The 1971 VFL season was the 75th season of the Victorian Football League (VFL), the highest level senior Australian rules football competition in Victoria. The season featured twelve clubs, ran from 3 April until 25 September, and comprised a 22-game home-and-away season followed by a finals series featuring the top four clubs.

1971 VFL premiership season
Teams12
PremiersHawthorn
2nd premiership
Minor premiersHawthorn
3rd minor premiership
Consolation seriesMelbourne
1st Consolation series win
Brownlow MedallistIan Stewart (Richmond)
Coleman MedallistPeter Hudson (Hawthorn)
Attendance
Matches played136
Total attendance3,326,436 (24,459 per match)
Highest118,192
← 1970
1972 →

The premiership was won by the Hawthorn Football Club for the second time, after it defeated St Kilda by seven points in the 1971 VFL Grand Final. Hawthorn full-forward Peter Hudson kicked 150 goals for the season, equalling the all-time record set by Bob Pratt (South Melbourne) in 1934.

Background

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In 1971, 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 1971 VFL Premiers were determined by the specific format and conventions of the Page–McIntyre system.

Home-and-away season

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Round 1

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
Melbourne 24.21 (165) South Melbourne 7.18 (60) MCG 28,727 3 April 1971
Geelong 8.9 (57) St Kilda 21.25 (151) Kardinia Park 20,771 3 April 1971
Fitzroy 14.15 (99) Richmond 22.18 (150) Junction Oval 18,386 3 April 1971
Essendon 10.12 (72) Hawthorn 13.18 (96) Windy Hill 19,214 3 April 1971
Collingwood 25.10 (160) Footscray 11.11 (77) Victoria Park 27,829 3 April 1971
North Melbourne 18.16 (124) Carlton 14.14 (98) Arden Street Oval 20,399 3 April 1971

Round 2

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
Carlton 20.9 (129) Essendon 9.15 (69) Princes Park 30,480 10 April 1971
South Melbourne 12.20 (92) Geelong 16.14 (110) Lake Oval 17,090 10 April 1971
Hawthorn 14.13 (97) Fitzroy 7.11 (53) Glenferrie Oval 15,310 10 April 1971
Footscray 8.15 (63) Melbourne 16.11 (107) Western Oval 20,378 12 April 1971
St Kilda 16.12 (108) North Melbourne 12.8 (80) Moorabbin Oval 24,174 12 April 1971
Richmond 10.9 (69) Collingwood 16.10 (106) MCG 82,172 12 April 1971

Round 3

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
Footscray 14.15 (99) South Melbourne 14.9 (93) Western Oval 15,003 17 April 1971
Fitzroy 17.26 (128) North Melbourne 14.10 (94) Junction Oval 8,917 17 April 1971
Hawthorn 16.19 (115) Geelong 16.11 (107) Glenferrie Oval 14,090 17 April 1971
Essendon 9.12 (66) Collingwood 9.12 (66) Windy Hill 22,421 17 April 1971
Melbourne 19.13 (127) Carlton 15.10 (100) MCG 42,885 17 April 1971
Richmond 10.8 (68) St Kilda 6.13 (49) VFL Park 33,489 17 April 1971

Round 4

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
Collingwood 19.20 (134) Fitzroy 12.9 (81) Victoria Park 25,759 24 April 1971
South Melbourne 5.9 (39) Richmond 20.13 (133) Lake Oval 18,895 24 April 1971
St Kilda 10.9 (69) Hawthorn 18.19 (127) Moorabbin Oval 25,153 24 April 1971
North Melbourne 14.15 (99) Footscray 13.14 (92) Arden Street Oval 13,972 24 April 1971
Geelong 13.8 (86) Carlton 13.21 (99) Kardinia Park 23,555 24 April 1971
Melbourne 10.18 (78) Essendon 6.7 (43) VFL Park 27,342 24 April 1971

