Owing to misunderstanding between the secretaries of the two clubs, the St Kilda players were not present on the second day, under the assumption that no play would be possible. The umpires, however, ruled that the ground was fit for play to start at 3.30pm, and with only the Northcote players present, they had no option but to award the match to Northcote, a decision subsequently ratified by the VCA executive.