Wooden Spoon and a Flag?

After finishing a miserable 15th placed last year, the Brisbane Lions sit atop the AFL ladder going into the final round of this year's Home and Away Series. However, this is extraordinarily not the biggest turnaround in Lions history. That honour unquestionably belongs to the Fitzroy 1916 side (then known as the Maroons) who won the wooden spoon and premiership in the one remarkable season.

In 1916, football was a fair way down on the list of priorities with the world being fractured by the outbreak of World War I, that had entered into its third year. As a consequence of this, the then VFL competition was decimated as several players were called on to fight in the conflict overseas. Many clubs also refused to participate in the VFL on "patriotic grounds." These clubs were Essendon, Geelong, Melbourne, South Melbourne and St Kilda. While, the South Australian and Western Australian competitions were suspended. Yet, the VFL continued as a heavily diminished four-team league for season 1916 with only Carlton, Collingwood, Fitzroy and Richmond deciding to participate. It is fair to say, that the 1916 season was a complete and utter shambles.

At the end of the Home and Away season, Fitzroy finished dead last and claimed the wooden spoon after only winning two of their twelve games, as well as drawing one of them. While, Carlton was clearly the competition's pacesetters winning 10 out of 12, ahead of Collingwood (6 wins and a draw) and Richmond (5 wins). However, due to the nature of the far from ideal, four team competition, all teams played in a makeshift finals series where no clubs appeared to have gleaned any advantages from sitting higher on the ladder. Except the fact, the Blues had a second-chance for finishing on top of the ladder, meaning Fitzroy had to beat the reigning premiers of the previous two seasons, twice, to claim the flag. Which they did.

Just in case you didn't think season 1916 could get any more of a mess, it was subsequently revealed that the four club's patriotic fund-raising, they volunteered to provide to the State War Council was not what it appeared. A large majority of their recorded funds mysteriously disappeared in unnamed "expenses". It was well known at the time, the four clubs were under financial duress. However, Collingwood's ₤664 in fund raising turned into just ₤40, Fitzroy's ₤918 became just ₤152 and Richmond ₤614 was reduced to a mere ₤90. Whereas, Carlton donated nothing at all from ₤884. The State War Council officially censured the four clubs.

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