1996 Fitzroy Football Club season
| 1996 season | |
|---|---|
| President | Dyson Hore-Lacy |
| Coach | Mick Nunan (R1–R14) Alan McConnell (R15–R22) |
| Captain | Brad Boyd |
| Home ground | Whitten Oval Optus Oval |
| Home-and-away | 16th (last) |
| Mitchell Medal | Martin Pike |
| Leading goalkicker | Anthony Mellington (22) |
| Highest home attendance | 13,497 (Round 6 vs Richmond) |
| Lowest home attendance | 5,083 (Round 8 vs Fremantle) |
| Average home attendance | 9,482[1] |
The 1996 season was the 100th and final season of the Fitzroy Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL) and its 113th season overall.[2] The year saw significant turmoil for the club, which announced during the season that it would merge with the Brisbane Bears.[3]
Fitzroy claimed the wooden spoon after finishing last on the ladder for the second season in a row and seventh season overall.[3] The club won just one senior match, defeating Fremantle by 31 points at Whitten Oval in round 8.[4] Its final-ever AFL match was also against Fremantle, when it was defeated by 86 points at Subiaco Oval in round 22.[5] In the reserves competition, Fitzroy finished tenth out of twelve teams and won seven matches, including its last match of the season.[6]
Following the conclusion of the season, Fitzroy's AFL operations were merged into those of the Brisbane Bears, who became the Brisbane Lions from 1997.[3] Fitzroy did not resume playing operations until 2009, when it merged with the Fitzroy Reds and entered the Victorian Amateur Football Association (VAFA).[7]
Season summary
Financial troubles and merger
During the 1986 season, Fitzroy was more than one million dollars in debt. A merger with Melbourne was proposed but did not occur, while another merger with Footscray was announced in October 1989 but collapsed after Footscray supporters secured sufficient money and sponsors to prevent it from taking place. In 1995, Fitzroy general manager John Birt said the club was "strong enough to be here for many years to come".[8]
On 28 June 1996, the Nauru Insurance Company (a creditor of the Fitzroy Football Club), appointed Michael Brennan to administer the affairs of the club to ensure a loan of A$1.25 million was to be repaid.[9] During the season, there were fears that the club would collapse mid-season because of its lack of cash, but this was averted when the AFL guaranteed funds that allowed Fitzroy to continue in the competition for the remainder of the season.[10]
Discussions were most advanced with North Melbourne.[11] By the beginning of July 1996, Fitzroy had agreed to arrangements to become the North Fitzroy Kangaroos Football Club.[11] Negotiations for elements including the new club's colours, guernsey and song were to be settled by the morning of 4 July 1996 by the Fitzroy board.[11] However, later that afternoon, Brennan (who had been appointed to temporarily replace Fitzroy's board) agreed to merge the club's AFL operations with the Brisbane Bears, with the agreement of the AFL Commission and a majority vote of the AFL's constituent clubs.[11] AFL chairman Ross Oakley described the Fitzroy–Brisbane merger as "the absolute best outcome for the competition".[12]
