round 7
| Date | Match | Venue | Result | Attendance | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SAT | 15/05/1971 | Carlton (R) v Footscray (R) | 84 | - | 131 | |||
| SAT | 15/05/1971 | Collingwood (R) v Geelong (R) | 110 | - | 79 | |||
| SAT | 15/05/1971 | Essendon (R) v South Melbourne (R) | 112 | - | 85 | |||
| SAT | 15/05/1971 | Fitzroy (R) v St Kilda (R) | 122 | - | 64 | |||
| SAT | 15/05/1971 | Hawthorn (R) v Richmond (R) | 125 | - | 93 | |||
| SAT | 15/05/1971 | Melbourne (R) v North Melbourne (R) | 100 | - | 115 | |||
Round 7 Ladder
| Team | Ladder (W-D-L, PP & P%) | PF | PA | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essendon (R) | 1st | 6 | -0- | 1 | 24 | 159.4% | 821 | 515 |
| Richmond (R) | 2nd | 5 | -0- | 2 | 20 | 134.8% | 871 | 646 |
| North Melbourne (R) | 3rd | 5 | -0- | 2 | 20 | 112.4% | 768 | 683 |
| Hawthorn (R) | 4th | 5 | -0- | 2 | 20 | 108.2% | 725 | 670 |
| Carlton (R) | 5th | 5 | -0- | 2 | 20 | 104.9% | 663 | 632 |
| South Melbourne (R) | 6th | 3 | -0- | 4 | 12 | 96.2% | 728 | 757 |
| Collingwood (R) | 7th | 3 | -0- | 4 | 12 | 93.9% | 740 | 788 |
| Melbourne (R) | 8th | 3 | -0- | 4 | 12 | 93.1% | 724 | 778 |
| Footscray (R) | 9th | 2 | -0- | 5 | 8 | 78.5% | 639 | 814 |
| Geelong (R) | 10th | 2 | -0- | 5 | 8 | 76.4% | 599 | 784 |
| St Kilda (R) | 11th | 2 | -0- | 5 | 8 | 63.8% | 432 | 677 |
| Fitzroy (R) | 12th | 1 | -0- | 6 | 4 | 104.5% | 795 | 761 |
Round 8
| Date | Match | Venue | Result | Attendance | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SAT | 22/05/1971 | Footscray (R) v Essendon (R) | 102 | - | 98 | |||
| SAT | 22/05/1971 | Geelong (R) v Melbourne (R) | 111 | - | 77 | |||
| SAT | 22/05/1971 | North Melbourne (R) v Hawthorn (R) | 91 | - | 98 | |||
| SAT | 22/05/1971 | Richmond (R) v Carlton (R) | 121 | - | 108 | |||
| SAT | 22/05/1971 | South Melbourne (R) v Fitzroy (R) | 77 | - | 118 | |||
| SAT | 22/05/1971 | St Kilda (R) v Collingwood (R) | 107 | - | 89 | |||
Round 8 Ladder
| Team | Ladder (W-D-L, PP & P%) | PF | PA | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essendon (R) | 1st | 6 | -0- | 2 | 24 | 148.9% | 919 | 617 |
| Richmond (R) | 2nd | 6 | -0- | 2 | 24 | 131.6% | 992 | 754 |
| Hawthorn (R) | 3rd | 6 | -0- | 2 | 24 | 108.1% | 823 | 761 |
| North Melbourne (R) | 4th | 5 | -0- | 3 | 20 | 110.0% | 859 | 781 |
| Carlton (R) | 5th | 5 | -0- | 3 | 20 | 102.4% | 771 | 753 |
| South Melbourne (R) | 6th | 4 | -0- | 4 | 16 | 92.0% | 805 | 875 |
| Collingwood (R) | 7th | 3 | -0- | 5 | 12 | 92.6% | 829 | 895 |
| Melbourne (R) | 8th | 3 | -0- | 5 | 12 | 90.1% | 801 | 889 |
| Geelong (R) | 9th | 3 | -0- | 5 | 12 | 82.5% | 710 | 861 |
| Footscray (R) | 10th | 3 | -0- | 5 | 12 | 81.3% | 741 | 912 |
| St Kilda (R) | 11th | 3 | -0- | 5 | 12 | 70.4% | 539 | 766 |
| Fitzroy (R) | 12th | 1 | -0- | 7 | 4 | 108.9% | 913 | 838 |
Round 9
| Date | Match | Venue | Result | Attendance | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SAT | 29/05/1971 | Carlton (R) v Hawthorn (R) | 83 | - | 54 | |||
| SAT | 29/05/1971 | Collingwood (R) v South Melbourne (R) | 76 | - | 70 | |||
| SAT | 29/05/1971 | Essendon (R) v Richmond (R) | 69 | - | 74 | |||
| SAT | 29/05/1971 | Fitzroy (R) v Footscray (R) | 135 | - | 63 | |||
