1940 VFA season

World War II had commenced in Europe in September 1939, and the Association opted to proceed with a full premiership season.{{cite news|newspaper=The Argus|publication-place=Melbourne|title=Association to coninue (sic)|date=13 June 1940|page=14}} The home-and-home season was played over twenty matches, before the top four clubs contested a finals series under the Page–McIntyre system to determine the premiers for the season.

{{#invoke:sports table|main|style=WDL

|res_col_header=Q

|title=1940 VFA ladder

|loss_before_draw=true|for_against_style=points|use_goal_percentage=y

|winpoints=4|drawpoints=2

|team1=WIL|name_WIL=Williamstown

|team2=PMB|name_PMB=Port Melbourne

|team3=PRA|name_PRA=Prahran

|team4=NBU|name_NBU=Preston

|team5=BRU|name_BRU=Brunswick

|team6=COB|name_COB=Coburg

|team7=NOR|name_NOR=Northcote

|team8=CAM|name_CAM=Camberwell

|team9=BRI|name_BRI=Brighton

|team10=YAR|name_YAR=Yarraville

|team11=OAK|name_OAK=Oakleigh

|team12=SAN|name_SAN=Sandringham

|win_WIL=16|loss_WIL=4|draw_WIL=0|pf_WIL=2400|pa_WIL=1768

|win_PMB=14|loss_PMB=6|draw_PMB=0|pf_PMB=2368|pa_PMB=1952|status_PMB=P

|win_PRA=14|loss_PRA=6|draw_PRA=0|pf_PRA=2246|pa_PRA=1919

|win_NBU=14|loss_NBU=6|draw_NBU=0|pf_NBU=2106|pa_NBU=1959

|win_BRU=13|loss_BRU=7|draw_BRU=0|pf_BRU=2101|pa_BRU=1772

|win_COB=12|loss_COB=7|draw_COB=1|pf_COB=1965|pa_COB=1720

|win_NOR=9|loss_NOR=10|draw_NOR=1|pf_NOR=1967|pa_NOR=2032

|win_CAM=7|loss_CAM=13|draw_CAM=0|pf_CAM=2250|pa_CAM=2319

|win_BRI=7|loss_BRI=13|draw_BRI=0|pf_BRI=1980|pa_BRI=2118

|win_YAR=7|loss_YAR=13|draw_YAR=0|pf_YAR=2019|pa_YAR=2548

|win_OAK=5|loss_OAK=15|draw_OAK=0|pf_OAK=1888|pa_OAK=2391

|win_SAN=1|loss_SAN=19|draw_SAN=0|pf_SAN=1753|pa_SAN=2545

|status_text_P=Premiers

|col_A=#CCFFCC|text_A=

|result1=A|result2=A|result3=A|result4=A

|class_rules=1) points; 2) percentage; 3) number of points for.

|update=complete

|source={{cite news|newspaper=The Argus|date=9 September 1940|title=Statistics – Association|page=9|publication-place=Melbourne}}

}}

{{AFLGameHeader|title=Semifinals}}

{{AFLGame|Saturday, 14 September|Prahran|16.26 (122)|H|Preston|17.11 (113)|Toorak Park|8,000|{{cite news|newspaper=The Argus|publication-place=Melbourne|title=Exciting V.F.A. semi-final|date=16 September 1940|page=11|author=Percy Taylor}}}}

{{AFLGame|Saturday, 21 September|Williamstown|13.14 (92)|A|Port Melbourne|24.14 (158)|Toorak Park|12,000|{{cite news|newspaper=The Argus|publication-place=Melbourne|title=Williamstown routed|date=23 September 1940|page=11|author=Percy Taylor}}}}

{{AFLGameFooter}}

{{AFLGameHeader|title=Preliminary Final}}

{{AFLGame|Saturday, 30 September|Williamstown|11.16 (88)|A|Prahran|15.21 (111)|Toorak Park|8,000|{{cite news|newspaper=The Argus|publication-place=Melbourne|title=Association – Prahran wins pre-final|date=30 September 1940|page=9|author=Percy Taylor}}}}