Round 8: Final AFL win
Fitzroy's final win in the AFL occurred on 18 May 1996 at Whitten Oval.[13] The Lions were playing Fremantle, who had won three of their first seven matches of the season but were coming off a 96-point loss to Adelaide.[4] Fitzroy had lost to Fremantle on two occasions during the 1995 season, including in round 3, which was Fremantle's first AFL victory.[14][15]
The Lions led at every break and won the match by 31 points.[4] Anthony Mellington kicked four goals, while Chris Johnson recorded 24 disposals and kicked three goals to earn three Brownlow Medal votes.[16][17]
It was Fitzroy's first win since round 8 of the 1995 season (364 days prior), ending a 21-match losing streak; its next senior win was in the Victorian Amateur Football Association (VAFA) almost 13 years later, when they defeated Prahran on 18 April 2009.[18][19] The crowd of 5,083 was the lowest for any AFL match in 1996, the lowest VFL/AFL crowd at Whitten/Western Oval since 1934, and the lowest-ever crowd for a Fitzroy match at the venue.[1][20]
Playing list
A total of 36 players played senior matches for Fitzroy during the 1996 season.[21][22] Chris Johnson, who later played 205 matches with the Brisbane Lions, was the last remaining player to have been on Fitzroy's AFL list when he retired at the end of 2007.[23][24]
| No. | Player | Statistics (season) | Statistics (career) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Games | Goals | Games | Goals | ||
| 1 | Brad Boyd | 16 | 6 | 70 | 49 |
| 2 | Chris Johnson | 22 | 19 | 59 | 67 |
| 3 | Anthony Mellington | 18 | 22 | 24 | 24 |
| 4 | Stephen Paxman | 21 | 4 | 102 | 18 |
| 5 | John Barker | 21 | 9 | 47 | 12 |
| 6 | Brian McInnes | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 7 | Jarrod Molloy | 19 | 13 | 59 | 54 |
| 8 | Martin Pike | 22 | 5 | 60 | 40 |
| 9 | Jason Ramsey | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 10 | Jeff Hogg | 14 | 7 | 184 | 347 |
| 11 | Anthony McGregor | 6 | 3 | 41 | 11 |
| 12 | Matthew Primus | 20 | 5 | 20 | 5 |
| 13 | Brent Frewen | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 14 | Frank Bizzotto | 4 | 0 | 38 | 4 |
| 15 | Robert McMahon | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 16 | Mark Zanotti | 0 | 0 | 157 | 19 |
| 17 | Simon Hawking | 16 | 15 | 60 | 30 |
| 18 | Nick Mitchell | 0 | 0 | 9 | 2 |
| 19 | Darren Holmes | 7 | 1 | 63 | 9 |
| 20 | Mick Dwyer | 8 | 3 | 88 | 64 |
| 21 | Andrew Cavedon | 0 | 0 | 28 | 21 |
| 22 | Scott Bamford | 22 | 6 | 22 | 6 |
| 23 | Simon Atkins | 19 | 6 | 168 | 69 |
| 24 | Trent Cummings | 11 | 5 | 27 | 18 |
| 25 | John McCarthy | 18 | 11 | 163 | 178 |
| 26 | Matthew Manfield | 4 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| 27 | Brett Chandler | 16 | 2 | 28 | 2 |
| 28 | Peter Doyle | 7 | 1 | 12 | 2 |
| 29 | Brad Cassidy | 14 | 10 | 14 | 10 |
| 30 | Nick Carter | 17 | 4 | 17 | 4 |
| 31 | Matthew Dent | 19 | 6 | 47 | 9 |
| 32 | Jason Baldwin | 11 | 1 | 125 | 36 |
| 33 | Rowan Warfe | 16 | 0 | 26 | 1 |