| SAT | 29/05/1971 | Melbourne (R) v St Kilda (R) | 110 | - | 68 | |||
| SAT | 29/05/1971 | North Melbourne (R) v Geelong (R) | 137 | - | 84 | |||
Round 9 Ladder
| Team | Ladder (W-D-L, PP & P%) | PF | PA | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Richmond (R) | 1st | 7 | -0- | 2 | 28 | 129.5% | 1,066 | 823 |
| Essendon (R) | 2nd | 6 | -0- | 3 | 24 | 143.0% | 988 | 691 |
| North Melbourne (R) | 3rd | 6 | -0- | 3 | 24 | 115.1% | 996 | 865 |
| Carlton (R) | 4th | 6 | -0- | 3 | 24 | 105.8% | 854 | 807 |
| Hawthorn (R) | 5th | 6 | -0- | 3 | 24 | 103.9% | 877 | 844 |
| Melbourne (R) | 6th | 4 | -0- | 5 | 16 | 95.2% | 911 | 957 |
| Collingwood (R) | 7th | 4 | -0- | 5 | 16 | 93.8% | 905 | 965 |
| South Melbourne (R) | 8th | 4 | -0- | 5 | 16 | 92.0% | 875 | 951 |
| Footscray (R) | 9th | 4 | -0- | 5 | 16 | 76.8% | 804 | 1,047 |
| Geelong (R) | 10th | 3 | -0- | 6 | 12 | 79.6% | 794 | 998 |
| St Kilda (R) | 11th | 3 | -0- | 6 | 12 | 69.3% | 607 | 876 |
| Fitzroy (R) | 12th | 1 | -0- | 8 | 4 | 116.3% | 1,048 | 901 |
Round 10
| Date | Match | Venue | Result | Attendance | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SAT | 05/06/1971 | Carlton (R) v Fitzroy (R) | 113 | - | 92 | |||
| SAT | 05/06/1971 | Essendon (R) v North Melbourne (R) | 133 | - | 87 | |||
| SAT | 05/06/1971 | Footscray (R) v Geelong (R) | 104 | - | 85 | |||
| SAT | 05/06/1971 | Hawthorn (R) v Collingwood (R) | 102 | - | 72 | |||
| SAT | 05/06/1971 | Richmond (R) v Melbourne (R) | 76 | - | 92 | |||
| SAT | 05/06/1971 | South Melbourne (R) v St Kilda (R) | 103 | - | 79 | |||
Round 10 Ladder
| Team | Ladder (W-D-L, PP & P%) | PF | PA | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essendon (R) | 1st | 7 | -0- | 3 | 28 | 144.1% | 1,121 | 778 |
| Richmond (R) | 2nd | 7 | -0- | 3 | 28 | 124.8% | 1,142 | 915 |
| Carlton (R) | 3rd | 7 | -0- | 3 | 28 | 107.6% | 967 | 899 |
| Hawthorn (R) | 4th | 7 | -0- | 3 | 28 | 106.9% | 979 | 916 |
| North Melbourne (R) | 5th | 6 | -0- | 4 | 24 | 108.5% | 1,083 | 998 |
| Melbourne (R) | 6th | 5 | -0- | 5 | 20 | 97.1% | 1,003 | 1,033 |
| South Melbourne (R) | 7th | 5 | -0- | 5 | 20 | 95.0% | 978 | 1,030 |
| Footscray (R) | 8th | 5 | -0- | 5 | 20 | 80.2% | 908 | 1,132 |
| Collingwood (R) | 9th | 4 | -0- | 6 | 16 | 91.6% | 977 | 1,067 |
| Geelong (R) | 10th | 3 | -0- | 7 | 12 | 79.8% | 879 | 1,102 |
| St Kilda (R) | 11th | 3 | -0- | 7 | 12 | 70.1% | 686 | 979 |
| Fitzroy (R) | 12th | 1 | -0- | 9 | 4 | 112.4% | 1,140 | 1,014 |
Round 11
| Date | Match | Venue | Result | Attendance | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MON | 14/06/1971 | Collingwood (R) v Carlton (R) | 77 | - | 86 | |||
| MON | 14/06/1971 | Fitzroy (R) v Essendon (R) | 76 | - | 94 | |||
| MON | 14/06/1971 | Geelong (R) v Richmond (R) | 71 | - | 106 | |||
| MON | 14/06/1971 | Melbourne (R) v Hawthorn (R) | 59 | - | 86 | |||
| MON | 14/06/1971 | North Melbourne (R) v South Melbourne (R) | 85 | - | 116 | |||
| MON | 14/06/1971 | St Kilda (R) v Footscray (R) | 119 | - | 101 | |||
Round 11 Ladder
| Team | Ladder (W-D-L, PP & P%) | PF | PA | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essendon (R) | 1st | 8 | -0- | 3 | 32 | 142.3% | 1,215 | 854 |
