| 1917 VFL premiership season | |
|---|---|
Collingwood, Premiers
| |
| Teams | 6 |
| Premiers | Collingwood 4th premiership |
| Minor premiers | Collingwood 5th minor premiership |
| Leading goalkicker medallist | Dick Lee (Collingwood) |
| Matches played | 49 |
| Highest | 28,512 |
← 1916
1918 →
| |
The 1917 VFL season was the 21st season of the Victorian Football League (VFL), the highest level senior Australian rules football competition in Victoria.
Played during the latter stages World War I, only six of the league's nine senior clubs competed, with Geelong and South Melbourne returning after being in recess the previous year. The season ran from 12 May until 22 September, and comprised a 15-game home-and-away season followed by a finals series featuring the top four clubs.
The premiership was won by the Collingwood Football Club for the fourth time, after it defeated Fitzroy by 35 points in the 1917 VFL Grand Final.
In 1917, the VFL competition consisted of six teams of 18 on-the-field players each, with no "reserves", although any of the 18 players who had left the playing field for any reason could later resume their place on the field at any time during the match.
Each of the six teams played each other three times in a 15 match home-and-away season (Geelong, Richmond, and South Melbourne each hosting eight games, while Carlton, Collingwood, and Fitzroy each hosted seven).
Once the 15 round home-and-away season had finished, the 1917 VFL Premiers were determined by the specific format and conventions of the amended "Argus system".
| Home team | Home team score | Away team | Away team score | Venue | Date |
| Collingwood | 11.11 (77) | Richmond | 4.4 (28) | Victoria Park | 12 May 1917 |
| South Melbourne | 9.18 (72) | Geelong | 4.14 (38) | Lake Oval | 12 May 1917 |
| Fitzroy | 6.9 (45) | Carlton | 6.9 (45) | Brunswick Street Oval | 12 May 1917 |
| Home team | Home team score | Away team | Away team score | Venue | Date |
| Richmond | 6.16 (52) | South Melbourne | 8.16 (64) | Punt Road Oval | 19 May 1917 |
| Carlton | 13.7 (85) | Collingwood | 8.6 (54) | Princes Park | 19 May 1917 |
| Geelong | 6.10 (46) | Fitzroy | 8.16 (64) | Corio Oval | 19 May 1917 |
| Home team | Home team score | Away team | Away team score | Venue | Date |
| Richmond | 14.6 (90) | Geelong | 6.16 (52) | Punt Road Oval | 26 May 1917 |
| Fitzroy | 8.14 (62) | Collingwood | 11.12 (78) | Brunswick Street Oval | 26 May 1917 |
| South Melbourne | 5.16 (46) | Carlton | 3.13 (31) | Lake Oval | 26 May 1917 |
| Home team | Home team score | Away team | Away team score | Venue | Date |
| Collingwood | 8.18 (66) | South Melbourne | 6.9 (45) | Victoria Park | 2 June 1917 |
| Fitzroy | 6.13 (49) | Richmond | 5.8 (38) | Brunswick Street Oval | 4 June 1917 |
| Carlton | 5.12 (42) | Geelong | 6.7 (43) | Princes Park | 4 June 1917 |
| Home team | Home team score | Away team | Away team score | Venue | Date |
| Carlton | 14.13 (97) | Richmond | 7.11 (53) | Princes Park | 9 June 1917 |
| South Melbourne | 5.20 (50) | Fitzroy | 8.7 (55) | Lake Oval | 9 June 1917 |
| Geelong | 6.7 (43) | Collingwood | 8.9 (57) | Corio Oval | 9 June 1917 |
| Home team | Home team score | Away team | Away team score | Venue | Date |
| Geelong | 6.14 (50) | South Melbourne | 6.11 (47) | Corio Oval | 16 June 1917 |
| Carlton | 4.17 (41) | Fitzroy | 8.9 (57) | Princes Park | 16 June 1917 |
| Richmond | 7.8 (50) | Collingwood | 6.14 (50) | Punt Road Oval | 16 June 1917 |
| Home team | Home team score | Away team | Away team score | Venue | Date |
| Fitzroy | 8.4 (52) | Geelong | 9.11 (65) | Brunswick Street Oval | 23 June 1917 |
| South Melbourne | 9.17 (71) | Richmond | 6.3 (39) | Lake Oval | 23 June 1917 |
| Collingwood | 13.14 (92) | Carlton | 8.7 (55) | Victoria Park | 23 June 1917 |