| 34 | Danny Morton | 16 | 9 | 30 | 17 |
| 35 | Brett Cook | 4 | 0 | 25 | 7 |
| 36 | Wayne Lamb | 3 | 3 | 21 | 13 |
| 37 | John Rombotis | 22 | 15 | 26 | 16 |
| 38 | Adam McCarthy | 2 | 0 | 30 | 12 |
| 39 | Marty Warry | 5 | 11 | 8 | 11 |
| 40 | Shane Clayton | 13 | 1 | 13 | 1 |
| 41 | Peter Bird | 3 | 2 | 15 | 7 |
| 42 | Nigel Credlin | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
AFL season
Lightning Premiership
| Rd | Date and local time | Opponent | Scores (Fitzroy's scores indicated in bold) | Venue | Crowd | Ladder | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | Away | Result | ||||||
| 1 | Friday, 9 February (7:30 pm) | Collingwood | 2.5 (17) | 6.4 (40) | Lost by 23 points | Waverley Park | — | — |
Ansett Australia Cup
| Rd | Date and local time | Opponent | Scores (Fitzroy's scores indicated in bold) | Venue | Crowd | Ladder | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | Away | Result | ||||||
| 1 | Monday, 26 February (8:00 pm) | Footscray | 12.15 (87) | 16.15 (111) | Lost by 24 points | Waverley Park | 4,818 | — |
Home-and-away season
| Rd | Date and local time | Opponent | Scores (Fitzroy's scores indicated in bold) | Venue | Crowd | Ladder | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | Away | Result | ||||||
| 1 | Saturday, 30 March (2:10 pm) | Hawthorn | 11.5 (71) | 13.14 (92) | Lost by 21 points | Whitten Oval (H) | 10,239 | 12th |
| 2 | Saturday, 6 April (2:10 pm) | Adelaide | 15.11 (101) | 21.7 (133) | Lost by 32 points | Whitten Oval (H) | 8,685 | 13th |
| 3 | Saturday, 13 April (2:10 pm) | Footscray | 17.19 (121) | 10.10 (70) | Lost by 51 points | Whitten Oval (A) | 14,345 | 16th |
| 4 | Saturday, 20 April (2:10 pm) | St Kilda | 24.16 (160) | 11.9 (75) | Lost by 85 points | Waverley Park (A) | 17,625 | 16th |
| 5 | Sunday, 28 April (2:10 pm) | Brisbane Bears | 24.14 (158) | 6.13 (49) | Lost by 109 points | The Gabba (A) | 14,495 | 16th |
| 6 | Saturday, 4 May (2:10 pm) | Richmond | 9.8 (62) | 23.16 (154) | Lost by 92 points | Whitten Oval (H) | 13,497 | 16th |
| 7 | Saturday, 11 May (2:10 pm) | Carlton | 18.17 (125) | 8.14 (62) | Lost by 63 points | Optus Oval (A) | 16,176 | 16th |
| 8 | Saturday, 18 May (2:10 pm) | Fremantle | 16.11 (107) | 10.16 (76) | Won by 31 points | Whitten Oval (H) | 5,083 | 15th |
| 9 | Friday, 24 May (8:10 pm) | North Melbourne | 25.20 (170) | 9.11 (65) | Lost by 105 points | MCG (A) | 19,964 | 15th |
| 10 | Saturday, 8 June (2:10 pm) | Sydney | 10.7 (67) | 21.11 (137) | Lost by 70 points | Whitten Oval (H) | 9,701 | 16th |
| 11 | Sunday, 16 June (2:10 pm) | Melbourne | 8.8 (56) | 18.11 (119) | Lost by 63 points | Whitten Oval (H) | 10,836 | 16th |
| 12 | Saturday, 22 June (2:10 pm) | Hawthorn | 17.12 (114) | 12.11 (83) | Lost by 31 points | Waverley Park (A) | 16,217 | 16th |
| 13 | Saturday, 29 June (2:10 pm) | Geelong | 6.3 (39) | 25.16 (166) | Lost by 127 points | Whitten Oval (H) | 10,504 | 16th |
| 14 | Saturday, 6 July (2:10 pm) | Essendon | 7.10 (52) | 17.16 (118) | Lost by 66 points | Optus Oval (H) | 12,748 | 16th |
