The Championship of Australia was the name given to an Australian rules football tournament which was contested between clubs from the Victorian, South Australian and West Australian football leagues. The Championship took place three times in the 19th century and then from 1907 to 1914 with the exception of 1912 and every year from 1968 to 1976. All but two of the Championships were played in Adelaide and all of them occurred after the respective league seasons had ended.

History

The first group of Club Championships were between the VFA and SAFA premiers while from 1907 until 1914, the final competition for 54 years, it was contested between the premiers of the VFL and SAFL. Port Adelaide were champions a record four times during this period. The inaugural Championship was a best of three game series but all future tournaments were decided by a Grand Final.

In 1968 the Championship returned under the same format but the Australian National Football Council refused to grant it official status as a team from Western Australia and Tasmania were not competing and it thus couldn't be referred to as a Championship of 'Australia'. Both state's premiers joined the tournament from 1972 onwards to make it a four club championship. For Tasmania it was the premier of the Tasmanian State Premiership that was invited to the Championship although in 1974 a composite team of players from the premier clubs of the various Tasmanian leagues which took part. VFL clubs won every Championship from 1968, except in 1972 when North Adelaide upset Carlton to win by a point.

The final Championship, in 1976, was known as the NFL Wills Cup and was played under a new format. In an extended competition there were a total of 12 clubs, five from the VFL, four from the SANFL and three from the WANFL. They were divided into four groups of three and the winners of each group met in the semi finals.

Although the NFL Championship was played again in 1977, no clubs from the VFL took part as they were competing in the Night Series, a new tournament which would spell the end of the Championship of Australia.

Champions by year

Year	Champion	Runner-Up	Score	Venue
1888	Norwood	South Melbourne	3 games - 0	Kensington Oval, Adelaide
1890	Port Adelaide	South Melbourne	7.10 - 6.13 *	Adelaide Oval
1893	Essendon	South Adelaide	10.23 - 3.6 *	Victoria Park, Melbourne
1907	Norwood	Carlton	13.12 (90) - 8.10 (58)	Adelaide Oval
1908	West Adelaide	Carlton	12.9 (81) - 7.10 (52)	Adelaide Oval
1909	South Melbourne	West Adelaide	11.8 (74) - 7.14 (56)	Melbourne Cricket Ground
1910	Port Adelaide	Collingwood	15.20 (110) - 7.9 (51)	Adelaide Oval
1911	West Adelaide	Essendon	8.9 (57) - 7.12 (54)	Adelaide Oval
1913	Port Adelaide	Fitzroy	13.16 (94) - 4.7 (31)	Adelaide Oval
1914	Port Adelaide	Carlton	9.16 (70) - 5.6 (36)	Adelaide Oval
1968	Carlton	Sturt	13.15 (93) - 6.20 (56)	Adelaide Oval
1969	Richmond	Sturt	15.27 (117) - 9.10 (64)	Adelaide Oval
1970	Carlton	Sturt	21.13 (139) - 12.22 (94)	Adelaide Oval
1971	Hawthorn	North Adelaide	13.13 (91) - 10.7 (67)	Adelaide Oval
1972	North Adelaide	Carlton	10.13 (73) - 10.12 (72)	Adelaide Oval
1973	Richmond	Subiaco	12.20 (92) - 10.19 (79)	Adelaide Oval
1974	Richmond	Sturt	27.11 (173) - 13.17 (95)	Football Park
1975	North Melbourne	Norwood	17.15 (117) - 5.11 (41)	Football Park
1976	Hawthorn	North Melbourne	12.17 (89) - 5.11 (41)	Norwood Oval

* During the 1890s behinds, although recorded, were not added to a team's score as whoever kicked more goals won the game.

Most Championships

Club	Premierships	Runners-Up
Port Adelaide	4	0
Richmond	3	0
Carlton	2	4
Norwood	2	1
West Adelaide	2	1
Hawthorn	2	0
South Melbourne	1	2
Essendon	1	1
North Adelaide	1	1
North Melbourne	1	1
Sturt	0	4
Collingwood	0	1
Fitzroy	0	1
South Adelaide	0	1
Subiaco	0	1

References