| Home team | Home team score | Away team | Away team score | Venue | Date |
| Geelong | 11.15 (81) | Richmond | 5.4 (34) | Corio Oval | 30 June 1917 |
| Collingwood | 11.11 (77) | Fitzroy | 10.14 (74) | Victoria Park | 30 June 1917 |
| Carlton | 9.11 (65) | South Melbourne | 7.12 (54) | Princes Park | 30 June 1917 |
| Home team | Home team score | Away team | Away team score | Venue | Date |
| Richmond | 13.9 (87) | Fitzroy | 5.8 (38) | Punt Road Oval | 7 July 1917 |
| South Melbourne | 13.12 (90) | Collingwood | 10.13 (73) | Lake Oval | 7 July 1917 |
| Geelong | 3.11 (29) | Carlton | 4.10 (34) | Corio Oval | 7 July 1917 |
| Home team | Home team score | Away team | Away team score | Venue | Date |
| Fitzroy | 9.10 (64) | South Melbourne | 8.9 (57) | Brunswick Street Oval | 14 July 1917 |
| Collingwood | 10.19 (79) | Geelong | 2.11 (23) | Victoria Park | 14 July 1917 |
| Richmond | 6.10 (46) | Carlton | 7.9 (51) | Punt Road Oval | 14 July 1917 |
| Home team | Home team score | Away team | Away team score | Venue | Date |
| Collingwood | 11.19 (85) | Richmond | 7.7 (49) | Victoria Park | 21 July 1917 |
| South Melbourne | 14.14 (98) | Geelong | 6.13 (49) | Lake Oval | 21 July 1917 |
| Fitzroy | 5.15 (45) | Carlton | 8.11 (59) | Brunswick Street Oval | 21 July 1917 |
| Home team | Home team score | Away team | Away team score | Venue | Date |
| Richmond | 5.11 (41) | South Melbourne | 7.14 (56) | Punt Road Oval | 28 July 1917 |
| Carlton | 4.13 (37) | Collingwood | 3.8 (26) | Princes Park | 28 July 1917 |
| Geelong | 10.3 (63) | Fitzroy | 12.10 (82) | Corio Oval | 28 July 1917 |
| Home team | Home team score | Away team | Away team score | Venue | Date |
| Richmond | 5.12 (42) | Geelong | 7.8 (50) | Punt Road Oval | 11 August 1917 |
| Fitzroy | 7.3 (45) | Collingwood | 14.17 (101) | Brunswick Street Oval | 11 August 1917 |
| South Melbourne | 8.7 (55) | Carlton | 6.14 (50) | Lake Oval | 11 August 1917 |
| Home team | Home team score | Away team | Away team score | Venue | Date |
| Collingwood | 6.16 (52) | South Melbourne | 2.9 (21) | Victoria Park | 18 August 1917 |
| Richmond | 10.11 (71) | Fitzroy | 7.11 (53) | Punt Road Oval | 18 August 1917 |
| Geelong | 5.8 (38) | Carlton | 10.11 (71) | Corio Oval | 18 August 1917 |
| Home team | Home team score | Away team | Away team score | Venue | Date |
| Carlton | 12.8 (80) | Richmond | 4.17 (41) | Princes Park | 25 August 1917 |
| South Melbourne | 12.13 (85) | Fitzroy | 7.5 (47) | Lake Oval | 25 August 1917 |
| Geelong | 8.17 (65) | Collingwood | 9.9 (63) | Corio Oval | 25 August 1917 |
| (P) | Premiers |
| Qualified for finals |
| # | Team | P | W | L | D | PF | PA | % | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Collingwood (P) | 15 | 10 | 4 | 1 | 1030 | 772 | 133.4 | 42 |
| 2 | Carlton | 15 | 9 | 5 | 1 | 843 | 724 | 116.4 | 38 |
| 3 | South Melbourne | 15 | 9 | 6 | 0 | 911 | 772 | 118.0 | 36 |
| 4 | Fitzroy | 15 | 6 | 8 | 1 | 832 | 963 | 86.4 | 26 |
| 5 | Geelong | 15 | 6 | 9 | 0 | 735 | 927 | 79.3 | 24 |
| 6 | Richmond | 15 | 3 | 11 | 1 | 761 | 954 | 79.8 | 14 |
Rules for classification: 1. premiership points; 2. percentage; 3. points for
Average score: 56.8
Source: AFL Tables
| Home team | Score | Away team | Score | Venue | Attendance | Date |
| Carlton | 6.8 (44) | Fitzroy | 6.17 (53) | MCG | 15,605 | Saturday, 1 September |
| Collingwood | 13.17 (95) | South Melbourne | 3.17 (35) | MCG | 16,505 | Saturday, 8 September |
| Home team | Score | Away team | Score | Venue | Attendance | Date |
| Collingwood | 7.10 (52) | Fitzroy | 8.10 (58) | MCG | 22,786 | Saturday, 15 September |
| Home team | Score | Away team | Score | Venue | Attendance | Date |
| Collingwood | 9.20 (74) | Fitzroy | 5.9 (39) | MCG | 28,512 | Saturday, 22 September |