| 15 | Friday, 12 July (6:40 pm) | West Coast | 20.11 (131) | 9.9 (63) | Lost by 68 points | WACA (A) | 22,044 | 16th |
| 16 | Sunday, 21 July (2:10 pm) | Collingwood | 17.14 (116) | 10.16 (76) | Lost by 40 points | Victoria Park (A) | 23,567 | 16th |
| 17 | Sunday, 28 July (12:40 pm) | Adelaide | 26.10 (166) | 9.13 (67) | Lost by 99 points | Football Park (A) | 31,880 | 16th |
| 18 | Sunday, 4 August (2:10 pm) | Footscray | 6.9 (45) | 8.12 (60) | Lost by 15 points | Whitten Oval (H) | 8,757 | 16th |
| 19 | Saturday, 10 August (2:10 pm) | St Kilda | 5.5 (35) | 13.10 (88) | Lost by 53 points | Whitten Oval (H) | 7,781 | 16th |
| 20 | Saturday, 17 August (2:10 pm) | Brisbane Bears | 14.16 (100) | 29.13 (187) | Lost by 87 points | Optus Oval (H) | 6,469 | 16th |
| 21 | Sunday, 25 August (2:10 pm) | Richmond | 28.19 (187) | 5.6 (36) | Lost by 151 points | MCG (A) | 48,884 | 16th |
| 22 | Sunday, 1 September (12:10 pm) | Fremantle | 24.13 (157) | 10.11 (71) | Lost by 86 points | Subiaco Oval (A) | 22,574 | 16th |
Ladder
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | D | PF | PA | PP | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sydney | 22 | 16 | 5 | 1 | 2152 | 1737 | 123.9 | 66 | Finals series |
| 2 | North Melbourne (P) | 22 | 16 | 6 | 0 | 2526 | 1982 | 127.4 | 64 | |
| 3 | Brisbane Bears | 22 | 15 | 6 | 1 | 2174 | 1731 | 125.6 | 62 | |
| 4 | West Coast | 22 | 15 | 7 | 0 | 2201 | 1758 | 125.2 | 60 | |
| 5 | Carlton | 22 | 15 | 7 | 0 | 2116 | 1909 | 110.8 | 60 | |
| 6 | Essendon | 22 | 14 | 7 | 1 | 2209 | 2023 | 109.2 | 58 | |
| 7 | Geelong | 22 | 13 | 8 | 1 | 2353 | 2047 | 114.9 | 54 | |
| 8 | Hawthorn | 22 | 11 | 10 | 1 | 1893 | 1921 | 98.5 | 46 | |
| 9 | Richmond | 22 | 11 | 11 | 0 | 2282 | 1944 | 117.4 | 44 | |
| 10 | St Kilda | 22 | 10 | 12 | 0 | 2053 | 2033 | 101.0 | 40 | |
| 11 | Collingwood | 22 | 9 | 13 | 0 | 2203 | 2142 | 102.8 | 36 | |
| 12 | Adelaide | 22 | 8 | 14 | 0 | 2233 | 2327 | 96.0 | 32 | |
| 13 | Fremantle | 22 | 7 | 15 | 0 | 1830 | 1983 | 92.3 | 28 | |
| 14 | Melbourne | 22 | 7 | 15 | 0 | 1743 | 2463 | 70.8 | 28 | |
| 15 | Footscray | 22 | 5 | 16 | 1 | 1654 | 2139 | 77.3 | 22 | |
| 16 | Fitzroy | 22 | 1 | 21 | 0 | 1452 | 2935 | 49.5 | 4 |
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) percentage; 3) number of points for.
(P) Premiers
Reserves season
Home-and-away season
| Rd | Date and local time | Opponent | Scores (Fitzroy's scores indicated in bold) | Venue | Crowd | Ladder | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | Away | Result | ||||||
| 1 | Saturday, 30 March (11:15 am) | Hawthorn | 9.7 (61) | 9.13 (67) | Lost by 6 points | Whitten Oval (H) | — | 7th |
| 2 | Sunday, 7 April (10:50 am) | Sydney | 26.16 (172) | 13.14 (92) | Lost by 80 points | SCG (A) | — | 11th |
| 3 | Saturday, 13 April (11:15 am) | Footscray | 9.3 (57) | 8.18 (66) | Won by 9 points | Whitten Oval (A) | — | 10th |
| 4 | Saturday, 20 April (11:15 am) | St Kilda | 11.16 (82) | 24.13 (157) | Won by 75 points | Waverley Park (A) | — | 6th |
| 5 | Saturday, 27 April (11:15 am) | Carlton | 26.12 (168) | 17.9 (111) | Lost by 57 points | Optus Oval (A) | — | 8th |