Round 5

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
Fitzroy 14.8 (92) Melbourne 17.18 (120) Junction Oval 12,363 1 May 1971
Essendon 21.15 (141) Geelong 16.12 (108) Windy Hill 16,435 1 May 1971
Collingwood 16.15 (111) North Melbourne 10.11 (71) Victoria Park 22,546 1 May 1971
Carlton 13.18 (96) St Kilda 11.17 (83) Princes Park 24,027 1 May 1971
Richmond 14.17 (101) Footscray 17.19 (121) MCG 23,758 1 May 1971
Hawthorn 12.21 (93) South Melbourne 6.9 (45) VFL Park 16,206 1 May 1971

Round 6

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
North Melbourne 12.12 (84) Richmond 22.14 (146) Arden Street Oval 13,047 8 May 1971
Footscray 18.5 (113) Hawthorn 16.11 (107) Western Oval 19,205 8 May 1971
St Kilda 14.25 (109) Essendon 9.11 (65) Moorabbin Oval 21,604 8 May 1971
Melbourne 10.12 (72) Collingwood 18.19 (127) MCG 80,231 8 May 1971
South Melbourne 13.14 (92) Carlton 14.10 (94) Lake Oval 17,171 8 May 1971
Geelong 13.13 (91) Fitzroy 20.16 (136) VFL Park 11,432 8 May 1971

Round 7

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
Melbourne 22.17 (149) North Melbourne 15.14 (104) MCG 21,069 15 May 1971
Hawthorn 21.19 (145) Richmond 12.6 (78) Glenferrie Oval 22,956 15 May 1971
Fitzroy 11.16 (82) St Kilda 13.14 (92) Junction Oval 17,573 15 May 1971
Essendon 12.17 (89) South Melbourne 16.9 (105) Windy Hill 17,055 15 May 1971
Collingwood 15.16 (106) Geelong 14.8 (92) Victoria Park 25,525 15 May 1971
Carlton 12.19 (91) Footscray 11.13 (79) VFL Park 29,195 15 May 1971

Round 8

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
Geelong 10.12 (72) Melbourne 14.22 (106) Kardinia Park 20,247 22 May 1971
South Melbourne 13.11 (89) Fitzroy 19.19 (133) Lake Oval 15,147 22 May 1971
Footscray 17.17 (119) Essendon 12.7 (79) Western Oval 21,295 22 May 1971
St Kilda 20.15 (135) Collingwood 13.10 (88) Moorabbin Oval 38,127 22 May 1971
Richmond 16.26 (122) Carlton 9.16 (70) MCG 52,783 22 May 1971
North Melbourne 7.10 (52) Hawthorn 22.15 (147) VFL Park 14,860 22 May 1971

Round 9

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
Melbourne 10.10 (70) St Kilda 10.7 (67) MCG 39,380 29 May 1971
Fitzroy 17.17 (119) Footscray 10.18 (78) Junction Oval 12,255 29 May 1971
Collingwood 15.10 (100) South Melbourne 10.6 (66) Victoria Park 20,350 29 May 1971
Carlton 4.12 (36) Hawthorn 14.12 (96) Princes Park 29,250 29 May 1971
North Melbourne 16.28 (124) Geelong 16.13 (109) Arden Street Oval 7,335 29 May 1971
Essendon 13.11 (89) Richmond 17.11 (113) VFL Park 16,300 29 May 1971

Round 10

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
Essendon 13.18 (96) North Melbourne 8.15 (63) Windy Hill 14,864 5 June 1971
Carlton 13.12 (90) Fitzroy 10.15 (75) Princes Park 24,000 5 June 1971
South Melbourne 9.6 (60) St Kilda 18.23 (131) Lake Oval 16,069 5 June 1971
Richmond 15.16 (106) Melbourne 11.9 (75) MCG 48,708 5 June 1971
Hawthorn 15.17 (107) Collingwood 7.13 (55) Glenferrie Oval 28,450 5 June 1971
Footscray 19.10 (124) Geelong 18.14 (122) VFL Park 11,673 5 June 1971

Round 11

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
North Melbourne 12.17 (89) South Melbourne 13.20 (98) Arden Street Oval 9,454 14 June 1971
Geelong 12.11 (83) Richmond 20.13 (133) Kardinia Park 23,388 14 June 1971
Melbourne 10.14 (74) Hawthorn 14.10 (94) MCG 52,256 14 June 1971
St Kilda 17.16 (118) Footscray 9.5 (59) Moorabbin Oval 22,488 14 June 1971
Fitzroy 17.13 (115) Essendon 8.9 (57) Junction Oval 14,212 14 June 1971
Collingwood 24.14 (158) Carlton 11.7 (73) VFL Park 50,246 14 June 1971

