Once again South Australian football improved, as the season fulfilled its promise as the most successful of any, since the game started in the colony. For many years the game had been popular and as the players improved, the enthusiasm of the supporters of the various clubs, had become greater and attendances larger. This made football the most popular field sport in the colony. Interest was sustained fully over the five months of the season, with even greater competition than previously exhibited. There was a much greater requirement for players to devote more time to training. All four teams adopted regular and consistent training practices, which had a positive impact on the quality of the game.
South Adelaide made rapid advances, as it achieved its second Association premiership, in a vigorous contest against very strong Port Adelaide and Norwood teams. Its previous success was eight years before in 1877. At the commencement of the season, the contest for the premiership was considered to be very close between Port Adelaide, South Adelaide and Norwood, with the premiers Port, considered the slight favourite.
South Adelaide’s success was attributed to its players working together and using team strategy. Combined play was its characteristic feature, together with football of a consistent character and the most finished exhibition of the game. The most notable difference between South Adelaide and the other clubs was consistency of form and the stability of team composition. South used by far the fewest players over the course of the season with 33 compared to 41 by Port, 45 by Norwood and 47 by Adelaide. South had seven players who did not miss a game, compared to just two by Port Adelaide and Adelaide, while Norwood, remarkably had none. South’s best twenty appeared in ten games or more, whereas Port had 18, Adelaide 15 and Norwood had just 14 men with ten or more games.
The South Australian Football Association (SAFA) conducted its smallest ever competition, with just four teams. South Park and North Adelaide dropped out of the competition from 1884 and the Adelaide Football Club was admitted. In some parts of the South Australian football community, it was regretted that South Park and North Adelaide had not continued in the competition, although it was generally considered that their extreme weakness resulted in very one sided matches in 1884, which completely failed to generate any excitement, enthusiasm or support from the public.
New club Adelaide, did quite well for its first season and showed a decided improvement on the clubs that ceased, because it made matches attractive to the public. The principal objection to a four club competiion, was the limited number of games that could be arranged. Each team played each other five times during the season and a number of special fixtures were required to fill out the program.
There was some unpleasantness before the season commenced, because the program of matches was drawn up without consulting the North Adelaide Football Club, which was still in existence at the time. It had been generally understood at the close of the 1884 season that this club was making its final appearance as an Association club, but a meeting called by the club made the decision to carry on, even though there were only five playing members present. North Adelaide members considered themselves harshly treated because the club was not advised of the meeting of club secretaries that drew up a program of matches.
The highest rated player of the season was Neddis Merrigan from South Adelaide, widely acclaimed as the best follower in the colony. Other top performers in their respective positions were Archie McIntyre (SA), Bill Bushby, T Robertson and Kirkpatrick (PA), Dixon and John Woods (N) and Richard Coonan (A), all splendid followers. Fego Mehrtens (SA) and George Cairns (PA) were the best and most prominent backmen with J Stephens (A), Charlie Pleass (PA) and George Liston (N) all brilliant defenders. The best wingmen were Walsh (SA), King (A), Hills (PA) and Chandler (N). Roy Hill (SA) was the best forward in the colony with George Rowley (SA), Bob Roy (PA) and Richard Stephens (A) all very good.
Aldam Pettinger became the first South Australian Football Association (SAFA) player to reach 100 premiership matches his transfer to the Adelaide Football Club, after the demise of the South Park club. His tally of calulated games by the end of the season was 101 games. He overtook Arney Mehrtens from 1884, as the highest game player in the SAFA. Mehtrens joined the ranks of appointed umpires at the commencement of the season, before returning to play matches with South Adelaide towards the end. Pettinger was one of six players along with Arney Mehrtens, Charles Warren, George Giffen, Julian and Ted Woods as players who had commenced with the SAFA in its inaugural season in 1877.
South Adelaide’s Bob Hill with 14 goals in premiership matches, was the highest goalkicker for the season. He was followed by Bob Roy from Port Adelaide and George Rowley from South Adelaide, both with 13 goals. Bob Roy was unfortunate to have missed a number of matches through illness, although he became the highest goalkicker in the years of the SAFA with 41 goals, overtaking 39 by William Dedman with South Adelaide in 1877 and 1880 and Norwood 1878-79.
The improvement of the game during the previous seasons in the colony created great interest as to how local teams would perform against the best clubs from Victoria. There were 14 intercolonial matches held during the season with two Melbourne clubs on tour and a trip to Victoria by Port Adelaide. This was down somewhat, from the record breaking number of 22 matches in 1884. The result was two drawn matches, with the remainder lost by the South Australian teams.
The visits were made by Victorian teams, Hotham, which had finished third in 1884 and the premier club South Melbourne. South Australian teams were not disgraced in their performances and indications were that they had somewhat attained the Victorian standard of proficiency, although the general physique of the Victorian players remained superior. South Adelaide distinguished itself with a draw against South Melbourne.
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