| Richmond (R) | 2nd | 8 | -0- | 3 | 32 | 126.6% | 1,248 | 986 |
| Hawthorn (R) | 3rd | 8 | -0- | 3 | 32 | 109.2% | 1,065 | 975 |
| Carlton (R) | 4th | 8 | -0- | 3 | 32 | 107.9% | 1,053 | 976 |
| North Melbourne (R) | 5th | 6 | -0- | 5 | 24 | 104.8% | 1,168 | 1,114 |
| South Melbourne (R) | 6th | 6 | -0- | 5 | 24 | 98.1% | 1,094 | 1,115 |
| Melbourne (R) | 7th | 5 | -0- | 6 | 20 | 94.9% | 1,062 | 1,119 |
| Footscray (R) | 8th | 5 | -0- | 6 | 20 | 80.7% | 1,009 | 1,251 |
| Collingwood (R) | 9th | 4 | -0- | 7 | 16 | 91.4% | 1,054 | 1,153 |
| St Kilda (R) | 10th | 4 | -0- | 7 | 16 | 74.5% | 805 | 1,080 |
| Geelong (R) | 11th | 3 | -0- | 8 | 12 | 78.6% | 950 | 1,208 |
| Fitzroy (R) | 12th | 1 | -0- | 10 | 4 | 109.7% | 1,216 | 1,108 |
Round 12
| Date | Match | Venue | Result | Attendance | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SAT | 19/06/1971 | Carlton (R) v North Melbourne (R) | 89 | - | 92 | |||
| SAT | 19/06/1971 | Footscray (R) v Collingwood (R) | 57 | - | 60 | |||
| SAT | 19/06/1971 | Hawthorn (R) v Essendon (R) | 109 | - | 49 | |||
| SAT | 19/06/1971 | Richmond (R) v Fitzroy (R) | 97 | - | 71 | |||
| SAT | 19/06/1971 | South Melbourne (R) v Melbourne (R) | 23 | - | 83 | |||
| SAT | 19/06/1971 | St Kilda (R) v Geelong (R) | 49 | - | 60 | |||
Round 12 Ladder
| Team | Ladder (W-D-L, PP & P%) | PF | PA | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Richmond (R) | 1st | 9 | -0- | 3 | 36 | 127.2% | 1,345 | 1,057 |
| Hawthorn (R) | 2nd | 9 | -0- | 3 | 36 | 114.6% | 1,174 | 1,024 |
| Essendon (R) | 3rd | 8 | -0- | 4 | 32 | 131.3% | 1,264 | 963 |
| Carlton (R) | 4th | 8 | -0- | 4 | 32 | 106.9% | 1,142 | 1,068 |
| North Melbourne (R) | 5th | 7 | -0- | 5 | 28 | 104.7% | 1,260 | 1,203 |
| Melbourne (R) | 6th | 6 | -0- | 6 | 24 | 100.3% | 1,145 | 1,142 |
| South Melbourne (R) | 7th | 6 | -0- | 6 | 24 | 93.2% | 1,117 | 1,198 |
| Collingwood (R) | 8th | 5 | -0- | 7 | 20 | 92.1% | 1,114 | 1,210 |
| Footscray (R) | 9th | 5 | -0- | 7 | 20 | 81.3% | 1,066 | 1,311 |
| Geelong (R) | 10th | 4 | -0- | 8 | 16 | 80.4% | 1,010 | 1,257 |
| St Kilda (R) | 11th | 4 | -0- | 8 | 16 | 74.9% | 854 | 1,140 |
| Fitzroy (R) | 12th | 1 | -0- | 11 | 4 | 106.8% | 1,287 | 1,205 |
Round 13
| Date | Match | Venue | Result | Attendance | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SAT | 26/06/1971 | Collingwood (R) v Richmond (R) | 98 | - | 99 | |||
| SAT | 26/06/1971 | Essendon (R) v Carlton (R) | 79 | - | 60 | |||
| SAT | 26/06/1971 | Fitzroy (R) v Hawthorn (R) | 68 | - | 67 | |||
| SAT | 26/06/1971 | Geelong (R) v South Melbourne (R) | 58 | - | 50 | |||
| SAT | 26/06/1971 | Melbourne (R) v Footscray (R) | 186 | - | 72 | |||
| SAT | 26/06/1971 | North Melbourne (R) v St Kilda (R) | 149 | - | 52 | |||
Round 13 Ladder
| Team | Ladder (W-D-L, PP & P%) | PF | PA | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Richmond (R) | 1st | 10 | -0- | 3 | 40 | 125.0% | 1,444 | 1,155 |
| Essendon (R) | 2nd | 9 | -0- | 4 | 36 | 131.3% | 1,343 | 1,023 |
| Hawthorn (R) | 3rd | 9 | -0- | 4 | 36 | 113.6% | 1,241 | 1,092 |
| North Melbourne (R) | 4th | 8 | -0- | 5 | 32 | 112.3% | 1,409 | 1,255 |
| Carlton (R) | 5th | 8 | -0- | 5 | 32 | 104.8% | 1,202 | 1,147 |
| Melbourne (R) | 6th | 7 | -0- | 6 | 28 | 109.6% | 1,331 | 1,214 |
