2007 VFL season
# 2007 VFL season

The 2007 Victorian Football League (VFL) is a semi-professional Australian Rules Football competition featuring twelve teams from Victoria and one team from Tasmania.

It was the 126th season of the Australian rules football competition.

The VFL Season is split into two sub-leagues, seniors and reserves. Both leagues have the same teams, except for Tasmania and Geelong, who only play in the seniors league. The VFL Geelong team operates as a reserves team for the AFL team of the same name.

## VFL season

| Home \ Away | BEN | BOX | CAS | COB | FRA | GEE | NBR | NBU | PMB | SAN | TAS | WER | WIL |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Bendigo Bombers | | 142–80 | 56–72 | 124–72 | | 107–120 | | 77–92 | | 95–102 | 80–110 | 97–79 | 136–87 |
| Box Hill Hawks | | | | 56–129 | 65–96 | | | 87–93 | 82–44 | 42–88 | 81–107 | 110–146 | 70–106 |
| Casey Scorpions | 99–106 | 181–52 | | 95–113 | 91–81 | 72–153 | 90–135 | 117–29 | 103–79 | | | | 105–105 |
| Coburg Tigers | | 101–63 | 110–97 | | 90–65 | | 115–97 | 82–143 | 100–59 | 78–107 | 154–91 | | 104–38 |
| Frankston Dolphins | 71–94 | 88–88 | | | | 64–111 | 78–145 | 115–102 | 122–93 | 68–92 | 151–72 | 95–93 | 61–135 |
| Geelong Cats | 136–104 | 76–91 | 83–84 | 122–85 | 84–72 | | 125–65 | | | | 98–26 | 92–107 | |
| North Ballarat Roosters | 95–85 | 106–75 | 109–95 | 112–92 | | 70–141 | | 56–71 | | 123–88 | 120–91 | 70–170 | |
| Northern Bullants | 96–119 | | | 62–74 | 99–55 | 75–103 | 154–42 | | 68–102 | | 101–60 | 79–76 | |
| Port Melbourne Borough | 104–64 | 107–68 | 88–127 | | 104–83 | 64–149 | 122–127 | 128–110 | | 73–139 | | 168–88 | 54–169 |
| Sandringham Zebras | 134–101 | 68–83 | 144–65 | 102–121 | | 149–139 | 125–62 | 135–73 | | | | 173–103 | 112–90 |
| Tasmanian Devils | 49–145 | 82–95 | 53–141 | 108–143 | 50–102 | 72–139 | 57–166 | | 96–122 | 92–134 | | | 99–147 |
| Werribee Tigers | | 115–74 | 141–68 | 61–122 | | 70–139 | | 100–44 | 101–110 | 94–106 | 200–86 | | 86–93 |
| Williamstown Seagulls | 105–102 | | 40–80 | | 131–66 | 96–129 | 133–93 | 116–36 | 93–93 | 47–53 | | 117–64 | |

* 1 2 3 Game was played at Away team's home ground

## Premiership season

### Round 1

| | Round 1 | Round 1 | Round 1 | |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| Saturday 7 April (1:10 pm) | Sandringham 23.11 (147) | def. | Geelong 20.19 (139) | Trevor Barker Beach Oval |
| Saturday 7 April (2:00 pm) | Williamstown 17.15 (117) | def. | Werribee 9.10 (64) | Burbank Oval |
| Saturday 7 April (2:00 pm) | Casey 12.18 (90) | def. by | North Ballarat 20.15 (135) | Casey Fields |
| Saturday 7 April (2:00 pm) | Bendigo 11.14 (80) | def. by | Tasmania 16.14 (110) | Windy Hill |
| Sunday 8 April (2:00 pm) | Coburg 12.10 (82) | def. by | Northern Bullants 21.17 (143) | Coburg City Oval |
| Sunday 8 April (2:00 pm) | Frankston 18.14 (122) | def. | Port Melbourne 13.15 (93) | Frankston Oval |
| | Bye Box Hill | Bye Box Hill | Bye Box Hill | |

