President - Frank Grey Smith
Vice-Presidents - James Byrne, Charles Forrester, Henry Harrison and Fred Baker
Secretary - Edward Longden
Treasurer - William Boys
Captain - Dave Rannard/Sam Lamrock
Vice-Captain - Charles Baker
VFA delegates - Edward Longden and Fred Baker
Leading goalkicker - Dave Aitken, John Macdonald, Charles Power, John Ulbrick - 5
Bob Sillett and Lamrock joined the other office holders on the club committee.
A scratch match was played on Saturday 15 April.
Melbourne had a nightmare season, failing to win a match against a VFA club until July. Ironically it was against the eventual premiers Geelong. The club played 23 matches in total, but it was arguably their worst season ever. They were still holding strong to their view that the sport should be amateur and refusing to covertly play players under the guise of 'training expenses'. When East Melbourne pulled out of the competition late in the year it left the Reds on their own in last place for the first time.
Though they were successful in a match against the visiting South Australian premiers Norwood, and in their traditional season opener against the Public Schools, the two wins in a row at the end of July and the start of August would be their only success against senior Victorian sides all season.
On Saturday 19 August a match against Carlton at East Melbourne was abandoned due to Carlton's protest against George Coulthard being suspended for the season by the VFA due to disorderly conduct in the previous Saturday's match. They would only take the field if Coulthard was permitted to play, and Melbourne would only play if Carlton took responsibility for defying the association's ruling. The dispute was eventually resolved and the match was played two weeks later.
Murdoch McKenzie was named in the papers as one of the best players in the league, with Dave Aitken and Dave Rannard in the best follower and both S. Thewlis and Robertson in the best 'all rounders'
It was announced at the club's next AGM that poor performance in 1882 was down to "a want of practice on the part of playing members", but a dissenting opinion from one member blamed bad management by the committee, poor captaincy by Dave Rannard and a bad secretary. He criticised the club for picking players based on reputation rather than by blooding new players. Henry Harrison argued back that the captain and secretary of the Second 20 were always consulted before team selection. A selection committee was appointed on resolution of the meeting. Rannard initially resigned from the club but returned in August the next year.
The club spent 359p 19s 2d and made 308p 15s. Despite the loss the cash balance on hand at the end of the year was still 148p 0s 11d.
VFA matches
| Date | Opponent | Result | Score |
| May 20 | Essendon | LOSS | 3-4 |
| May 27 | Hotham | LOSS | 3-4 |
| June 3 | Carlton | LOSS | 2-6 |
| June 10 | South Melbourne | DRAW | 2-2 |
| June 17 | Geelong | LOSS | 0-4 |
| July 1 | South Melbourne | LOSS | 1-2 |
| July 8 | Essendon | DRAW | 0-0 |
| July 15 | South Melbourne | LOSS | 3-5 |
| July 22 | Carlton | LOSS | 1-2 |
| July 29 | Geelong | WIN | 2-1 |
| August 5 | East Melbourne | WIN | 3-0 |
| August 12 | Essendon | LOSS | 0-5 |
| September 2 | Carlton | DRAW | 3-3 |
| September 9 | Geelong | LOSS | 0-8 |
| September 16 | Hotham | LOSS | 2-6 |
| September 23 | South Melbourne | LOSS | 2-5 |
| September 30 | Carlton | LOSS | 3-6 |
Other matches
| Date | Opponent | Result | Score |
| 29 April | Public Schools | WIN | 2-0 |
| 6 May | South Yarra | DRAW | 2-2 |
| 13 May | Powlett | WIN | 7-1 |
| 24 May | Benalla | WIN | 3-1 |
| 20 June | Hawthorn Grammar | UNKNOWN | ? |
| 24 June | Norwood | WIN | 8-1 |
| 6 July | Medical School | UNKNOWN | ? |
| 27 July | Imperial Trades Club | UNKNOWN | ? |
| 26 August | Ballarat | LOSS | 1-2 |
Players
Dave Aitken, George Aitken, Charles Baker, Barnard, Bob Booth, William Boys, Charles Butler, Harry Carr, Alex Chalmers, Robert Don, Percy Douglass, Dow, Dow, Duncan, Henry Evans, Feehan, EH Griffiths, W. Henderson, Alfred Hill, Sam Lamrock, H. Lawrence, Richard Lewers, Edward Longden, Frank Longden, Conway MacKnight, Marks, John Macdonald, McGibbon, Murdoch McKenzie, Jim McKie, McLellan, Minchin, A. Morris, James Morris, Howard Morrison, B. Murphy, P. Murphy, Thomas Nash, RB Nicholson, Rupert Nicholson, Osborne, Fred Pitcher, Fred Plant, Charles Power, Frank Power, Herb Power, Dave Rannard, Dick Robinson, James Robertson, W. Robertson, Bob Sillett, E. Sloman, Billy Stiffe, Herbert Syme, Sam Thewlis, John Ulbrick, John Watson, James Wilson
Goalkickers
Dave Aitken 5, John Macdonald 5, Charles Power 5, John Ulbrick 5, Herb Power 4, James Robertson 4, Billy Stiffe 4, Murdoch McKenzie 3, Morris 3, Alfred Hill 2, E. Sloman 2, Herbert Syme 2, George Aitken 1, Harry Carr 1, Frank Longden 1, Edward Longden 1, Jim McKie 1, Nicholson 1, Power 1, Dave Rannard 1, Sam Thewlis 1
Second 20
| Date | Opponent | Result | Score |
| 6 May | Brighton | UNKNOWN | ? |
| 27 May | East Melbourne | UNKNOWN | ? |
| 10 June | Carlton | UNKNOWN | ? |
| 17 June | South Melbourne | WIN | 5-14 |
| 24 June | Sandhurst Association | WIN | 2.5 - 1.3 |
| 8 July | Essendon | UNKNOWN | ? |
| 15 July | Toorak | WIN | 2-0 |
| 27 July Imperial Trades Club | DRAW | 1-1 | |
| 29 July | Seymour | WIN | 2-1 |
| 12 August | Albion | 6.18 - 1.1 | |
| 19 August | Toorak | 2.6 - 2.16 | |
| 26 August | Geelong | UNKNOWN | ? |
| 2 September | Toorak | UNKNOWN | ? |
Notes
The Seconds team who played on 14 August are listed in newspapers as "Melburnia Second". This may have been a Melbourne FC team.
Some sources say the cash balance on hand was 184 pounds.
A match was reportedly played against 'Telegraph' on 19/08, with Melbourne losing 4.5 to 2.10. The senior team were at the disputed Carlton game and a Second 20 match was played on the same day, so it was probably not the MFC.
The club was reportedly going to accompany Carlton on a trip of Sydney but this doesn't appear to have happened.
May have also beaten South Park by 3-0 in June.
Media
Argus - 14/04/1882
Argus - 15/04/1882
Australasian - 15/04/1882
Argus - 21/08/1882
Marlborough Express - 15/09/1882
Argus - 07/04/1882
Age - 09/04/1882
Australasian - 14/04/1883
Otago Witness - 21/04/1883
Links
Blueseum 1882 page
VFA results and ladders
YarraYarraBand 1882 Seconds page