Extracurricular Match Listings: 1877 to 1887

KEY TO CATEGORIES:  
IIL Intercolonial inter-league match
IIC Intercolonial club vs. club match
ILC Intercolonial league versus club match
IL Inter-league match - same colony
IC Club vs. club match - same colony
LC League vs. club match - same colony
CovL Colony vs. league
CovC Colony vs. club
Other Some other category, as described in the 'Comments' box

Note: Although they do not conform to the strict definition of an 'extra-curricular match', intercolonial matches are also listed if they comprised part of a tour or series during which extra curricular games were played.

Back to Top

KEY TO SOURCES:  
ARG 'The Argus'
AU 'The Australasian'
CA Champions Of Australia by Max Sayer
CL Chris Lane (Norwood FC historian)
CS The Carlton Story by Hugh Buggy and Harry Bell
CTF A Century Of Tasmanian Football 1879-1979 by Ken Pinchin
DE Dave Eastman
GO A Game Of Our Own: The Origins Of Australian Football by Geoffrey Blainey
JA John Althorp, South Adelaide FC Historian
JH James Hothersall
MER 'The Mercury'
MS Max Sayer
NSWAR New South Wales Australian Football League Annual Reports
OB 'The Observer' (Adelaide)
SAFPP South Australian Football The Past And The Present 1860-1965 by C.K. Knuckey
SAFS The South Australian Football Story by Bernard Whimpress
SAR 'The South Australian Register' 
STB Simply The Best: The Story of The Port Adelaide Football Club 1870-1901 by John Wood

Back to Top

ABBREVIATION CHECKLIST:
NTFA Northern Tasmanian Football Association STFA Southern Tasmanian Football Association
SA South Australia TFA Tasmanian Football Association
SAFA South Australian Football Association VFA Victorian Football Association

Back to Top

QUICK LINKS:-    1877    1878    1879    1880    1881    1882    1883    1884    1885    1886    1887    Non-First Class Games Of Note

