As part of it's centenary year celebrations, the VFA ran a knock out competition featuring all 20 teams. An almost complete set of results are set out below:
Qualifying Round
(Featured the teams that finished 3rd to 10th in the 2nd division in 1976 and was played the week prior to the first round of the season proper).
Yarraville 23.16.154 d Northcote 3.2.20 *
Camberwell 25.12.162 d Waverley 11.11.77
Werribee 19.17.131 d Box Hill 10.10.70
Frankston 12.22.94 d Sunshine 10.19.79
* As vfa pointed out, Northcote had its score erased for having an extra player on the ground (it was actually Brendan McArdle, the State cricketer, who'd come on for an injured player who hadn't left the field). At the time Yarraville was leading 20.14 to 12.17 during the last quarter, so the result was academic in any case.
First Round
The 4 winners from the qualifying round joined the remaining 12 teams. Appears the draw was seeded such that there was no all Div 2 game. I have noted the division each team was in at the time in brackets. This round was played between rounds 7 and 8.
Geelong West (1) 17.16.118 d Mordialloc (2) 16.20.116
Preston (1) 10.10.70 lost to Caulfield (1) 17.17.119
Yarraville (2) 15.12.102 lost to Prahran (1) 18.19.117
Frankston (2) 21.22.148 d Sandringham (1) 19.13.127
Coburg (1) 23.19.157 d Williamstown (1) 15.7.97
Oakleigh (2) 10.12.72 lost to Brunswick (1) 16.24.120
Dandenong (1) 20.19.130 d Camberwell (2) 13.12.90
Port Melbourne (1) 22.32.164 d Werribee (2) 7.19.61
Quarter Finals
Played on a Sunday the week after round 11
Prahran ?? d Frankston ?? (vfa, do you have this score ??)
Dandenong 10.9.69 d Brunswick 8.10.58
Caulfield 17.14.116 d Geelong West 15.16.106
Port Melbourne 13.9.87 d Coburg 9.12.66
Semi Finals
Played mid week, at night.
Port Melbourne 20.17.137 d Prahran 7.9.51 at South Melbourne (August 3rd)
Caulfield 18.15.123 d Dandenong 13.8.86 at Prahran (August 10th)
Final
Port Melbourne 26.16.172 d Caulfield 15.11.101 at Prahran (August 14th.
Caulfield a bit unfortunate having to front up for the final only 4 days after the semi.
I recall watching the final on Channel 0, although dont recall if the semis were live.
Curtain raiser to the Port v Prahran semi was Prahran Colts vs Mordialloc Colts.
Happy for anyone else correct anything wrong, or to add anecdotes from this comp.
