1979 NFL Championship Series (Australia)

The 1979 NFL Championship Series was the 4th edition of the NFL Night Series, an NFL-organised national club Australian rules football tournament between the leading clubs from the SANFL, the VFA and QAFL.[1]

1979 NFL Championship Series
NFL Escort Cup
Tournament details
Dates25 April – 10 July 1979
Teams14
Venue(s)3 (in 3 host cities)
Final positions
ChampionsSouth Adelaide (2nd title)
Runners-upNorwood
Tournament statistics
Matches played13
Attendance46,492 (3,576 per match)

In June 1978 the VFL announced their plans to form a new company to oversee a night series that would be broadcast nationally and Australian Football Championships Pty. Ltd. was incorporated on July 28, 1978 to run a rival national night competition, in opposition to the NFL Night Series. By October 1978, The VFL were joined by the WAFL, TANFL, NSWAFL and ACTAFL in the joint venture and transferred from NFL Night Series to the AFC Night Series. However, the SANFL rejected the VFL's overtures, choosing to remain aligned with the NFL instead. They were joined by the VFA and QAFL in a greatly-reduced NFL Series.

But by May 1979, the NFL, the SANFL and the AFC/VFL held meetings to discuss the future of the series and agree that the SANFL would join the AFC Night Series in 1980 and that the NFL would ceased running their Night Series beyond this edition.[2]

Qualified Teams
Team Nickname League Qualification Participation (bold indicates winners)1
Norwood Redlegs SANFL Winners of the 1978 South Australian National Football League 7th (Previous: 1888, 1907, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978)
Sturt Double Blues SANFL Runners-Up of the 1978 South Australian National Football League 7th (Previous: 1968, 1969, 1970, 1974, 1976, 1977)
Port Adelaide Magpies SANFL Third Place in the 1978 South Australian National Football League 8th (Previous: 1890, 1910, 1913, 1914, 1976, 1977, 1978)
Glenelg Tigers SANFL Fourth Place in the 1978 South Australian National Football League 5th (Previous: 1973, 1976, 1977, 1978)
West Torrens Eagles SANFL Fifth Place in the 1978 South Australian National Football League 1st
Woodville Woodpeckers SANFL Sixth Place in the 1978 South Australian National Football League 1st
South Adelaide Panthers SANFL Seventh Place in the 1978 South Australian National Football League 5th (Previous: 1893, 1896, 1977, 1978)
Central District Bulldogs SANFL Eighth Place in the 1978 South Australian National Football League 2nd (Previous: 1977)
West Adelaide Bloods SANFL Ninth Place in the 1978 South Australian National Football League 6th (Previous: 1908, 1909, 1911, 1977, 1978)
North Adelaide Roosters SANFL Tenth Place in the 1978 South Australian National Football League 4th (Previous: 1971, 1972, 1977)
Prahran Two Blues VFA Winners of the 1978 Victorian Football Association Premiership 1st
Preston Bullants VFA Runners-Up in the 1978 Victorian Football Association Premiership 2nd (Previous: 1977)
Western Districts Bulldogs QAFL Winners of the 1978 Queensland Australian Football League 1st
Windsor-Zillmere Eagles QAFL Runners-Up in the 1978 Queensland Australian Football League 1st
1 Includes previous appearances in the Championship of Australia.

Venues
Adelaide Melbourne Brisbane
Norwood Oval Preston City Oval Brisbane Cricket Ground
Capacity: 22,000 Capacity: 15,000 Capacity: 35,000

Knockout stage

Round 1
25 April 1979 Prahran 44-89 Port Adelaide Preston City Oval, Melbourne  
6.8 (44) 13.11 (89) Attendance: 6,000


25 April 1979 Preston 76-108 Central District Preston City Oval, Melbourne  
11.10 (76) 16.12 (108) Attendance: 6,000


25 April 1979 Windsor-Zillmere 79-133 West Torrens Brisbane Cricket Ground, Brisbane  
12.7 (79) 20.13 (133) Attendance: 4,000


25 April 1979 Western Districts 62-125 South Adelaide Brisbane Cricket Ground, Brisbane  
9.8 (62) 17.23 (125) Attendance: 4,000


8 May 1979 Sturt 114-83 North Adelaide Norwood Oval, Adelaide  
16.18 (114) 12.11 (83) Attendance: 5,332


8 May 1979 Norwood 94-77 West Adelaide Norwood Oval, Adelaide  
13.16 (94) 11.11 (77) Attendance: 5,332


Quarter-finals
QF #1 15 May 1979 West Torrens 125-78 Woodville Norwood Oval, Adelaide  
18.17 (125) 11.12 (78) Attendance: 1,935


QF #2 22 May 1979 South Adelaide 83-70 Sturt Norwood Oval, Adelaide  
12.11 (83) 10.10 (70) Attendance: 1,500


QF #3 29 May 1979 Glenelg 101-83 Central District Norwood Oval, Adelaide  
15.11 (101) 12.11 (83) Attendance: 2,027


QF #4 5 June 1979 Norwood 71-56 Port Adelaide Norwood Oval, Adelaide  
10.11 (71) 8.8 (56) Attendance: 5,739


Semi-finals
SF #1 12 June 1979 South Adelaide 78-61 West Torrens Norwood Oval, Adelaide  
12.6 (78) 9.7 (61) Attendance: 2,676


SF #2 26 June 1979 Norwood 65-38 Glenelg Norwood Oval, Adelaide  
9.11 (65) 5.8 (38) Attendance: 4,767


NFL Championship Series final
Final 10 July 1979 Norwood 40-51 South Adelaide Norwood Oval, Adelaide  
1.4 (10)
4.5 (29)
5.8 (38)
5.10 (40)		 2.3 (15)
5.5 (35)
5.7 (37)
7.9 (51)		 Attendance: 12,516
Umpires: Peter Mead
    Goals  
Rosser, Craig, Armour, Gallagher, Adamson 1   G Brooksby, Linke 2
Schneebichler, Cox, Baynes 1

References
  1. David Eastman. "1979 NFL Escort Cup".
  2. David Eastman. "1979 AFC Escort Championships".
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