The 1929 MAFA season was the 34th season of the Metropolitan Amateur Football Association (MAFA), an Australian rules football competition played in the state of Victoria. The season began on 27 April and concluded on 21 September, with 30 teams participating across three divisions under a promotion and relegation system.
Background The MAFA changed the structure of the final series, with the first-placed team (minor premiers) playing the fourth-placed team in the semi-finals, while the second-placed team played their third-placed team. Prior to this, first played third and second played fourth. This change occurred several years before the Victorian Football League (VFL, now AFL) used the same system for finishing positions. As a modified version of the Argus finals system, the minor premiers still had the right to challenge the winner of the finals series for the premiership, but only if its home-and-away win–loss record was strictly better than that of the team it was challenging.
Association membership Five new clubs − Bentleigh District, East Malvern, Melbourne High School Old Boys (MHSOB), Old Ivanhoe and Old Paradians − entered the MAFA in C Section. Flinders Naval Base left the MAFA to re-enter the Peninsula Football League (PFL), while Oakleigh and Pascoe Vale had been expelled during the 1928 season.
The MAFA sought to stop the admission of further "B" teams for the 1929 season, and Teachers' College withrew "Teachers' College B" as a result. Sandringham B had already withdrawn from the MAFA late in the 1928 season. However, Glen Huntly was permitted to keep its "Glen Huntly B" team.
A Section
Ladder + Team Qualification 1 Old Scotch 18 56 Finals series 2 State Savings Bank 18 52 3 (P) 18 50 4 Old Melburnians 18 44 5 Elsternwick 18 42 6 Brightonvale 18 36 7 18 30 8 Collegians 18 26 9 St Paul's Ascot Vale 18 16 Relegation 10 Glen Huntly 18 4
Finals
B Section
Ladder + Team Qualification 1 Black Rock 18 14 4 0 1534 1251 122.6 56 Finals series 2 Surrey Hills 18 13 5 0 1430 1178 121.3 52 3 Murrumbeena (P) 18 11 7 0 1805 1489 127.8 44 4 Old Haileybury-Trinity 18 10 8 0 1662 1485 111.9 40 5 Brunswick 18 10 8 0 1461 1353 107.9 40 6 Geelong 18 10 8 0 1664 1575 105.6 40 7 Old Caulfield Grammarians 18 6 12 0 1492 1693 88.1 24 8 Teachers' College 18 6 12 0 1608 1965 80.3 24 9 Old Xaverians 18 6 12 0 1227 1589 77.2 24 Relegation 10 Sandringham 18 4 14 0 1220 1532 79.6 16
Finals
C Section
Old Paradians full-forward Allan La Fontaine kicked 146 goals for the home-and-away season (152 including finals), which was easily a record in any MAFA division since the competition began in 1892. This included kicking 20 of his club's 24 goals against Kingsville in round 18.
Ladder + Team Qualification 1 Old Paradians 18 14 56 Finals series 2 Burwood 18 52 3 Bentleigh District 18 48 4 East Malvern (P) 18 48 5 South Caulfield 18 48 6 West Hawthorn 18 40 7 Kingsville 18 36 8 Glen Huntly B 18 12 9 MHSOB 18 12 10 Old Ivanhoe 18 8
Finals
References