| South Melbourne (R) | 7th | 6 | -0- | 7 | 24 | 92.9% | 1,167 | 1,256 |
| Collingwood (R) | 8th | 5 | -0- | 8 | 20 | 92.6% | 1,212 | 1,309 |
| Geelong (R) | 9th | 5 | -0- | 8 | 20 | 81.7% | 1,068 | 1,307 |
| Footscray (R) | 10th | 5 | -0- | 8 | 20 | 76.0% | 1,138 | 1,497 |
| St Kilda (R) | 11th | 4 | -0- | 9 | 16 | 70.3% | 906 | 1,289 |
| Fitzroy (R) | 12th | 2 | -0- | 11 | 8 | 106.5% | 1,355 | 1,272 |
Round 14
| Date | Match | Venue | Result | Attendance | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SAT | 03/07/1971 | Carlton (R) v Melbourne (R) | 62 | - | 97 | |||
| SAT | 03/07/1971 | Collingwood (R) v Essendon (R) | 89 | - | 122 | |||
| SAT | 03/07/1971 | Geelong (R) v Hawthorn (R) | 60 | - | 145 | |||
| SAT | 03/07/1971 | North Melbourne (R) v Fitzroy (R) | 99 | - | 134 | |||
| SAT | 03/07/1971 | South Melbourne (R) v Footscray (R) | 69 | - | 81 | |||
| SAT | 03/07/1971 | St Kilda (R) v Richmond (R) | 96 | - | 101 | |||
Round 14 Ladder
| Team | Ladder (W-D-L, PP & P%) | PF | PA | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Richmond (R) | 1st | 11 | -0- | 3 | 44 | 123.5% | 1,545 | 1,251 |
| Essendon (R) | 2nd | 10 | -0- | 4 | 40 | 131.7% | 1,465 | 1,112 |
| Hawthorn (R) | 3rd | 10 | -0- | 4 | 40 | 120.3% | 1,386 | 1,152 |
| Melbourne (R) | 4th | 8 | -0- | 6 | 32 | 111.9% | 1,428 | 1,276 |
| North Melbourne (R) | 5th | 8 | -0- | 6 | 32 | 108.6% | 1,508 | 1,389 |
| Carlton (R) | 6th | 8 | -0- | 6 | 32 | 101.6% | 1,264 | 1,244 |
| South Melbourne (R) | 7th | 6 | -0- | 8 | 24 | 92.4% | 1,236 | 1,337 |
| Footscray (R) | 8th | 6 | -0- | 8 | 24 | 77.8% | 1,219 | 1,566 |
| Collingwood (R) | 9th | 5 | -0- | 9 | 20 | 90.9% | 1,301 | 1,431 |
| Geelong (R) | 10th | 5 | -0- | 9 | 20 | 77.7% | 1,128 | 1,452 |
| St Kilda (R) | 11th | 4 | -0- | 10 | 16 | 72.1% | 1,002 | 1,390 |
| Fitzroy (R) | 12th | 3 | -0- | 11 | 12 | 108.6% | 1,489 | 1,371 |
Round 15
| Date | Match | Venue | Result | Attendance | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SAT | 10/07/1971 | Carlton (R) v Geelong (R) | 167 | - | 20 | |||
| SAT | 10/07/1971 | Essendon (R) v Melbourne (R) | 96 | - | 121 | |||
| SAT | 10/07/1971 | Fitzroy (R) v Collingwood (R) | 109 | - | 64 | |||
| SAT | 10/07/1971 | Footscray (R) v North Melbourne (R) | 119 | - | 93 | |||
| SAT | 10/07/1971 | Hawthorn (R) v St Kilda (R) | 121 | - | 79 | |||
| SAT | 10/07/1971 | Richmond (R) v South Melbourne (R) | 149 | - | 63 | |||
Round 15 Ladder
| Team | Ladder (W-D-L, PP & P%) | PF | PA | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Richmond (R) | 1st | 12 | -0- | 3 | 48 | 128.9% | 1,694 | 1,314 |
| Hawthorn (R) | 2nd | 11 | -0- | 4 | 44 | 122.4% | 1,507 | 1,231 |
| Essendon (R) | 3rd | 10 | -0- | 5 | 40 | 126.6% | 1,561 | 1,233 |
| Carlton (R) | 4th | 9 | -0- | 6 | 36 | 113.2% | 1,431 | 1,264 |
| Melbourne (R) | 5th | 9 | -0- | 6 | 36 | 112.9% | 1,549 | 1,372 |
| North Melbourne (R) | 6th | 8 | -0- | 7 | 32 | 106.2% | 1,601 | 1,508 |
| Footscray (R) | 7th | 7 | -0- | 8 | 28 | 80.7% | 1,338 | 1,659 |
| South Melbourne (R) | 8th | 6 | -0- | 9 | 24 | 87.4% | 1,299 | 1,486 |
| Collingwood (R) | 9th | 5 | -0- | 10 | 20 | 88.6% | 1,365 | 1,540 |
| Geelong (R) | 10th | 5 | -0- | 10 | 20 | 70.9% | 1,148 | 1,619 |
