The Victorian Football League's 1897 finals series determined the top four final positions of the 1897 VFL season. It began on the weekend of 21 August and ended on the weekend of 3 September. Essendon was crowned the 1897 VFL premiers, finishing the finals series on top of the mini-ladder.
The 1897 premiers, Essendon. Players (from left): Stuckey (c), Sykes, Waugh, Kearney, Officer, Anderson, Collins, Gavin, Campbell, Cochrane, Cleghorn, Vautin, Wright, Kinnear, Forbes, Croft, O'Loughlin, Barry, Martin, Groves.
Tod Collins kicked 2 goals and was named in Essendon's best players in this 1st round match against Geelong.
The Melbourne Cricket Ground, pictured here in 1878, hosted 8,000 fans to watch the second-round match between Essendon and Collingwood.
The 1897 VFL season was the inaugural season of the Victorian Football League (VFL), the new highest-level senior Australian rules football competition in Victoria. The season featured eight clubs, ran from 8 May until 4 September, and comprised a 14-game home-and-away season followed by a finals series featuring the top four clubs.
Essendon 1897 VFL premiership team