| Year: | 1912 |
| Competition: | VJFA |
| Match Type: | Grand Final |
| Home: | Port Melbourne RU |
| Home Abbr: | PMRU |
| Away: | Yarraville |
| Away Abbr: | YAR |
| Home Qtr1: | 1.1 (7) |
| Home Qtr2: | 2.4 (16) |
| Home Qtr3: | 3.5 (23) |
| Home Qtr4: | 4.9 (33) |
| Away Qtr1: | 3.2 (20) |
| Away Qtr2: | 4.3 (27) |
| Away Qtr3: | 4.4 (28) |
| Away Qtr4: | 4.6 (30) |
| Home Score: | 3.9 (27) |
| Away Score: | 4.6 (30) |
| Date: | 21 September 1912 |
| Stadium: | Croxton Park |
| Attendance: | "Fairly good" |
| Umpire: | James McMurray |
The 1912 VJFA Grand Final was an Australian rules football match contested between Port Melbourne Railway United and Yarraville at Croxton Park on 21 September 1912. The match was held to decide the premiership for the 1912 Victorian Junior Football Association (VJFA) season.
Port Melbourne won the match by three points, but Yarraville successfully protested one of Port Melbourne's second quarter goals on the grounds of goal umpire error, and the match was reversed to a three-point Yarraville victory. Although they had the right to challenge, Port Melbourne refused to play as its own act of protest, and was almost banned from the VJFA as a result.[1]
See main article: Argus finals system. At the time, the VJFA (like the Victorian Football League and Victorian Football Association used the Argus finals system. This gave the club that finished first on the ladder at the end of the home-and-away season (the minor premiers) the right to challenge the winner of the finals series for the premiership. This meant grand finals in this era were a mixture of challenge matches and non-challenge matches, which would have been followed by challenge matches had the minor premier been defeated.
The rivalry between Port Melbourne Railway United and Yarraville was already strong in the VJFA prior to 1912.
In the 1910 grand final, with Port Melbourne leading by ten points in the final quarter, the primary ball (provided by Yarraville) burst, and was found to have been stabbed with a pen-knife by a spectator. The back-up ball (provided by Port Melbourne) could not be inflated because the pump could not be found – and Yarraville lodged a protest, which was quickly dismissed, arguing that it should be awarded the game by virtue of Port Melbourne not having provided a ready-to-use ball.[2]
Yarraville won the replay, but Port Melbourne won a challenge final (and thus the 1910 premiership) in a game that was condemned for its violence.[3]
Port Melbourne and Yarraville played each other twice in the 1912 home-and-away season. Yarraville won the first game 6.11 (47) to 4.6 (30), and Port Melbourne won the second game 5.6 (36) to 2.1 (13).[4]
Port Melbourne secured the 1912 minor premiership with a win over Brighton Juniors in the final home-and-away round on 24 August.[5] [6] They defeated Brighton again in the second semi-final 5.11 (41) to 3.5 (23) on 14 September at Croxton Park.[7] [8] [9] This was Port Melbourne's 14th victory over Brighton since they entered the VJFA.
Yarraville defeated Footscray Juniors in the first semi-final.[10] [11] Footscray won 10 of their 17 games in the 1912 season.[12]
On the day of the grand final, The Standard reported Port Melbourne was "very confident" of winning the premiership.[13]
During a "strenuous" first quarter, Port Melbourne captain Kennedy dislocated a wrist, although he was able to resume playing after splints were applied. Yarraville kicked three goals to Port Melbourne's one, and led by 13 points at quarter time. The second quarter was more evenly matched with both sides kicking one goal each, although Yarraville retained the lead by 11 points.
In the third quarter, Port Melbourne had "better reward" for their effort, cutting the margin down to five points. The Age wrote that Yarraville "seemed to pay more attention to then men than the ball", with Port Melbourne kicking and marking well. The claims were investigated.
Port Melbourne was the stronger side in the final quarter, keeping Yarraville goalless and running out three-point winners.
| Position | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Field | James McMurray | ||
| Boundary | A. Porieous | A. Patterson | |
| Goal | F. Scott | K. Le Brun |
Yarraville lodged a protest following the end of the match, saying in the second quarter, goal umpire K. Le Brun mistakenly awarded Port Melbourne a goal when only a behind was scored. Le Brun said the ball was touched "three or four inches behind the posts", which would make it a goal, while field umpire James McMurray said he was in doubt over whether the ball was marked in front or behind of the goal line and did not give "all clear".[14]
At the VJFA's meeting on Wednesday, 25 September, the goal was deemed to have been a behind and was disallowed (with no score recorded entirely), giving Yarraville a three-point victory.[14]
As minor premiers, Port Melbourne had the right to challenge the result with another final, which was scheduled for 5 October at Croxton Park.[15] However, Port Melbourne captain Kennedy protested "rather forcibly" against the decision, and the club ultimately chose not to challenge, effectively forfeiting the premiership to Yarraville. Despite objections, Port Melbourne representative H. Reid told the VJFA that there was "no hope" of his club reconsidering the decision.[16]
On 3 October, a special meeting of the VJFA was held to further consider Port Melbourne's refusal. When the club did not change its position by 10pm, it was proposed that "the club, office bearers and registered players for 1912 be disqualified for life".[1] Although Yarraville offered to play a substitute team, it was decided that no match would be held, and Yarraville retained the 1912 premiership.[17]
Port Melbourne was ultimately not expelled from the VJFA, and went on to win the VJFA premiership the following season, defeating Yarraville in the 1913 grand final.[18]