## Ladder

2007 VFL Ladder :

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | D | PF | PA | PP | Pts | |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Sandringham | 18 | 15 | 3 | 0 | 2051 | 1549 | 132.4 | 60 | Finals |
| 2 | Geelong (P) | 18 | 14 | 4 | 0 | 2139 | 1449 | 147.6 | 56 | Finals |
| 3 | Coburg | 18 | 13 | 5 | 0 | 1885 | 1602 | 117.7 | 52 | Finals |
| 4 | Williamstown | 18 | 10 | 6 | 2 | 1848 | 1543 | 119.8 | 44 | Finals |
| 5 | North Ballarat | 18 | 10 | 8 | 0 | 1793 | 1907 | 94.0 | 40 | Finals |
| 6 | Casey | 18 | 9 | 8 | 1 | 1755 | 1677 | 104.7 | 38 | Finals |
| 7 | Port Melbourne | 18 | 8 | 9 | 1 | 1714 | 1889 | 90.7 | 34 | Finals |
| 8 | Bendigo | 18 | 8 | 10 | 0 | 1834 | 1703 | 107.7 | 32 | Finals |
| 9 | Northern Bullants | 18 | 8 | 10 | 0 | 1527 | 1644 | 92.9 | 32 | |
| 10 | Werribee | 18 | 7 | 11 | 0 | 1894 | 1843 | 102.8 | 28 | |
| 11 | Frankston | 18 | 6 | 11 | 1 | 1509 | 1739 | 86.8 | 26 | |
| 12 | Box Hill | 18 | 4 | 13 | 1 | 1362 | 1875 | 72.6 | 18 | |
| 13 | Tasmania | 18 | 2 | 16 | 0 | 1401 | 2292 | 61.1 | 8 | |

## Finals

| Qualifying and elimination finals | Qualifying and elimination finals | Qualifying and elimination finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Preliminary finals | Preliminary finals | Preliminary finals | Grand final | Grand final | Grand final |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Sep 1, Trevor Barker Beach Oval | Sep 1, Trevor Barker Beach Oval | Sep 1, Trevor Barker Beach Oval | | | | | | | | | |
| 1 | Sandringham | 16.15 (111) | | | | | | | | | |
| 4 | Williamstown | 17.11 (113) | Sep 8, TEAC Oval | Sep 8, TEAC Oval | Sep 8, TEAC Oval | | | | |
| | | | Sandringham | Sandringham | 12.21 (93) | | | | |
| Sep 1, TEAC Oval | Sep 1, TEAC Oval | Sep 1, TEAC Oval | North Ballarat | North Ballarat | 16.14 (110) | Sep 16, TEAC Oval | Sep 16, TEAC Oval | Sep 16, TEAC Oval | | | |
| 5 | North Ballarat | 21.22 (148) | | | | Williamstown | Williamstown | 11.10 (76) | |
| 8 | Bendigo | 16.15 (111) | | | | Coburg | Coburg | 20.17 (137) | Sep 23, MC Labour Park | Sep 23, MC Labour Park | Sep 23, MC Labour Park |
| | | | | | | | | | Geelong | Geelong | 17.24 (126) |
| Sep 2, Casey Fields | Sep 2, Casey Fields | Sep 2, Casey Fields | | | | Sep 15, TEAC Oval | Sep 15, TEAC Oval | Sep 15, TEAC Oval | Coburg | Coburg | 7.10 (52) |
| 6 | Casey | 12.17 (89) | | | | Geelong | Geelong | 24.14 (158) | | |
| 7 | Port Melbourne | 15.12 (102) | Sep 9, TEAC Oval | Sep 9, TEAC Oval | Sep 9, TEAC Oval | North Ballarat | North Ballarat | 13.18 (96) | | |
| | | | Coburg | Coburg | 21.16 (142) | | | | | | |
| Sep 2, TEAC Oval | Sep 2, TEAC Oval | Sep 2, TEAC Oval | Port Melbourne | Port Melbourne | 10.12 (72) | | | | | |
| 2 | Geelong | 22.16 (148) | | | | | | | | | |
| 3 | Coburg | 17.15 (117) | | | | | | | | |