| Fitzroy (R) | 11th | 4 | -0- | 11 | 16 | 111.4% | 1,598 | 1,435 |
| St Kilda (R) | 12th | 4 | -0- | 11 | 16 | 71.5% | 1,081 | 1,511 |
Round 16
| Date | Match | Venue | Result | Attendance | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SAT | 17/07/1971 | Footscray (R) v Richmond (R) | 47 | - | 54 | |||
| SAT | 17/07/1971 | Geelong (R) v Essendon (R) | 71 | - | 101 | |||
| SAT | 17/07/1971 | Melbourne (R) v Fitzroy (R) | 72 | - | 66 | |||
| SAT | 17/07/1971 | North Melbourne (R) v Collingwood (R) | 53 | - | 97 | |||
| SAT | 17/07/1971 | South Melbourne (R) v Hawthorn (R) | 44 | - | 77 | |||
| SAT | 17/07/1971 | St Kilda (R) v Carlton (R) | 40 | - | 89 | |||
Round 16 Ladder
| Team | Ladder (W-D-L, PP & P%) | PF | PA | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Richmond (R) | 1st | 13 | -0- | 3 | 52 | 128.4% | 1,748 | 1,361 |
| Hawthorn (R) | 2nd | 12 | -0- | 4 | 48 | 124.2% | 1,584 | 1,275 |
| Essendon (R) | 3rd | 11 | -0- | 5 | 44 | 127.5% | 1,662 | 1,304 |
| Carlton (R) | 4th | 10 | -0- | 6 | 40 | 116.6% | 1,520 | 1,304 |
| Melbourne (R) | 5th | 10 | -0- | 6 | 40 | 112.7% | 1,621 | 1,438 |
| North Melbourne (R) | 6th | 8 | -0- | 8 | 32 | 103.1% | 1,654 | 1,605 |
| Footscray (R) | 7th | 7 | -0- | 9 | 28 | 80.9% | 1,385 | 1,713 |
| Collingwood (R) | 8th | 6 | -0- | 10 | 24 | 91.8% | 1,462 | 1,593 |
| South Melbourne (R) | 9th | 6 | -0- | 10 | 24 | 85.9% | 1,343 | 1,563 |
| Geelong (R) | 10th | 5 | -0- | 11 | 20 | 70.9% | 1,219 | 1,720 |
| Fitzroy (R) | 11th | 4 | -0- | 12 | 16 | 110.4% | 1,664 | 1,507 |
| St Kilda (R) | 12th | 4 | -0- | 12 | 16 | 70.1% | 1,121 | 1,600 |
Round 17
| Date | Match | Venue | Result | Attendance | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SAT | 24/07/1971 | Carlton (R) v South Melbourne (R) | 89 | - | 52 | |||
| SAT | 24/07/1971 | Collingwood (R) v Melbourne (R) | 100 | - | 99 | |||
| SAT | 24/07/1971 | Essendon (R) v St Kilda (R) | 135 | - | 74 | |||
| SAT | 24/07/1971 | Fitzroy (R) v Geelong (R) | 123 | - | 96 | |||
| SAT | 24/07/1971 | Hawthorn (R) v Footscray (R) | 53 | - | 110 | |||
| SAT | 24/07/1971 | Richmond (R) v North Melbourne (R) | 85 | - | 58 | |||
Round 17 Ladder
| Team | Ladder (W-D-L, PP & P%) | PF | PA | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Richmond (R) | 1st | 14 | -0- | 3 | 56 | 129.2% | 1,833 | 1,419 |
| Essendon (R) | 2nd | 12 | -0- | 5 | 48 | 130.4% | 1,797 | 1,378 |
| Hawthorn (R) | 3rd | 12 | -0- | 5 | 48 | 118.2% | 1,637 | 1,385 |
| Carlton (R) | 4th | 11 | -0- | 6 | 44 | 118.7% | 1,609 | 1,356 |
| Melbourne (R) | 5th | 10 | -0- | 7 | 40 | 111.8% | 1,720 | 1,538 |
| North Melbourne (R) | 6th | 8 | -0- | 9 | 32 | 101.3% | 1,712 | 1,690 |
| Footscray (R) | 7th | 8 | -0- | 9 | 32 | 84.7% | 1,495 | 1,766 |
| Collingwood (R) | 8th | 7 | -0- | 10 | 28 | 92.3% | 1,562 | 1,692 |
| South Melbourne (R) | 9th | 6 | -0- | 11 | 24 | 84.4% | 1,395 | 1,652 |
| Fitzroy (R) | 10th | 5 | -0- | 12 | 20 | 111.5% | 1,787 | 1,603 |
| Geelong (R) | 11th | 5 | -0- | 12 | 20 | 71.4% | 1,315 | 1,843 |
| St Kilda (R) | 12th | 4 | -0- | 13 | 16 | 68.9% | 1,195 | 1,735 |
Round 18
| Date | Match | Venue | Result | Attendance | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SAT | 31/07/1971 | Footscray (R) v Carlton (R) | 85 | - | 89 | |||
