1972: The VFL win eighteenth Australian interstate championship series, held in Perth. VFL night competition is suspended. WANFL premiers (East Perth) and Tasmanian state champions (City-South) enter club championship of Australia series for first ever time. North Adelaide (SANFL) 10.13 (73) defeat Carlton (VFL) 10.12 (72) in final [see GREAT GAMES section] - first non-VFL side to win title since the competition's pre-World War One incarnation. VFL institutes final five system. Carlton embark on an international tour, together with a composite side, 'the Australian All Stars'; exhibition games are played in Athens and London. Geelong West secures VFA Division Two flag with 100% record in its 20 matches. Grand final results - VFL: Carlton 28.9 (177) d. Richmond 22.18 (150); SANFL: North Adelaide 19.14 (128) d. Port Adelaide 10.12 (72); WANFL: East Perth 9.17 (71) d. Claremont 8.8 (56); VFA: Division One - Oakleigh 25.17 (167) d. Dandenong 16.15 (111); Division Two - Geelong West 14.16 (100) d. Caulfield 14.10 (94); TANFL: Sandy Bay 18.9 (117) d. New Norfolk 10.14 (74); NTFA: City-South 11.7 (73) d. Launceston 2.15 (27); NSWANFL: Western Suburbs 22.23 (155) d. East Sydney 12.14 (86); NTFL: St Marys 13.7 (85) d. Darwin 12.12 (84); QAFL: Wilston Grange 26.8 (164) d. Sandgate 11.14 (80); NWFU: Latrobe 11.16 (82) d. Burnie 8.12 (60); CANFL: Eastlake 26.19 (175) d. Ainslie 9.8 (62); TSP: City-South 14.14 (98) d. Latrobe 8.14 (62).
1973: SANFL introduces final five. Barrie Robran (North Adelaide) wins third Magarey Medal. Barry Cable (Perth) wins third Sandover Medal. Twelfth AAFC interstate carnival won by South Australia in Melbourne. Grand final results - CoA: Richmond 12.20 (92) d. Subiaco 10.19 (79); VFL: Richmond 16.20 (116) d. Carlton 12.14 (86); SANFL: Glenelg 21.11 (137) d. North Adelaide 19.16 (130) [see GREAT GAMES section]; WANFL: Subiaco 10.12 (72) d. West Perth 6.4 (40); VFA: Division One - Prahran 15.23 (113) d. Oakleigh 10.18 (78); Division Two - Caulfield 18.20 (128) d. Brunswick 14.22 (106); TANFL: Hobart 11.19 (85) d. Sandy Bay 10.5 (65); NTFA: Scottsdale 11.12 (78) d. North Launceston 10.7 (67); NSWANFL: East Sydney 22.18 (150) d. Western Suburbs 18.9 (117); NTFL: Darwin 17.13 (115) d. St Marys 3.7 (25); QAFL: Mayne 12.17 (89) d. Sandgate 6.11 (47); NWFU: Cooee 14.12 (96) d. Latrobe 10.10 (70); CANFL: Manuka 14.14 (98) d. Ainslie 15.7 (97); TSP: Scottsdale 16.20 (116) d. Cooee 15.15 (105).