Round 12

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
Carlton 16.18 (114) North Melbourne 3.5 (23) Princes Park 13,300 19 June 1971
St Kilda 14.15 (99) Geelong 3.3 (21) Moorabbin Oval 14,181 19 June 1971
Richmond 6.11 (47) Fitzroy 8.17 (65) MCG 24,831 19 June 1971
Hawthorn 14.20 (104) Essendon 11.5 (71) Glenferrie Oval 14,181 19 June 1971
Footscray 8.15 (63) Collingwood 6.10 (46) Western Oval 21,188 19 June 1971
South Melbourne 2.6 (18) Melbourne 6.13 (49) VFL Park 12,528 19 June 1971

Round 13

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
North Melbourne 6.16 (52) St Kilda 16.15 (111) Arden Street Oval 8,508 26 June 1971
Geelong 13.9 (87) South Melbourne 9.12 (66) Kardinia Park 11,222 26 June 1971
Collingwood 18.16 (124) Richmond 12.12 (84) Victoria Park 33,338 26 June 1971
Melbourne 11.13 (79) Footscray 12.8 (80) MCG 28,471 26 June 1971
Essendon 13.6 (84) Carlton 14.14 (98) Windy Hill 18,853 26 June 1971
Fitzroy 7.16 (58) Hawthorn 14.9 (93) VFL Park 18,369 26 June 1971

Round 14

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
Geelong 13.6 (84) Hawthorn 15.13 (103) Kardinia Park 14,283 3 July 1971
Collingwood 30.20 (200) Essendon 7.11 (53) Victoria Park 26,831 3 July 1971
St Kilda 13.9 (87) Richmond 13.12 (90) Moorabbin Oval 28,825 3 July 1971
South Melbourne 18.15 (123) Footscray 19.11 (125) Lake Oval 13,360 3 July 1971
North Melbourne 13.11 (89) Fitzroy 11.16 (82) Arden Street Oval 8,777 3 July 1971
Carlton 12.16 (88) Melbourne 11.6 (72) VFL Park 27,511 3 July 1971

Round 15

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
Richmond 12.18 (90) South Melbourne 11.13 (79) MCG 22,870 10 July 1971
Hawthorn 20.5 (125) St Kilda 15.12 (102) Glenferrie Oval 21,647 10 July 1971
Essendon 11.12 (78) Melbourne 12.17 (89) Windy Hill 14,093 10 July 1971
Carlton 21.15 (141) Geelong 15.14 (104) Princes Park 21,000 10 July 1971
Fitzroy 11.18 (84) Collingwood 16.6 (102) Junction Oval 24,926 10 July 1971
Footscray 22.31 (163) North Melbourne 11.5 (71) VFL Park 10,075 10 July 1971

Round 16

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Bernard
Footscray 13.8 (86) Richmond 6.15 (51) Western Oval 17,826 17 July 1971
South Melbourne 3.15 (33) Hawthorn 11.16 (82) Lake Oval 10,519 17 July 1971
Melbourne 4.10 (34) Fitzroy 7.7 (49) MCG 20,013 17 July 1971
North Melbourne 6.9 (45) Collingwood 8.12 (60) Arden Street Oval 9,835 17 July 1971
St Kilda 13.19 (97) Carlton 8.6 (54) Moorabbin Oval 25,518 17 July 1971
Geelong 13.7 (85) Essendon 16.18 (114) VFL Park 9,012 17 July 1971

Round 17

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
Fitzroy 20.19 (139) Geelong 11.10 (76) Junction Oval 8,889 24 July 1971
Essendon 7.8 (50) St Kilda 14.15 (99) Windy Hill 15,273 24 July 1971
Collingwood 12.12 (84) Melbourne 11.12 (78) Victoria Park 27,243 24 July 1971
Carlton 24.16 (160) South Melbourne 11.7 (73) Princes Park 16,500 24 July 1971
Hawthorn 23.16 (154) Footscray 4.15 (39) Glenferrie Oval 21,059 24 July 1971
Richmond 25.19 (169) North Melbourne 12.7 (79) VFL Park 11,416 24 July 1971