| SAT | 31/07/1971 | Geelong (R) v Collingwood (R) | 100 | - | 125 | |||
| SAT | 31/07/1971 | North Melbourne (R) v Melbourne (R) | 68 | - | 81 | |||
| SAT | 31/07/1971 | Richmond (R) v Hawthorn (R) | 123 | - | 47 | |||
| SAT | 31/07/1971 | South Melbourne (R) v Essendon (R) | 55 | - | 128 | |||
| SAT | 31/07/1971 | St Kilda (R) v Fitzroy (R) | 89 | - | 61 | |||
Round 18 Ladder
| Team | Ladder (W-D-L, PP & P%) | PF | PA | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Richmond (R) | 1st | 15 | -0- | 3 | 60 | 133.4% | 1,956 | 1,466 |
| Essendon (R) | 2nd | 13 | -0- | 5 | 52 | 134.3% | 1,925 | 1,433 |
| Carlton (R) | 3rd | 12 | -0- | 6 | 48 | 117.8% | 1,698 | 1,441 |
| Hawthorn (R) | 4th | 12 | -0- | 6 | 48 | 111.7% | 1,684 | 1,508 |
| Melbourne (R) | 5th | 11 | -0- | 7 | 44 | 112.1% | 1,801 | 1,606 |
| North Melbourne (R) | 6th | 8 | -0- | 10 | 32 | 100.5% | 1,780 | 1,771 |
| Collingwood (R) | 7th | 8 | -0- | 10 | 32 | 94.1% | 1,687 | 1,792 |
| Footscray (R) | 8th | 8 | -0- | 10 | 32 | 85.2% | 1,580 | 1,855 |
| South Melbourne (R) | 9th | 6 | -0- | 12 | 24 | 81.5% | 1,450 | 1,780 |
| Fitzroy (R) | 10th | 5 | -0- | 13 | 20 | 109.2% | 1,848 | 1,692 |
| Geelong (R) | 11th | 5 | -0- | 13 | 20 | 71.9% | 1,415 | 1,968 |
| St Kilda (R) | 12th | 5 | -0- | 13 | 20 | 71.5% | 1,284 | 1,796 |
Round 19
| Date | Match | Venue | Result | Attendance | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SAT | 07/08/1971 | Carlton (R) v Richmond (R) | 69 | - | 87 | |||
| SAT | 07/08/1971 | Collingwood (R) v St Kilda (R) | 83 | - | 71 | |||
| SAT | 07/08/1971 | Essendon (R) v Footscray (R) | 98 | - | 80 | |||
| SAT | 07/08/1971 | Fitzroy (R) v South Melbourne (R) | 87 | - | 62 | |||
| SAT | 07/08/1971 | Hawthorn (R) v North Melbourne (R) | 117 | - | 69 | |||
| SAT | 07/08/1971 | Melbourne (R) v Geelong (R) | 102 | - | 66 | |||
Round 19 Ladder
| Team | Ladder (W-D-L, PP & P%) | PF | PA | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Richmond (R) | 1st | 16 | -0- | 3 | 64 | 133.1% | 2,043 | 1,535 |
| Essendon (R) | 2nd | 14 | -0- | 5 | 56 | 133.7% | 2,023 | 1,513 |
| Hawthorn (R) | 3rd | 13 | -0- | 6 | 52 | 114.2% | 1,801 | 1,577 |
| Carlton (R) | 4th | 12 | -0- | 7 | 48 | 115.6% | 1,767 | 1,528 |
| Melbourne (R) | 5th | 12 | -0- | 7 | 48 | 113.8% | 1,903 | 1,672 |
| Collingwood (R) | 6th | 9 | -0- | 10 | 36 | 95.0% | 1,770 | 1,863 |
| North Melbourne (R) | 7th | 8 | -0- | 11 | 32 | 97.9% | 1,849 | 1,888 |
| Footscray (R) | 8th | 8 | -0- | 11 | 32 | 85.0% | 1,660 | 1,953 |
| Fitzroy (R) | 9th | 6 | -0- | 13 | 24 | 110.3% | 1,935 | 1,754 |
| South Melbourne (R) | 10th | 6 | -0- | 13 | 24 | 81.0% | 1,512 | 1,867 |
| St Kilda (R) | 11th | 5 | -0- | 14 | 20 | 72.1% | 1,355 | 1,879 |
| Geelong (R) | 12th | 5 | -0- | 14 | 20 | 71.5% | 1,481 | 2,070 |
Round 20
| Date | Match | Venue | Result | Attendance | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SAT | 14/08/1971 | Footscray (R) v Fitzroy (R) | 69 | - | 94 | |||
| SAT | 14/08/1971 | Geelong (R) v North Melbourne (R) | 132 | - | 113 | |||
| SAT | 14/08/1971 | Hawthorn (R) v Carlton (R) | 84 | - | 42 | |||
| SAT | 14/08/1971 | Richmond (R) v Essendon (R) | 85 | - | 100 | |||
