1954 TANFL season
The 1954 Tasmanian Australian National Football League (TANFL) premiership season was an Australian Rules football competition staged in Hobart, Tasmania over fifteen (15) roster rounds and four (4) finals series matches between 17 April and 18 September 1954. Hobart Football Club began playing their home fixtures at North Hobart Oval from this season due to a dispute between them, the TANFL and the Tasmanian Cricket Association and its (at that time) more financially influential co-tenant, the Hobart Greyhound Racing Club (HGRC) over the high rental costs incurred to use the TCA Ground for football. Owing to the dispute between all parties the ground did not host any TANFL fixtures until Hobart resumed playing home matches there in 1961. Participating Clubs Clarence District Football Club New Town District Football Club Hobart Football Club New Norfolk District Football Club North Hobart Football Club Sandy Bay Football Club 1954 TANFL Club Coaches Les McClements (Clarence) Jack Rough (Glenorchy) Bill Williams (Hobart) Rex Garwood (New Norfolk) John Leedham (North Hobart) Gordon Bowman (Sandy Bay) TANFL Reserves Grand Final Nth Hobart 7.10 (52) v New Town 6.8 (44) – North Hobart Oval TANFL Under-19's Grand Final State Schools Old Boys Football Association (SSOBFA) Glenorchy 6.10 (46) v Buckingham 4.9 (33) – North Hobart Oval State Preliminary Final (Saturday, 25 September 1954) City: 5.4 (34) | 5.7 (37) | 11.10 (76) | 14.12 (96) Burnie: 1.1 (7) | 3.4 (22) | 4.5 (29) | 6.7 (43) Attendance: 4,500 at Devonport Oval State Grand Final (Saturday, 2 October 1954) City: 1.6 (12) | 5.10 (40) | 7.13 (55) | 9.16 (70) Hobart: 2.3 (15) | 3.3 (21) | 5.5 (35) | 6.10 (46) Attendance: 6,951 at York Park Intrastate Matches Jubilee Shield (Saturday, 12 June 1954) TANFL 19.14 (128) v NWFU 12.13 (85) – Att: 8,307 at North Hobart Oval Jubilee Shield (Monday, 14 June 1954) TANFL 8.14 (62) v NTFA 7.11 (53) – Att: 8,069 at North Hobart Oval Jubilee Shield (Saturday, 3 July 1954) NTFA 15.13 (103) v TANFL 13.6 (84) – Att: 9,413 at North Hobart Oval Jubilee Shield (Saturday, 31 July 1954) NWFU 21.11 (137) v TANFL 11.12 (78) – Att: N/A at Devonport Oval Inter-Association Match (Sunday, 13 June 1954) Queenstown FA 15.12 (102) v TANFL II 8.9 (57) – Att: N/A at Queenstown Oval (The Gravel) Inter-Association Match (Sunday, 31 July 1954) Huon FA 14.16 (100) v TANFL II 11.16 (82) – Att: 1,200 at Geeveston Oval. Interstate Matches Interstate Match (Saturday, 10 July 1954) Tasmania 16.21 (117) v Australian Amateurs 9.10 (64) – Att: 10,357 at North Hobart Oval Leading Goalkickers: TANFL Ian Westell (Sandy Bay) – 68 Max Griffiths (New Town) – 42 E.Griggs (New Town) – 40 L.Sutton (North Hobart) – 37 Les McClements (Clarence) – 37 Medal Winners Bruce Roe (New Norfolk) – William Leitch Medal M.Cleary (North Hobart) – George Watt Medal (Reserves) Ray Young (New Norfolk) – V.A Geard Medal (Under-19's) C.Moore (North Hobart) – Weller Arnold Medal (Best TANFL player in Intrastate Matches) Gordon