1974: The New South Wales Australian National Football League becomes the New South Wales Australian Football League (NSWAFL). Queensland win section two of Australian interstate championships, held in Sydney. VFL play South Australia at Sydney Cricket Ground for promotional purposes, winning 14.24 (108) to 9.18 (72). SANFL opens its new stadium, Football Park, in Adelaide. The Tasmanian State Premiership is not contested. Grand final results - CoA: Richmond 27.11 (173) d. Sturt 13.17 (95); VFL: Richmond 18.20 (128) d. North Melbourne 13.8 (86); SANFL: Sturt 9.16 (70) d. Glenelg 8.7 (55); WANFL: East Fremantle 17.20 (122) d. Perth 15.10 (100); VFA: Division One - Port Melbourne 22.20 (152) d. Oakleigh 11.17 (83); Division Two - Coburg 18.17 (125) d. Brunswick 9.15 (69); TANFL: North Hobart 21.10 (136) d. Sandy Bay 15.18 (108); NTFA: City-South 5.13 (43) d. Scottsdale 2.10 (22); NSWAFL: Western Suburbs 18.25 (133); East Sydney 17.21 (123); NTFL: Waratahs 13.11 (89) d. Nightcliff 13.8 (86); QAFL: Sandgate 17.10 (112) d. Mayne 13.11 (89); NWFU: Burnie 14.15 (99) d. Latrobe 9.12 (66); CANFL: Manuka 14.14 (98) d. Eastlake 9.13 (67).
1975: Name of CANFL changed to Australian Capital Territory Football League (ACTAFL). Nineteenth Australian interstate championship series held in Melbourne and Adelaide and won by VFL. North Melbourne wins first ever VFL premiership. West Perth 23.17 (155) defeat South Fremantle 7.9 (51) before WANFL grand final record 52,322 spectators. Glenelg kicks SANFL record 49.23 (317) against Central District. NTFL competition suspended in wake of Cyclone Tracy. Other grand final results - CoA: North Melbourne 17.15 (117) d. Norwood 5.11 (41); VFL: North Melbourne 19.8 (122) d. Hawthorn 9.13 (67); SANFL: Norwood 9.10 (64) d. Glenelg 7.10 (52); VFA: Division One - Geelong West 18.13 (121) d. Dandenong 14.9 (93); Division Two - Brunswick 18.22 (130) d. Camberwell 12.11 (83); TANFL: Glenorchy 15.16 (106) d. Sandy Bay 10.7 (67); NTFA: North Launceston 16.14 (110) d. Scottsdale 8.10 (58); NSWAFL: Western Suburbs 18.18 (126) d. East Sydney 12.16 (88); QAFL: Windsor-Zillmere 20.8 (128) d. Mayne 13.6 (84); NWFU: Wynyard 15.10 (100) d. Ulverstone 12.8 (80); ACTAFL: Manuka 12.13 (85) d. Ainslie 10.8 (68); TSP: Glenorchy 18.24 (132) d. North Launceston 16.12 (108).
1976: NTFL resumes competition. A National Football League (NFL) series comprising five leading club sides from Victoria, four from South Australia and three from Western Australia is conducted in Perth and Adelaide, and won by Hawthorn. Sturt 17.14 (116) defeats Port Adelaide 10.15 (75) before SANFL grand final record crowd of 66,897. Russell Ebert (Port Adelaide) wins Magarey Medal for third time. South Australia victorious in thirteenth AAFC Interstate Carnival, held in Adelaide. Other grand final results - VFL: Hawthorn 13.22 (100) d. North Melbourne 10.10 (70); WANFL: Perth 13.14 (92) d. East Perth 11.3 (69); VFA: Division One - Port Melbourne 19.18 (132) d. Dandenong 10.15 (75) [see GREAT GAMES section]; Division Two - Williamstown 19.13 (127) d. Mordialloc 9.16 (70); TANFL: Sandy Bay 21.10 (136) d. Glenorchy 5.9 (39); NTFA: Launceston 13.10 (88) d. North Launceston 12.15 (87); NSWAFL: East Sydney 23.12 (150) d. North Shore 10.13 (73); NTFL: Darwin 16.14 (110) d. North Darwin 11.6 (72); QAFL: Windsor-Zillmere 17.23 (125) d. Sandgate 13.11 (89); NWFU: Ulverstone 14.9 (93) d. Penguin 7.19 (61); ACTAFL: Eastlake 23.19 (157) d. Manuka 13.10 (88); NFL: Hawthorn 12.17 (89) d. North Melbourne 5.11 (41); TSP: Ulverstone 17.19 (121) d. Launceston 10.14 (74).