### Grand Final

| | 2007 VFL Grand Final | 2007 VFL Grand Final | 2007 VFL Grand Final | | |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Sunday 23 September (2:15 pm) | Geelong | def. | Coburg | MC Labour Park (crowd: 13,842) | |
| | 3.5 (23) 5.13 (43) 12.19 (91) 17.24 (126) | Q1 Q2 Q3 Final | 1.2 (8) 4.5 (29) 4.6 (30) 7.10 (52) | Norm Goss Memorial Medal: Tom Lonergan (Geelong) | Norm Goss Memorial Medal: Tom Lonergan (Geelong) |
| Lonergan 6, Davenport 2, Hawkins 2, Cheep, Djerrkura, Gardiner, Gamble, Grima, Hogan, Varcoe | Lonergan 6, Davenport 2, Hawkins 2, Cheep, Djerrkura, Gardiner, Gamble, Grima, Hogan, Varcoe | Goals | Jackson 2, Connors, Gazzo, Hill, Krakouer, Oakley-Nicholls | Jackson 2, Connors, Gazzo, Hill, Krakouer, Oakley-Nicholls |

### Awards

* The Jim 'Frosty' Miller Medal was won for the seventh time by Nick Sautner (Sandringham), who kicked 69 goals. Sautner's seventh time as the competition's leading goalkicker broke the record of six set by the medal's namesake, Jim 'Frosty' Miller (Dandenong). Sautner won a further two medals for a career total of nine before his retirement.
* The J. J. Liston Trophy was by James Byrne (Geelong), who polled 22 votes. Byrne finished ahead of Shane Valenti (Sandringham), who was second with 20 votes, and Travis Ronaldson (Coburg), who was third with 17 votes.
* The Fothergill–Round Medal was won by Shane Valenti (Sandringham).
* Coburg won the reserves premiership. Coburg 17.20 (122) defeated Port Melbourne 8.8 (56) in the Grand Final, held as a curtain-raiser to the Seniors Grand Final on 23 September.

### VFL Team of the Year

2007 Victorian Team of the Year :

| B: | S Rosa (Bendigo) | Chris Lamb (Sandringham) | Jarrod Silvester (Coburg) |
| - | - | - | - |
| HB: | John Baird (Port Melbourne) | Jason Cloke (Bendigo) | Adam Iacobucci (Northern Bullants) |
| C: | Jason Davenport (Geelong) | James Byrne (Geelong) (Capt.) | David Gallagher (Sandringham) |
| HF: | Ezra Poyas (Sandringham) | Jeremy Dukes (Port Melbourne) | Peter Summers (Sandringham) |
| F: | Justin Berry (Frankston) | Nicholas Sautner (Sandringham) | Todd Grima (Geelong) |
| Foll: | Travis Ronaldson (Coburg) | Alister Neville (Coburg) | Shane Valenti (Sandringham) |
| Int: | Brett Johnson (Williamstown) | Tristan Cartledge (North Ballarat) | Nick Smith (Box Hill) |
| | Kyle Matthews (Casey) | | |
| Coach: | | | |

## Notable events

* During the final quarter of the Round 7 match between Tasmania and Coburg at Bellerive Oval, Tasmania's Mathew Westfield collided with one of the goal posts, snapping it at its base. The game was delayed for ten minutes while a replacement goal post was installed.
* During the year, Frank Johnson, who played eight seasons for Port Melbourne from 1950 to 1957 and five for South Melbourne from 1960 to 1964, was inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame. He was the first player known primarily for his VFA career ever to be inducted into the Hall of Fame (excluding players from prior to the formation of the original VFL in 1897).
* In the elimination final between North Ballarat and Bendigo, Bendigo held a 59-point lead early in the third quarter; North Ballarat then kicked 17 of the next 19 goals to record a 37-point win.