Round 18

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
North Melbourne 8.14 (62) Melbourne 9.8 (62) Arden Street Oval 6,522 31 July 1971
Richmond 16.12 (108) Hawthorn 11.10 (76) MCG 47,951 31 July 1971
South Melbourne 13.8 (86) Essendon 13.18 (96) Lake Oval 7,895 31 July 1971
Geelong 21.11 (137) Collingwood 19.14 (128) Kardinia Park 22,000 31 July 1971
Footscray 11.10 (76) Carlton 15.16 (106) Western Oval 21,670 31 July 1971
St Kilda 13.5 (83) Fitzroy 9.10 (64) VFL Park 14,563 31 July 1971

Round 19

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
Hawthorn 23.16 (154) North Melbourne 9.8 (62) Glenferrie Oval 9,112 7 August 1971
Fitzroy 11.17 (83) South Melbourne 8.10 (58) Junction Oval 8,253 7 August 1971
Essendon 7.23 (65) Footscray 9.12 (66) Windy Hill 13,815 7 August 1971
Carlton 8.10 (58) Richmond 14.17 (101) Princes Park 34,224 7 August 1971
Melbourne 18.17 (125) Geelong 9.8 (62) MCG 23,017 7 August 1971
Collingwood 8.10 (58) St Kilda 12.7 (79) VFL Park 46,362 7 August 1971

Round 20

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
Geelong 24.7 (151) North Melbourne 11.10 (76) Kardinia Park 12,085 14 August 1971
St Kilda 14.11 (95) Melbourne 9.10 (64) Moorabbin Oval 25,081 14 August 1971
Footscray 11.9 (75) Fitzroy 15.20 (110) Western Oval 15,096 14 August 1971
Richmond 18.18 (126) Essendon 10.12 (72) MCG 28,388 14 August 1971
Hawthorn 11.15 (81) Carlton 19.6 (120) Glenferrie Oval 22,753 14 August 1971
South Melbourne 9.8 (62) Collingwood 18.18 (126) VFL Park 19,491 14 August 1971

Round 21

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
St Kilda 18.14 (122) South Melbourne 6.14 (50) Moorabbin Oval 16,205 21 August 1971
Melbourne 15.12 (102) Richmond 19.9 (123) MCG 37,732 21 August 1971
Collingwood 15.15 (105) Hawthorn 20.20 (140) Victoria Park 41,312 21 August 1971
Geelong 18.18 (126) Footscray 15.5 (95) Kardinia Park 17,864 21 August 1971
North Melbourne 15.13 (103) Essendon 10.12 (72) Arden Street Oval 8,733 21 August 1971
Fitzroy 15.15 (105) Carlton 11.16 (82) Junction Oval 22,413 21 August 1971

Round 22

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Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date
Hawthorn 18.16 (124) Melbourne 8.17 (65) Glenferrie Oval 14,809 28 August 1971
Footscray 10.14 (74) St Kilda 12.18 (90) Western Oval 16,707 28 August 1971
Essendon 12.12 (84) Fitzroy 13.17 (95) Windy Hill 12,865 28 August 1971
Carlton 16.10 (106) Collingwood 13.9 (87) Princes Park 32,000 28 August 1971
South Melbourne 19.17 (131) North Melbourne 8.11 (59) Lake Oval 9,307 28 August 1971
Richmond 16.14 (110) Geelong 14.18 (102) MCG 36,423 28 August 1971

Ladder

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(P) Premiers
Qualified for finals
# Team P W L D PF PA % Pts
1 Hawthorn (P) 22 19 3 0 2460 1601 153.7 76
2 St Kilda 22 16 6 0 2176 1554 140.0 64
3 Richmond 22 16 6 0 2318 1890 122.6 64
4 Collingwood 22 14 7 1 2331 1840 126.7 58
5 Carlton 22 14 8 0 2103 2014 104.4 56
6 Fitzroy 22 12 10 0 2047 1915 106.9 48
7 Melbourne 22 11 10 1 1962 1791 109.5 46
8 Footscray 22 11 11 0 1966 2217 88.7 44
9 North Melbourne 22 5 16 1 1705 2551 66.8 22
10 Geelong 22 5 17 0 2072 2523 82.1 20
11 Essendon 22 4 17 1 1705 2252 75.7 18
12 South Melbourne 22 3 19 0 1618 2315 69.9 12