Year Venue Category Home Team G B Pts Visiting Team G B Pts Comments Source(s)
1877 Adelaide IIC Victorian 0 - N/A Melbourne 1 - N/A Victorian was an Adelaide club.  The combined team comprised players from Woodville, Port Adelaide, South Park and Victorian. GO
1877 Adelaide Other Combined SA 0 - N/A Melbourne 5 - N/A GO
1877 Adelaide Other Combined SA 2 - N/A Victorians 1 - N/A Not to be confused with the club of similar name, Victorians comprised Adelaide-based players hailing from the colony of Victoria.  SAR gives the score as 3-1 to Combined SA. JH, OB, SAR
1877 Not given IC Kapunda 0 - N/A Adelaide 4 - N/A - SAR
1877 Not given IC Gawler 0 - N/A Woodville 1 - N/A - SAR
1877 Not given IC Kapunda 2 - N/A Adelaide 3 - N/A - SAR
1877 Not given IC Gawler 1 - N/A Adelaide 1 - N/A - SAR
1877 Adelaide IIC Adelaide 2 - N/A St Kilda 5 - N/A Both the SAFA and the VFA had been established in 1877. GO
1877 Adelaide Other SA Natives 2 - N/A St Kilda 7 - N/A GO
1877 Sydney IIC Waratah 0 - N/A Carlton 6 - N/A The 2 teams had earlier played one another at rugby, with Waratah winning 2-0. GO
Back to Top
1878 Adelaide Other Combined SA 1 - N/A Victorians 0 - N/A This match, like the one in 1877, was played for charity, under the auspices of the SAFA, with proceeds going to Adelaide Children's Hospital. JH, OB
Back to Top
1879 Launceston IC Launceston 0 - N/A Cricketers 0 - N/A First game between northern and southern Tasmanian clubs. CTF
1879 Hobart Other Tasmania 3 - N/A All-Comers 0 - N/A The All-Comers team comprised Tasmanian players from mainland clubs. CTF
1879 Adelaide Other Combined SA 1 - N/A All-Comers 1 - N/A - SAR
1879 Ballarat CovC Ballarat and District 0 - N/A SA 0 - N/A "Played ankle deep in water." SAR
1879 Adelaide IIC Victorian 0 - N/A Geelong 4 - N/A - SAR
1879 Adelaide IIC Norwood 0 3 N/A Geelong 3 19 N/A Watched by a crowd of about 2,000. CL/MS
1879 Adelaide IIC Port Adelaide 0 1 N/A Geelong 8 26 N/A - MS, STB
1879 Adelaide ILC SAFA 1 - N/A Geelong 4 - N/A - SAR
Back to Top
1880 Melbourne IIC Carlton 1 6 N/A Norwood 1 5 N/A Watched by a crowd of roughly 2,000. GO, RS, AU
1880 Melbourne IIC Melbourne 0 5 N/A Norwood 2 8 N/A This was the first loss by a Victorian club against a team from another colony. GO, RS, AU
1880 Geelong IIC Geelong 1 29 N/A Norwood 0 0 N/A Attendance: 1,000 approximately. GO, RS, AU
1880 Melbourne IIC Hotham 1 15 N/A Norwood 0 5 N/A Attendance: 1,000 approximately. GO, RS, AU
1880 Melbourne IIC South Melbourne 1 10 N/A Norwood 1 4 N/A Attendance: 1,500 approximately. GO, RS, AU
1880 Ballarat IIC Ballarat Not given Norwood Not given Match won by Norwood. GO
Back to Top
1881 Launceston Other Northern Tasmania 0 2 N/A Hotham 4 18 N/A Hotham was a VFA club. CTF, GO
1881 Hobart ILC TFA 3 15 N/A Hotham 2 16 N/A The TFA team wore dark blue playing uniforms.  The match was watched by a crowd of 1,500.  Both sides fielded 17 rather than 20 players. CTF, GO
1881 Bendigo CovC Bendigo 1 - N/A New South Wales 4 - N/A - NSWAR
1881 Adelaide IIC South Park 2 8 N/A Carlton 6 9 N/A This was Carlton's first ever trip to Adelaide.  The game against South Park was watched by a crowd of 3,000.  Carlton came 3rd in the VFA this year, as did South Park in the SAFA.  Victorian finished 4th and Port 5th. CS, MS, STB
1881 Adelaide IIC Port Adelaide 0 3 N/A Carlton 13 7 N/A CS, MS, STB
1881 Adelaide IIC Victorian 1 - N/A Carlton 3 - N/A CS, MS, STB
Back to Top
1882 Hobart ILC TFA 2 18 N/A Essendon 6 15 N/A Essendon, which finished 2nd to Geelong in the VFA in 1882, also played in Launceston on this tour. CTF
1882 Hobart Other Tasmania 1 8 N/A Essendon 6 27 N/A - CTF
1882 Sydney CovC New South Wales 2 1 N/A Geelong 6 21 N/A - NSWAR
Back to Top
1883 Hobart Other TFA 6 18 N/A Northern Tasmania 1 11 N/A This was the first ever official north vs. south match in Tasmania, although the north would not have an official Controlling Body until 1886. CTF
1883 Sydney CovC New South Wales 4 7 N/A South Melbourne 9 17 N/A - NSWAR
1883 Adelaide IIC Norwood 5 - N/A Essendon 1 - N/A - SAFPP
1883 Adelaide IIC Port Adelaide 1 4 N/A Essendon 2 18 N/A - SAFPP, MS, STB
Back to Top
1884 Sydney CovC New South Wales 4 8 N/A South Melbourne 7 8 N/A - NSWAR
1884 Sydney CovC New South Wales 3 15 N/A South Adelaide 3 9 N/A As behinds were not counted, this match was a draw. NSWAR
1884 Sydney CovC New South Wales 2 9 N/A South Adelaide 11 10 N/A - NSWAR
1884 Adelaide IIC South Adelaide 4 11 N/A Melbourne 3 9 N/A - SAFPP
