The 1979 NFL Championship Series was the 4th edition of the NFL Night Series, an NFL-organised national club Australian rules football tournament between the leading clubs from the SANFL, the VFA and QAFL.
In June 1978 the VFL announced their plans to form a new company to oversee a night series that would be broadcast nationally and Australian Football Championships Pty. Ltd. was incorporated on 28 July 1978 to run a rival national night competition, in opposition to the NFL Night Series. By October 1978, The VFL were joined by the WAFL, TANFL, NSWAFL and ACTAFL in the joint venture and transferred from NFL Night Series to the AFC Night Series. However, the SANFL rejected the VFL's overtures, choosing to remain aligned with the NFL instead. They were joined by the VFA and QAFL in a greatly-reduced NFL Series.
However, by May 1979, the NFL, the SANFL and the AFC/VFL held meetings to discuss the future of the series and agree that the SANFL would join the AFC Night Series in 1980 and that the NFL would ceased running their Night Series beyond this edition.
Qualified Teams TeamNicknameLeagueQualificationParticipation (bold indicates winners)1NorwoodRedlegsSANFLWinners of the 1978 South Australian National Football League7th SturtDouble BluesSANFLRunners-Up of the 1978 South Australian National Football League7th Port AdelaideMagpiesSANFLThird Place in the 1978 South Australian National Football League8th GlenelgTigersSANFLFourth Place in the 1978 South Australian National Football League5th West TorrensEaglesSANFLFifth Place in the 1978 South Australian National Football League1stWoodvilleWoodpeckersSANFLSixth Place in the 1978 South Australian National Football League1stSouth AdelaidePanthersSANFLSeventh Place in the 1978 South Australian National Football League5th Central DistrictBulldogsSANFLEighth Place in the 1978 South Australian National Football League2nd West AdelaideBloodsSANFLNinth Place in the 1978 South Australian National Football League6th North AdelaideRoostersSANFLTenth Place in the 1978 South Australian National Football League4th PrahranTwo BluesVFAWinners of the 1978 Victorian Football Association Premiership1st PrestonBullantsVFARunners-Up in the 1978 Victorian Football Association Premiership2nd Western DistrictsBulldogsQAFL Winners of the 1978 Queensland Australian Football League1stWindsor-ZillmereEaglesQAFL Runners-Up in the 1978 Queensland Australian Football League1st 1 Includes previous appearances in the Championship of Australia.
Venues AdelaideMelbourneBrisbane Norwood Oval Preston City Oval Brisbane Cricket Ground Capacity: 22,000 Capacity: 15,000 Capacity: 35,000
Knockout stage
Round 1
Quarter-finals
Semi-finals
NFL Championship Series final
References