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Footystats Diary, footy's best kept secret, Drawn Matches
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| 471 MATCHES WITHOUT A DRAW IS THE RECORD The longest drought without a draw in VFL-AFL football is 471 matches which occurred between 1982 and 1985. Carlton 16.17-113 and Fitzroy 17.11-113 drew at Princes Park on Saturday March 27, 1982. Not until Monday June 10 on the 1985 Queen's Birthday holiday was the drought broken when Hawthorn and North Melbourne tied on 17.11-113 each at the MCG. Between 1939 and 1943, four years and 406 matches were played without a draw. On Saturday May 13, 1939, Fitzroy and Hawthorn tied at Brunswick Street both with 11.11-77. Four years and two days passed before North Melbourne and St Kilda were locked together on 8.14-62 apiece at Arden Street on Saturday May 15, 1943. |
| DRAWN MATCHES, WITH A TWIST No club has drawn three times in a season No two clubs have drawn twice in the same season Ten seasons apart, Carlton twice drew matches in successive rounds. In the April 29 opening to the 1911 season at East Melbourne, Carlton and Essendon were all square on 45-points each. The following week at home on Princes Park, the Blues and South Melbourne each kicked 10.6-66 to tie the game. In 1921, Carlton with 5.20 tied with the visiting Fitzroy who kicked 6.14 at Princes Park. The next Saturday, the Blues journeyed to Albert Park where they tied for a fourth time with South, both clubs kicking 10.10-70. Fitzroy and Essendon have drawn in successive meetings on two occasions. The Dons and the Maroons tied scores with 74-points each, in the 225th and last VFL match played at East Melbourne on September 10 1921. The following year when the two next met in the 4th round on May 27, they drew again, Fitzroy 6.15, Essendon 7.9. Twenty-two years later in 1944, the two met at Brunswick Street on July 1st in the 9th round and in 1945’s 2nd round (also at Brunswick Street) and again, both were drawn games. New-comers Brisbane and Port Adelaide have matched a record to delight statistiticians. Port only five weeks into their first season with the AFL in 1997 scraped home by two points in their first encounter with Brisbane at Football Park in Round 5. Port and Brisbane met at the Gabba in the return encounter on Saturday August 16 in the 20th round, drawing the contest with both on 13.15-93. Ten months later on Sunday June 14 1998 they faced each other again at the BCG and tied for the second successive occasion both scoring 18.15-123. It rewarded the record books with the first entry of drawn matches in successive meetings for the first time since 1944. Drawn matches in the same round of games have occurred five times — round 2 in 1911, round 1 in 1914, round 5 of 1921, round 6 in 1944 and 1977s 7th round. Round Two has experienced 12 drawn matches, while there have been ten draws in the opening round of fixtures, the last in 1982 when Carlton and Fitzroy tied; not surprising for the Blues who have drawn matches six times at the start of a new season, in 1911, 1914, 1915, 1917, 1960 and 1982. Two drawn matches in a season have been recorded by a club many times, a recent occasion being in 1995 when Essendon drew against both Collingwood (R4) and Richmond (R15) while the Magpies also had a second draw when it tied with Footscray. West Coast emulated this by drawing twice in season 2003 – in Round 11 at Subiaco against the Bulldogs and 10 weeks later in Round 20 at Kardinia Park against Geelong. The Bombers now have had two draws in a season five times, in 1914, 1921, 1944, 1948 and 1995. Essendon are the equal of Carlton who also have had two ties in a season, in 1911, 1914, 1921, 1952, 1972. With the exception of recent arrivals Fremantle, all 17 members of the VFL-AFL have experienced drawn matches — none have yet drawn three in a season, a record still to be made. |
KET Update: August 9, 2009 |
