Football was not allowed to be played on Crown land between October and March under the ground control regulations of the Victorian State Government. These regulations required grounds on Crown land to be shared 6 months each for football and cricket, with footy taking the winter months of April to September. In 1979, the then Victorian Football League bypassed this by playing a game on their own ground at VFL Park (Waverley) in March. The logical game to move was the big-drawing Carlton v Essendon, and as such, Carlton’s Round 3 was played prior to Round 1 in 1979. Please note that the remainder of Round 3 was indeed played between Rounds 2 and 4. The other regulation that effected football on Crown land was that the VFL would play on football on a Saturday while the VFA would play on a Sunday. The VFL would challenge this in 1981.
We at the Blueseum have decided to maintain chronological order as far as possible and the game orders and reviews of Season 1979 have been modified to accommodate this fact.
We at the Blueseum have decided to maintain chronological order as far as possible and the game orders and reviews of Season 1979 have been modified to accommodate this fact.