Why 4 points for a win?

[JackFlash]

Because Victorians will tell you that they are twice as good as the SANFL, which only gives 2 points for a win and 1 point for a draw.

Same goes for percentage
SANFL is calculated as For/(For + Against) so average = 50% and approximate maximum = 67% (assuming For is double Against)
AFL is calculated as For/Against, so average = 100% (which is better than the SANFL maximum) and approximate maximum = 200% (assuming For is double Against)

The game was called footy in the 1850s. It became known as Victorian Rules when it spread to the other states in the 1870s. Nobody cares what goes on in the SANFL.

 

[PowerForGood]

Back in the 1980s I recall seeing (in a Sydney newspaper) a VFL Club Championship table based on performances in the three grades. Being in Sydney I was not exactly immersed in the scene so I had no in-depth knowledge. It was definitely the mid 80s, i.e. before the creation of the AFL. On this Club Championship table four points were awarded for a match won in the senior grade, then three points were awarded for a win in reserves and two points for a victory in the third grade.

The three accompanying grade tables (seniors, reserves, thirds) printed in the paper awarded the same number of points (i.e either 4, 3 or 2 respectively) per victory. Maybe this was just a Sydney newspaper misinterpretation but I clearly recall the points scheme as printed for the three grades.

Perhaps the VFL Club Championship is therefore the source of four points for a win in seniors, and for whatever reason four for a win/two for a draw has been extended to most other leagues, even for example your local Under 15s.

Notably the SANFL appears to allocate two points for a win (and one for a draw) whereas the WAFL seems to have awarded four points for a win (with two for a draw) even back as far as the early 1900s.

Happy to be shot down if this is wrong!

Recall SA having the same setup (single ladder weighted for League, Reserves, U19, U17) as well.

 

[PowerForGood]

The game was called footy in the 1850s. It became known as Victorian Rules when it spread to the other states in the 1870s. Nobody cares what goes on in the SANFL.

Thanks for your insightful post.
You will note that no one cares about the VFL these days either.

 

[Timmy from Thomastown]

Thanks for your insightful post.
You will note that no one cares about the VFL these days either.

Victorians have always cares the most about the main competition played in this state.

 

[PowerForGood]

Victorians have always cares the most about the main competition played in this state.

Don't know why the hate for SANFL in this thread (there are plenty of others to do that) however I'll bite.
South Australians have always cared about the main competition played in the state as well. It was the SANFL. It is now the AFL. In addition, the SANFL had always been very healthy financially.
History shows that the VFL was going bankrupt because of precisely the opposite of your statement. History shows that a number of VFL clubs survived (but not all) only because the competition generated interest by bringing in clubs from other states (currently 8 in number). In essence, they swapped a state competition for a national one.
Clearly this sits uneasily with some Victorians because they keep trying to rewrite history and pretend that it has been like this for 150 years. Yawn.

 

[gavaniacono]

The VFL Club Championship ladder you are referring to was called the McClelland Trophy.
It was first awarded in 1951 and was named after the then VFL President. The VFL had 3 grades; seniors, reserves & under 19's.
Eight points for a seniors win, four for the reserves & two for the thirds. Add the totals & you get a ladder.
It was pretty much useless, just an interesting add on you would see in the footy record. It was just to see who was doing well in an all round sense.
As Pies supporters, we used to joke after yet another grand final loss in the 70's etc that 'at least we won the McClelland Trophy".
So it had no effect on anything, but was just an easy way to see how clubs went across the 3 grades.
Most don't know that it is actually still awarded! This is the name of the trophy you now get (since 1991) if you finish on top of the ladder at the end of the season.

Straight from Wikipedia. Oh the memories!

• Richmond won the trophy four times in a row from 1972 until 1975, the most consecutive of any team.
• Collingwood (1964-1966), Hawthorn (1984-1986, inc 1985 tied), Essendon (1999-2001) and Port Adelaide (2002-2004) each won it three times in a row.
• Thirteen of the 41 McClelland Trophy winners between 1951 and 1990 went on to win the premiership in the same year.
• McClelland Trophy winners have missed the grand final five times since 1991: Essendon (1999), Port Adelaide (2002, 2003), Adelaide (2005) and Fremantle (2015).

 

[Astro Bomber]

4 for a win
0 for a loss
2 for a draw
3 for a forfeit win
1 for a forfeit loss.

No one forfeits