1931 VFL Season - Notable Events

Notable Events

• The VFL changed its Brownlow Medal voting procedure. The field umpire now voted for the three "fairest and best" on the ground in each match, casting 3, 2, and 1 votes. If there was a tie, the player with the most "3" votes would be declared the winner.
• The VFL altered the manner in which it determined its premiership team. Abandoning the "amended Argus system" that had operated from 1902 to 1930 (except in 1924), the VFL instituted the Page-McIntyre "Final Four" system which, amongst other innovations, guaranteed that there would be a "Grand Final" at the end of every season (this system continued to operate until 1972).
• In round 2, Richmond set the record for highest score in a game, scoring 30.19.199 against North Melbourne. This beat South Melbourne's 1919 record by ten points, and remained unbeaten until 1969.
• In round 12, Carlton rover Tommy Downs is reported for kicking Richmond captain Maurie Hunter; despite the efforts of one R. G. Menzies, K.C., Downs was suspended for the remainder of the 1931 season and the whole of the 1932 season.
• In the first Semi-Final, Carlton thrashes Collingwood 20.10 (130) to 5.12 (42). Harry "Soapy" Vallence, at full-forward for Carlton kicks a (Finals) record 11 goals, including six in the last quarter. Vallance would have had 12 goals if his last shot (the last kick in the match) had not hit the goal-post, and only counted as a "behind".
• The Round 17 match between St. Kilda and Collingwood is the first where both sides scored twenty goals. Both Bill Mohr and Gordon Coventry kicked eleven goals: in no match since have two played kicked so many, and Coventry was the first to kick ten for a losing side.