| 6 | Saturday, 4 May (11:15 am) | Richmond | 24.11 (155) | 9.11 (65) | Won by 90 points | Whitten Oval (H) | — | 6th |
| 7 | Saturday, 11 May (11:00 am) | Carlton | 10.10 (70) | 23.11 (149) | Won by 79 points | Optus Oval (A) | — | 5th |
| 8 | Saturday, 18 May (11:15 am) | Collingwood | 11.5 (71) | 16.14 (110) | Lost by 39 points | Whitten Oval (H) | — | 8th |
| 9 | Friday, 24 May (5:15 pm) | North Melbourne | 14.19 (103) | 12.14 (86) | Lost by 17 points | MCG (A) | — | 6th |
| 10 | Saturday, 8 June (11:15 am) | Sydney | 12.4 (76) | 13.14 (92) | Lost by 16 points | Whitten Oval (H) | — | 8th |
| 11 | Sunday, 16 June (11:15 am) | Melbourne | 14.11 (95) | 14.16 (100) | Lost by 5 points | Whitten Oval (H) | — | 9th |
| 12 | Saturday, 22 June (11:15 am) | Hawthorn | 12.11 (83) | 21.8 (134) | Won by 51 points | Waverley Park (A) | — | 9th |
| 13 | Saturday, 29 June (11:15 am) | Geelong | 9.6 (60) | 15.18 (108) | Lost by 48 points | Whitten Oval (H) | — | 9th |
| 14 | Saturday, 6 July (10:45 am) | Essendon | 11.14 (80) | 10.10 (70) | Lost by 10 points | Windy Hill (A) | — | 10th |
| 15 | Sunday, 14 July (11:00 am) | Footscray | 14.19 (103) | 14.11 (95) | Lost by 8 points | Whitten Oval (A) | — | 10th |
| 16 | Sunday, 21 July (11:15 am) | Collingwood | 15.9 (99) | 11.9 (75) | Lost by 24 points | Victoria Park (A) | — | 10th |
| 17 | Saturday, 27 July (11:15 am) | Sydney | 11.10 (76) | 14.16 (100) | Lost by 24 points | Whitten Oval (H) | — | 10th |
| 18 | Sunday, 4 August (12:00 pm) | Footscray | 7.6 (48) | 15.10 (100) | Lost by 52 points | Whitten Oval (H) | — | 10th |
| 19 | Saturday, 10 August (10:00 am) | St Kilda | 14.13 (97) | 12.10 (82) | Lost by 15 points | Moorabbin Oval (A) | — | 11th |
| 20 | Saturday, 17 August (11:15 am) | Carlton | 11.11 (77) | 10.3 (63) | Lost by 14 points | Optus Oval (H) | — | 12th |
| 21 | Sunday, 25 August (11:05 am) | Richmond | 11.9 (75) | 19.21 (135) | Won by 60 points | MCG (A) | — | 11th |
| 22 | Saturday, 31 August (11:15 am) | St Kilda | 9.9 (63) | 16.12 (108) | Won by 45 points | Waverley Park (A) | — | 10th |
Milestones
Robert McMahon was Fitzroy's 1157th VFL/AFL player and final AFL debutant.[25]
| Rd | Player | Milestone | Opponent | Venue | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Scott Bamford | AFL debut | Hawthorn | Whitten Oval | [26] |
| Brad Cassidy | AFL debut | [26] | |||
| Matthew Primus | AFL debut | [26] | |||
| Mick Dwyer | Club debut | [26] | |||
| 6 | Nick Carter | AFL debut | Richmond | Whitten Oval | [26] |
| Shane Clayton | AFL debut | [26] | |||
| Brent Frewen | AFL debut | [26] | |||
| 13 | Jason Ramsey | AFL debut | Geelong | Whitten Oval | [26] |
| 18 | Robert McMahon | AFL debut | Footscray | Whitten Oval | [26] |
| 20 | Stephen Paxman | 100th AFL game | Brisbane Bears | Optus Oval | [25] |
References
- 1 2 "Attendances 1996". AFL Tables. Archived from the original on 14 February 2026. Retrieved 5 June 2026.
- ↑ Westerman, William (6 May 2021). "The Fateful Season – Remembering the Fitzroy Lions and the Tragedy of 1996". The Footy Almanac. Archived from the original on 5 June 2026. Retrieved 5 June 2026.