| SAT | 14/08/1971 | South Melbourne (R) v Collingwood (R) | 49 | - | 168 | |||
| SAT | 14/08/1971 | St Kilda (R) v Melbourne (R) | 68 | - | 162 | |||
Round 20 Ladder
| Team | Ladder (W-D-L, PP & P%) | PF | PA | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Richmond (R) | 1st | 16 | -0- | 4 | 64 | 130.2% | 2,128 | 1,635 |
| Essendon (R) | 2nd | 15 | -0- | 5 | 60 | 132.9% | 2,123 | 1,598 |
| Hawthorn (R) | 3rd | 14 | -0- | 6 | 56 | 116.4% | 1,885 | 1,619 |
| Melbourne (R) | 4th | 13 | -0- | 7 | 52 | 118.7% | 2,065 | 1,740 |
| Carlton (R) | 5th | 12 | -0- | 8 | 48 | 112.2% | 1,809 | 1,612 |
| Collingwood (R) | 6th | 10 | -0- | 10 | 40 | 101.4% | 1,938 | 1,912 |
| North Melbourne (R) | 7th | 8 | -0- | 12 | 32 | 97.1% | 1,962 | 2,020 |
| Footscray (R) | 8th | 8 | -0- | 12 | 32 | 84.5% | 1,729 | 2,047 |
| Fitzroy (R) | 9th | 7 | -0- | 13 | 28 | 111.3% | 2,029 | 1,823 |
| South Melbourne (R) | 10th | 6 | -0- | 14 | 24 | 76.7% | 1,561 | 2,035 |
| Geelong (R) | 11th | 6 | -0- | 14 | 24 | 73.9% | 1,613 | 2,183 |
| St Kilda (R) | 12th | 5 | -0- | 15 | 20 | 69.7% | 1,423 | 2,041 |
Round 21
| Date | Match | Venue | Result | Attendance | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SAT | 21/08/1971 | Collingwood (R) v Hawthorn (R) | 45 | - | 117 | |||
| SAT | 21/08/1971 | Fitzroy (R) v Carlton (R) | 93 | - | 146 | |||
| SAT | 21/08/1971 | Geelong (R) v Footscray (R) | 121 | - | 67 | |||
| SAT | 21/08/1971 | Melbourne (R) v Richmond (R) | 93 | - | 112 | |||
| SAT | 21/08/1971 | North Melbourne (R) v Essendon (R) | 89 | - | 137 | |||
| SAT | 21/08/1971 | St Kilda (R) v South Melbourne (R) | 106 | - | 51 | |||
Round 21 Ladder
| Team | Ladder (W-D-L, PP & P%) | PF | PA | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Richmond (R) | 1st | 17 | -0- | 4 | 68 | 129.6% | 2,240 | 1,728 |
| Essendon (R) | 2nd | 16 | -0- | 5 | 64 | 134.0% | 2,260 | 1,687 |
| Hawthorn (R) | 3rd | 15 | -0- | 6 | 60 | 120.3% | 2,002 | 1,664 |
| Melbourne (R) | 4th | 13 | -0- | 8 | 52 | 116.5% | 2,158 | 1,852 |
| Carlton (R) | 5th | 13 | -0- | 8 | 52 | 114.7% | 1,955 | 1,705 |
| Collingwood (R) | 6th | 10 | -0- | 11 | 40 | 97.7% | 1,983 | 2,029 |
| North Melbourne (R) | 7th | 8 | -0- | 13 | 32 | 95.1% | 2,051 | 2,157 |
| Footscray (R) | 8th | 8 | -0- | 13 | 32 | 82.8% | 1,796 | 2,168 |
| Fitzroy (R) | 9th | 7 | -0- | 14 | 28 | 107.8% | 2,122 | 1,969 |
| Geelong (R) | 10th | 7 | -0- | 14 | 28 | 77.1% | 1,734 | 2,250 |
| South Melbourne (R) | 11th | 6 | -0- | 15 | 24 | 75.3% | 1,612 | 2,141 |
| St Kilda (R) | 12th | 6 | -0- | 15 | 24 | 73.1% | 1,529 | 2,092 |
Round 22
| Date | Match | Venue | Result | Attendance | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SAT | 28/08/1971 | Carlton (R) v Collingwood (R) | 119 | - | 63 | |||
| SAT | 28/08/1971 | Essendon (R) v Fitzroy (R) | 116 | - | 65 | |||
| SAT | 28/08/1971 | Footscray (R) v St Kilda (R) | 101 | - | 95 | |||
| SAT | 28/08/1971 | Hawthorn (R) v Melbourne (R) | 79 | - | 71 | |||
| SAT | 28/08/1971 | Richmond (R) v Geelong (R) | 100 | - | 69 | |||
| SAT | 28/08/1971 | South Melbourne (R) v North Melbourne (R) | 111 | - | 65 | |||
Round 22 Ladder