Rules for classification: 1. premiership points; 2. percentage; 3. points for
Average score: 92.7
Source: AFL Tables

Finals series

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Semi-finals

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Team 1 Qtr 2 Qtr 3 Qtr Final
Richmond 4.4 8.8 11.10 18.13 (121)
Collingwood 4.1 5.5 11.8 11.11 (77)
Attendance: : 99,771
Team 1 Qtr 2 Qtr 3 Qtr Final
Hawthorn 2.7 8.12 11.16 12.18 (90)
St Kilda 1.4 4.5 7.7 12.16 (88)
Attendance: 99,822

Preliminary final

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Team 1 Qtr 2 Qtr 3 Qtr Final
St Kilda 1.2 6.7 11.10 16.12 (108)
Richmond 3.2 7.2 9.4 12.6 (78)
Attendance: 102,494

Grand final

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Team 1 Qtr 2 Qtr 3 Qtr Final
Hawthorn 2.2 4.4 5.7 12.10 (82)
St Kilda 2.1 4.6 8.9 11.9 (75)
Attendance: 118,192

Consolation Night Series Competition

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The consolation night series were held under the floodlights at Lake Oval, South Melbourne, for the teams (5th to 12th on ladder) out of the finals at the end of the home and away rounds.

Final: Melbourne 12.7 (79) defeated Fitzroy 9.9 (63).

Season notes

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  • Fitzroy winger Treva McGregor won the 1971, 130-yard Stawell Gift in 11.7 seconds, off a handicap of 7¼ yards.
  • Bill Barrot of Richmond and Ian Stewart of St Kilda swap clubs before the start of the 1971 season. Stewart went on to win his third Brownlow Medal at Richmond, while Barrott was so dissatisfied at St Kilda's demands that he play in defence that he requested, and was given, a clearance to Carlton during the season.
  • The VFL sold its Harrison House headquarters and moved to 84 Jolimont Street.
  • The Round 21 match between Fitzroy and Carlton at Junction Oval was played in a thick fog with terrible visibility – so much so that goal umpires could not see each other's flags, forcing the boundary umpires to convey messages between the goal umpires for scorekeeping purposes.[1]
  • In the Grand Final, Peter Hudson could have broken Bob Pratt's season record of 150 goals except for three incidents:
    • He kicked what would have otherwise been an easy goal into the man on the mark (Barry Lawrence).
    • He kicked a goal on the run that was disallowed because the end of the quarter siren had gone before the ball hit his boot.
    • He ran into an open goal and kicked the ball out of bounds.
  • The Committees of the Carlton Football Club and Collingwood decide not to renew the contracts of their respective coaches, Ron Barassi and Bob Rose.

Awards

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Major awards

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Leading goalkickers

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  • Numbers highlighted in blue indicates the player led the goalkicking at the end of that round.
  • DNP = did not play in that round.

References

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  1. ^ Simunovich, Peter (9 June 1982). "Swans home in fog". The Sun News-Pictorial. Melbourne.
  2. ^ "Tigers easily". The Age. Melbourne. 27 September 1971. p. 20.
  • Maplestone, M., Flying Higher: History of the Essendon Football Club 1872–1996, Essendon Football Club, (Melbourne), 1996. ISBN 0-9591740-2-8
  • Rogers, S. & Brown, A., Every Game Ever Played: VFL/AFL Results 1897–1997 (Sixth Edition), Viking Books, (Ringwood), 1998. ISBN 0-670-90809-6
  • Ross, J. (ed), 100 Years of Australian Football 1897–1996: The Complete Story of the AFL, All the Big Stories, All the Great Pictures, All the Champions, Every AFL Season Reported, Viking, (Ringwood), 1996. ISBN 0-670-86814-0

Sources

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