{{AFLGameFooter}}

{{AFLGameDetailed

|title = 1940 VFA Grand Final

|date = Saturday, 5 October

|home team = Port Melbourne

|home Q1 = 4.8 (32)

|home Q2 = 11.12 (78)

|home Q3 = 17.18 (120)

|home final = 23.22 (160)

|home goals= Freyer 12, Hurley 5, Robertson 4, Castles, Lahiff

|home best =

|home injuries =

|home reports =

|winner = H

||away team = Prahran

|away Q1 = 2.5 (17)

|away Q2 = 9.7 (61)

|away Q3 = 12.8 (80)

|away final = 17.11 (113)

|away goals= Lyons 9, Hawkins 3, O'Donnell 2, White 2, Gravell

|away best=

|away injuries =

|away reports =

|venue = Melbourne Cricket Ground

|crowd = 30,882

|report = {{cite news|newspaper=The Argus|publication-place=Melbourne|title=Football – Pt. Melbourne premiers|date=7 October 1940|page=9}}

|umpires = Hayes

|BOG award =

|BOG winner =

|broadcast =

|anthem =

|notes=

}}

• Ted Freyer (Port Melbourne) was the leading goalkicker for the season, kicking 133 goals in the home-and-home season and 157 goals overall.
• This season, the Recorder Cup and the Association Medal, which had been parallel best and fairest awards for the Association since 1933, were merged into a single award; both trophies still existed, but they were both awarded to the same winner based on the voting system which had previously been used for the Association Medal. Brighton captain-coach Jack Davis, in his sixteenth and final season of senior football, was the winner for 1940, polling 38½ votes. Lance Collins (Coburg) was second with 34 votes, and Alby Morrison (Preston) was third with 31 votes.
• Coburg won the seconds premiership for the fourth consecutive season. Coburg 14.16 (100) defeated Brunswick 15.5 (95) in the Grand Final, played as a curtain raiser to the seniors Grand Final on Saturday 5 October at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

• Association clubs continued to aggressively recruit star players from the Victorian Football League, with the agreement between the two competitions relating to player transfers having ended in 1938. In one of the Association's highest profile recruiting coups of all time, Williamstown recruited {{AFL Col}}'s Ron Todd, who had won the League goalkicking in both 1938 and 1939 and was thought to be one of the best full forwards that the League had ever seen.{{cite news|newspaper=The Argus|publication-place=Melbourne|title=Todd for V.F.A. – will play today|date=20 April 1940|page=1}} With Todd in the team, Williamstown's membership increased from less than 1,000 to around 2,500,{{cite news|newspaper=The Argus|publication-place=Melbourne|title=Record crowd sees Todd|date=22 April 1940|page=1}} and ground record crowds saw Todd play at Yarraville Oval (for Todd's first Association game) and at Preston.{{cite news|newspaper=The Argus|publication-place=Melbourne|title=62,000 at V.F.A opening|date=22 April 1940|page=13|author=Rover}}{{cite news|newspaper=The Argus|publication-place=Melbourne|title=Coburg's vital match|date=9 August 1940|page=14}}
• Following Brunswick's six-point victory against Northcote on 8 June, Northcote protested the result on the basis that the timekeepers had rung the bell to end the third quarter ten minutes early. The match was declared void, and in the replay on 20 July, Brunswick 16.13 (109) defeated Northcote 14.16 (100) by nine points.{{cite news|newspaper=The Argus|publication-place=Melbourne|title=Northcote to protest|page=11|date=10 June 1940}}{{cite news|newspaper=The Argus|publication-place=Melbourne|title=Brunswick determined|date=22 July 1940|page=9}}
• In the final round of home-and-home matches, Prahran 2.10 (22) trailed Brighton 11.8 (74) by 52 points at three-quarter time; then, with the aid of a strong wind, kicked ten goals to one in the final quarter to win 12.16 (88) to 12.9 (81). As of 2023, it remains the largest three-quarter time deficit overcome for victory in VFA/VFL history,{{cite web|url=https://www.afl.com.au/news/758021/vfl-rd7-dolphins-produce-a-saturday-night-stunner|title=VFL Rd7: Dolphins produce a Saturday night stunner|date=8 May 2022|accessdate=6 June 2022|publisher=Australian Football League|author=Brendan Rhodes}} and the come-from-behind win saw Prahran stay ahead of Brunswick and in the final four.

• List of VFA/VFL Premiers

{{reflist|2}}

{{VFA/VFL seasons}}

{{VFL}}

{{Aussie Rules in Victoria}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:1940 Vfa Season}}

Category:Victorian Football League seasons

VFL