| Team | Ladder (W-D-L, PP & P%) | PF | PA | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Richmond (R) | 1st | 18 | -0- | 4 | 72 | 130.2% | 2,340 | 1,797 |
| Essendon (R) | 2nd | 17 | -0- | 5 | 68 | 135.6% | 2,376 | 1,752 |
| Hawthorn (R) | 3rd | 16 | -0- | 6 | 64 | 119.9% | 2,081 | 1,735 |
| Carlton (R) | 4th | 14 | -0- | 8 | 56 | 117.3% | 2,074 | 1,768 |
| Melbourne (R) | 5th | 13 | -0- | 9 | 52 | 115.4% | 2,229 | 1,931 |
| Collingwood (R) | 6th | 10 | -0- | 12 | 40 | 95.3% | 2,046 | 2,148 |
| Footscray (R) | 7th | 9 | -0- | 13 | 36 | 83.8% | 1,897 | 2,263 |
| North Melbourne (R) | 8th | 8 | -0- | 14 | 32 | 93.3% | 2,116 | 2,268 |
| Fitzroy (R) | 9th | 7 | -0- | 15 | 28 | 104.9% | 2,187 | 2,085 |
| South Melbourne (R) | 10th | 7 | -0- | 15 | 28 | 78.1% | 1,723 | 2,206 |
| Geelong (R) | 11th | 7 | -0- | 15 | 28 | 76.7% | 1,803 | 2,350 |
| St Kilda (R) | 12th | 6 | -0- | 16 | 24 | 74.1% | 1,624 | 2,193 |
Finals Series
The positions of teams going into the finals:
| Team | Ladder (W-D-L, PP & P%) | PF | PA | GF | BF | GA | BA | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Richmond (R) | 1st | 18 | -0- | 4 | 72 | 130.2% | 2,340 | 1,797 | 336 | 324 | 257 | 255 |
| Essendon (R) | 2nd | 17 | -0- | 5 | 68 | 135.6% | 2,376 | 1,752 | 340 | 336 | 254 | 228 |
| Hawthorn (R) | 3rd | 16 | -0- | 6 | 64 | 119.9% | 2,081 | 1,735 | 302 | 269 | 246 | 259 |
| Carlton (R) | 4th | 14 | -0- | 8 | 56 | 117.3% | 2,074 | 1,768 | 288 | 346 | 249 | 274 |
| Melbourne (R) | 5th | 13 | -0- | 9 | 52 | 115.4% | 2,229 | 1,931 | 319 | 315 | 278 | 263 |
| Collingwood (R) | 6th | 10 | -0- | 12 | 40 | 95.3% | 2,046 | 2,148 | 292 | 294 | 308 | 300 |
| Footscray (R) | 7th | 9 | -0- | 13 | 36 | 83.8% | 1,897 | 2,263 | 274 | 253 | 322 | 331 |
| North Melbourne (R) | 8th | 8 | -0- | 14 | 32 | 93.3% | 2,116 | 2,268 | 308 | 268 | 323 | 330 |
| Fitzroy (R) | 9th | 7 | -0- | 15 | 28 | 104.9% | 2,187 | 2,085 | 314 | 303 | 294 | 321 |
| South Melbourne (R) | 10th | 7 | -0- | 15 | 28 | 78.1% | 1,723 | 2,206 | 246 | 247 | 317 | 304 |
| Geelong (R) | 11th | 7 | -0- | 15 | 28 | 76.7% | 1,803 | 2,350 | 255 | 273 | 343 | 292 |
| St Kilda (R) | 12th | 6 | -0- | 16 | 24 | 74.1% | 1,624 | 2,193 | 229 | 250 | 312 | 321 |
Final Round 1
Semi Final
| Date | Match | Venue | Result | Attendance | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SAT | 04/09/1971 | Hawthorn (R) v Carlton (R) | 70 | - | 102 | |||
| SAT | 11/09/1971 | Richmond (R) v Essendon (R) | 84 | - | 88 | |||
Final Round 1 Ladder
| Team | Pos. |
|---|---|
| Essendon (R) | 1st |
| Richmond (R) | 2nd |
| Carlton (R) | 3rd |
| Hawthorn (R) | 4th |
Final Round 2
Preliminary Final
| Date | Match | Venue | Result | Attendance | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SAT | 18/09/1971 | Richmond (R) v Carlton (R) | 95 | - | 47 | |||
Final Round 2 Ladder
| Team | Pos. |
|---|---|
| Essendon (R) | 1st |
| Richmond (R) | 2nd |
| Carlton (R) | 3rd |
| Hawthorn (R) | 4th |
Final Round 3
Grand Final
| Date | Match | Venue | Result | Attendance | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SAT | 25/09/1971 | Essendon (R) v Richmond (R) | 66 | - | 98 | |||
Final Round 3 Ladder
| Team | Pos. |
|---|---|
| Richmond (R) | 1st |
| Essendon (R) | 2nd |
| Carlton (R) | 3rd |
| Hawthorn (R) | 4th |