1978 VFL season
The 1978 VFL season was the 82nd season of the Victorian Football League, the highest level senior Australian rules football competition in Victoria. The season featured twelve clubs, ran from 1 April until 30 September, and comprised a 22-game home-and-away season followed by a finals series featuring the top five clubs.
The premiership was won by the Hawthorn Football Club for the fourth time, after it defeated by 18 points in the 1978 VFL Grand Final.
Rule changes
- The 19th and 20th men were converted into interchange players, meaning that any two players could be rested at any time, and could return to the field.
- Goal umpires required to touch goal post if the ball had hit post. Also two flags were positioned at one post and one flag at the other to save time when signalling scores.
Night series
defeated 13.18 to 2.8 in the final.Home-and-away season
Round 8
Round 16
Round 20
- were leading by 55 points at the 10-minute mark of the second quarter before the Magpies hit back to win by 14 points. It was at the time the third-biggest comeback in League history.
Ladder
Notable events
- In Round 20, Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser was booed incessantly during the second half of the North Melbourne vs Carlton match at the Arden Street Oval. The booing continued right up to the moment when Mr. Fraser stepped inside his limousine and was driven away from the ground.
Awards
- The Coleman Medal was won by Kelvin Templeton of with 118 goals.
- The Brownlow Medal was won by Malcolm Blight of North Melbourne
- The reserves premiership was won by. North Melbourne 17.29 defeated 11.13 in the grand final, held as a curtain-raiser to the seniors grand final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 30 September.