In 1973, the VFL competition consisted of twelve teams of 18 on-the-field players each, plus two substitute players, known as the 19th man and the 20th man. A player could be substituted for any reason; however, once substituted, a player could not return to the field of play under any circumstances. Teams played each other in a home-and-away season of 22 rounds; matches 12 to 22 were the "home-and-way reverse" of matches 1 to 11. Once the 22 round home-and-away season had finished, the 1973 VFL Premiers were determined by the specific format and conventions of the "McIntyre Final Five system".
Round 1
Round 2
Round 3
Round 4
Round 5
Round 6
Round 7
Round 8
Round 9
Round 10
Round 11
Round 12
Round 13
Round 14
Round 15
Round 16
Round 17
Round 18
Round 19
Round 20
Round 21
Round 22
Ladder
Finals
Elimination Final
Qualifying Final
Semi Finals
Preliminary Final
Grand final
defeated Carlton 16.20 to 12.14, in front of a crowd of 116956 people..
The reserves premiership was won by. Richmond 17.18 defeated 8.12 in the Grand Final, held as a curtain-raiser to the seniors Grand Final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 29 September.
Notable events
The centre diamond was used on all VFL grounds throughout 1973 and 1974. It was replaced by the centre square at the beginning of the 1975 VFL season.
The VFL introduced a new clearance system, "10-year rule", in order to render the VFL immune from the sorts of "restraint of trade" difficulties that were being experienced, at the time, in New South Wales in relation to Rugby League footballers, whereby any VFL player who had played ten years with a single club was eligible for a free transfer to the club of his choice.
*The new North Melbourne coach Ron Barassi recruited champion half-backs Barry Davis, John Rantall, and champion full-forward Doug Wade. North Melbourne improved from last place in 1972 to sixth in 1973.
In Round 21, Hawthorn full-forward Peter Hudson, who had been injured in Round 1 of 1972, returned to the VFL. He beat four opponents and kicked 8 goals.
In Round 22, Hawthorn hosted its last senior VFL football match at Glenferrie Oval. The ground was notable for its temperamental playing surface and narrow flanks. The venue had long been described by football fans as "the sardine can." Hawthorn subsequently played its home games at Princes Park for the next eighteen seasons.
In the first moments of the Grand Final, Carlton's captain-coach John Nicholls was running out of goal to mark a kick from Alex Jesaulenko when Richmond's's back-pocket Laurie Fowler ran straight at Nicholls and smashed him in the head. Nicholls was given the mark and a 15-yard penalty. He kicked a goal; however, due to severe double vision cause by Fowler's blow, Nicholls could hardly see anything, and effectively took no further part in the match even though he stayed on the ground. In the second quarter Richmond'sNeil Balme knocked out Carlton full-back Geoff Southby with a vicious elbow strike to the head. In the ensuing brawl, Balme also attacked Carlton's Vin Waite. Balme was not reported by the umpires.