1884 Adelaide IIC Port Adelaide 2 16 N/A Carlton 4 8 N/A - MS, STB
1884 Adelaide IIC Port Adelaide 1 4 N/A Geelong 7 8 N/A - MS, STB
1884 Adelaide IIC Port Adelaide Not given Melbourne Not given The match was drawn. MS, STB
1884 Melbourne IIC Melbourne Not given Norwood Not given Melbourne won by 1 goal. DE
Back to Top
1885 Launceston Other Northern Tasmania 2 15 N/A TFA 2 7 N/A As behinds were not counted in the score at this time, this match was a draw. CTF
1885 Launceston IC City 2 15 N/A Railway 2 5 N/A A crowd of 3,000 attended this drawn match at the Launceston Cricket Ground. CTF
1885 Hobart Other TFA 14 20 N/A Northern Tasmania 2 4 N/A - CTF
1885 Adelaide IIC Port Adelaide 3 3 N/A Hotham 4 11 N/A - MS, STB
1885 Melbourne IIC South Melbourne Not given Port Adelaide Not given The match ended in a draw. MS, STB
1885 Melbourne IIC Melbourne 7 16 N/A Port Adelaide 4 6 N/A - MS, STB
1885 Melbourne IIC Geelong 5 10 N/A Port Adelaide 2 8 N/A - MS, STB
Back to Top
1886 Hobart ILC TFA 2 9 N/A Essendon 2 18 N/A Football in Tasmania, and in particular the south, was in an extremely healthy state at this time as these results prove.  The north vs. south match was the first to be held after the formation of the NTFA.  A second match, scheduled for Launceston, was cancelled because of bad weather. CTF
1886 Hobart ILC TFA 2 16 N/A Essendon 1 6 N/A CTF
1886 Launceston ILC NTFA 2 5 N/A Essendon 1 12 N/A CTF
1886 Hobart IL TFA 4 18 N/A NTFA 0 5 N/A CTF
1886 Launceston ILC NTFA 2 14 N/A Melbourne 5 10 N/A CTF
1886 Hobart ILC TFA 8 11 N/A Melbourne 1 9 N/A CTF
1886 Hobart ILC TFA 2 6 N/A Melbourne 3 12 N/A CTF
1886 Sydney CovC Sandhurst Unknown New South Wales Unknown No information about these matches, other than the fact that they took place, has been uncovered. NSWAR
1886 Sydney CovC Williamstown Unknown New South Wales Unknown NSWAR
1886 Melbourne IIC Essendon 2 10 N/A South Adelaide 1 6 N/A Played at the MCG before a crowd of 8,000. JA/AGE, ARG
1886 Melbourne IIC Hotham 3 18 N/A South Adelaide 2 8 N/A Attendance 2,000 at Hotham Reserve. JA/AGE, ARG
1886 Melbourne IIC Williamstown 4 6 N/A South Adelaide 1 7 N/A Attendance 3,000 at Williamstown Reserve. JA/AGE, ARG
1886 Geelong IIC Geelong 8 8 N/A South Adelaide 2 5 N/A - JA/AGE, ARG
1886 Adelaide IIC Port Adelaide Not given Geelong Not given - MS, STB
Back to Top
1887 Hobart ILC STFA 4 5 N/A Hotham 5 6 N/A The Tasmanian Football Association became the Southern Tasmanian Football Association in 1887. CTF
1887 Hobart ILC STFA 2 3 N/A Hotham 3 7 N/A CTF
1887 Hobart IIC City 7 9 N/A Melbourne 3 12 N/A Melbourne was not a particularly strong VFA side at this time.  City was the Hobart club of that name, which played in blue and white; the Launceston club of the same name played in red and white. CTF
1887 Hobart ILC STFA 6 11 N/A Melbourne 5 10 N/A CTF
1887 Hobart ILC STFA 3 8 N/A Melbourne 8 10 N/A CTF
1887 Hobart IIC Railway 5 8 N/A Melbourne 5 12 N/A CTF
1887 Melbourne Intercolonial Victoria 7 15 N/A Tasmania 4 6 N/A According to Pinchin, all 6 of the matches on this inaugural mainland tour by a Tasmanian representative team were played in Melbourne.  If this was the case, then the matches involving Ballarat and Adelaide should be regarded as having taken place on neutral venues.  The Tasmanian party comprised 17 players from southern clubs, and 8 from the north. CTF
1887 Melbourne CovC Essendon 2 7 N/A Tasmania 2 7 N/A CTF
1887 Melbourne CovC University 0 7 N/A Tasmania 6 5 N/A ARG/MER (CTF has 0.5 to 6.7)
1887 Ballarat CovC Ballarat 4 10 N/A Tasmania 5 12 N/A CTF
1887 Melbourne CovC Adelaide 3 6 N/A Tasmania 13 14 N/A CTF
1887 Melbourne CovC Melbourne 3 10 N/A Tasmania 2 8 N/A CTF
1887 Adelaide IIC South Adelaide Not given Carlton Not given Carlton won this year's VFA premiership, while South and Norwood finished 4th and 1st respectively in the SAFA. SAFS
1887 Adelaide IIC Norwood Not given Carlton Not given SAFS
1887 Adelaide IIC Adelaide 9 - N/A Carlton 3 - N/A Richard Stephens kicked 6 goals for Adelaide (which had finished 3rd in the SAFA) besides hitting the post and kicking another goal "which the umpire did not see". SAFS
Back to Top
Non-First Class Games Of Note  
1879 Adelaide Other SA 1 - N/A All-Comers 2 - N/A Played as a preliminary to SA's tour of Victoria, and in aid of the Cornwall Relief Fund.  The SA team comprised 22 players, and the All-Comers 25. SAR

Where now?

Back to Top

or