From 1956 to 1971, the first VFL Night Series was a consolation knock-out competition held in September at the Lake Oval in Albert Park amongst the eight teams who failed to reach the finals in the VFL premiership season – apart from 1957, when all twelve teams competed.
[1] There were no official VFL night series held during the 1972 to 1976 seasons, although in 1976 the National Football League (the national governing body at the time) held its own night series mid-week during the season, known as the NFL Wills Cup.
From 2003 onwards, the pre-season cup competition has had a modified scoring system (not the usual scoring system that is used in the premiership season), that includes awarding 9 points for Super Goals that are kicked from outside the 50m arc and 3 points for rushed behinds.
[6] The offer was not extended past that season, so neither St Kilda, who won the 2008 NAB Cup and made the preliminary final of the 2008 AFL season,[7] nor Geelong, who achieved the double in 2009, were eligible for the extra prize money.
Hawthorn won the AFL Premiership in 1991; they then backed it up the following year to win the pre-season competition in 1992.