- 1 2 3 "15 years on…". AFL.com.au. 4 July 2011. Archived from the original on 5 June 2026. Retrieved 5 June 2026.
- 1 2 3 De Haer, Katie (8 June 2017). "TBT: Fitzroy's last victory". Brisbane Lions. Archived from the original on 5 June 2026. Retrieved 5 June 2026.
- ↑ "Fitzroy Flashback: The Final Chapter". Brisbane Lions. 12 August 2022. Archived from the original on 5 June 2026. Retrieved 5 June 2026.
- ↑ "1996 AFL Reserve Grade Competition". Australian Football. Archived from the original on 9 September 2018. Retrieved 5 June 2026.
- ↑ Holmesby, Luke (9 December 2008). "Fitzroy back from the dead in alignment with VAFA club". AFL.com.au. Archived from the original on 5 June 2026. Retrieved 5 June 2026.
- ↑ "Fitzroy's future secure says chief". The Canberra Times. 16 April 1995. p. 12. Retrieved 7 June 2026.
- ↑ "Revisiting the Fitzroy and Brisbane merger". The Roar. 6 July 2012. Archived from the original on 5 June 2026. Retrieved 5 June 2026.
- ↑ Westerman, William (5 July 2021). "The Merger Trilogy: The Room Where It Happened". The Footy Almanac. Archived from the original on 22 April 2025. Retrieved 5 June 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 Blucher, Peter (25 March 2022). "Moments Of Change: The Merger". Brisbane Lions. Archived from the original on 5 June 2026. Retrieved 5 June 2026.
- ↑ "20 years since "merge day"". Brisbane Lions. 4 July 2016. Archived from the original on 5 June 2026. Retrieved 5 June 2026.
- ↑ Blucher, Peter (6 May 2022). "Round 8: Remember When..." Brisbane Lions. Archived from the original on 22 July 2025. Retrieved 7 June 2026.
- ↑ "1995 AFL Premiership Season". Australian Football. Archived from the original on 14 August 2025. Retrieved 7 June 2026.
- ↑ Fee, Tom (21 March 2017). "Freo facts from 500 games". Fremantle Football Club. Archived from the original on 21 August 2025. Retrieved 7 June 2026.
- ↑ "Fitzroy v Fremantle". AFL Tables. 18 May 1996. Archived from the original on 5 June 2026. Retrieved 7 June 2026.
- ↑ "Fitzroy vs Fremantle". Australian Football. 18 May 1996. Archived from the original on 7 April 2023. Retrieved 7 June 2026.
- ↑ "The Amateur Footballer, Week 1, 2009" (PDF). VAFA. 18 April 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 February 2026. Retrieved 7 June 2026.
- ↑ "The Amateur Footballer, Week 2, 2009" (PDF). VAFA. 25 April 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 February 2026. Retrieved 7 June 2026.
- ↑ "Western Oval – Attendances (1925-1997)". AFL Tables. Archived from the original on 24 January 2026. Retrieved 7 June 2026.
- ↑ "Fitzroy Playing List for 1996". Draftguru. Archived from the original on 5 June 2026. Retrieved 5 June 2026.
- ↑ "The Merger: Where Are They Now?". Brisbane Lions. 6 July 2021. Archived from the original on 5 June 2026. Retrieved 5 June 2026.
- ↑ "AFL's last Fitzroy player calls it quits". ABC News. 31 August 2007. Archived from the original on 5 June 2026. Retrieved 5 June 2026.
- ↑ "Chris Johnson retires". AFL.com.au. 31 August 2007. Archived from the original on 5 June 2026. Retrieved 5 June 2026.
- 1 2 "Fitzroy's Last Game: An Injustice". Brisbane Lions. 29 May 2020. Archived from the original on 5 June 2026. Retrieved 5 June 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Fitzroy – All Time Player List". AFL Tables. Archived from the original on 5 June 2026. Retrieved 5 June 2026.