1896

Captain - Joe Wilson
Vice Captain - Patrick O'Loughlin

Jack Leith was second in the league goalkicking with 28 and McCarthy third with 24.

Despite their fourth placed finish the year was seen as a missed opportunity for Melbourne, who showed excellent form on a handful of occasions but then let themselves down with poor games without teamwork. They weren't helped by injuries at the start of the year to Joe Wilson, Fred McGinis and George Moysey or by the departure of David Christy to Western Australia midway through the year.

Collingwood defeated South Melbourne in a "Grand Final" to win the league.

After the season several of the inner suburban clubs, joined by Geelong, broke away from the VFA to form the VFL. The seeds of the future split had been shown throughout the season as the association's management committee debated ways to restore public interest in the game, such as changing the distance that the 'little mark' needed to travel. In the end the VFL abolished the little mark altogether.

The charity games on 13 June were played with the experimental rules, such as extending the little mark distance to five yards and to instruct umpires to crack down on players throwing the ball instead of kicking it. The old rule of the ball being 'in play' the moment it was thrown in by the boundary umpire was also reintroduced for the day.

An increase in bad language on the field was noted, with the claims that if there wasn't reform that respectable young fellows will retire from the sport and leave it entirely in the hand of blackguards.

VFA matches

Date	Opponent	Result	Score
2 May	Essendon	LOSS	5-9
9 May	Footscray	WIN	6-2
16 May	Geelong	WIN	11-9
25 May	Fitzroy	LOSS	5-6
30 May	Williamstown	WIN	15-4
13 June	Collingwood	LOSS	2-4
20 June	St Kilda	WIN	7-1
27 June	South Melbourne	LOSS	5-6
11 July	Port Melbourne	WIN	5-2
18 July	North Melbourne	WIN	12-5
25 July	Carlton	WIN	7-3
1 August	South Melbourne	LOSS	0-2
8 August	Footscray	WIN	14-2
15 August	Collingwood	WIN	6-4
22 August	Essendon	WIN	7-5
5 September	Fitzroy	LOSS	3-5
12 September	Richmond	WIN	4-1
19 September	Geelong	WIN	5-4

Other matches

Date	Opponent	Result	Score
1 July	Southern Tasmania	WIN	7-4
4 July	Southern Tasmania	WIN	5-4
July	Southern Tasmania	WIN	9-4

Ladder

	Team	W	D	L	For	Against	Points
1st	Collingwood	14	1	3	86	55	58
1st	South Melbourne	14	1	3	86	55	58
3rd	Essendon	14	0	4	122	64	56
4th	Melbourne	12	0	6	119	74	48
5th	Fitzroy	12	0	6	80	59	48
6th	North Melbourne	8	1	9	92	80	34
7th	Port Melbourne	7	3	8	70	65	34
8th	Williamstown	7	3	8	64	93	34
9th	St. Kilda	6	1	11	69	88	26
10th	Footscray	5	3	10	69	84	26
11th	Geelong	4	3	11	87	93	22
12th	Carlton	2	2	14	46	90	12
13th	Richmond	3	0	15	52	131	12

Players

George Adamson, David Christy, Herbert Fry, Gibson, Hall, Alf Healing, Harry Hughes, Douglas Irving, Michael Kennedy, Jack Leith, Austin Lewis, Lew Massey, Jim McCarthy, Bill McCulloch, Fred McGinis, Alex McKenzie, John McNamara, Henry Mitchell, George Moodie, Bob Moore, Ernest Mountjoy, George Moysey, George O'Dwyer, James O'Halloran, Patrick O'Loughlin, Charles Over, James Powell, George Ramsden, Albert Robinson, Fred Sheahan, Eddie Sholl, W. Smith, Wally Steele, Fred Strickland, Ned Sutton, Thompson, Dick Wardill, Charles Watson, Joe Wilson, John Wiseman

Goalkickers

Leith 28, McCarthy 24, McGinis 13, Christie 10, Powell 9, Wardill 9, Adamson 5, Fry 4, McCulloch 4, Moodie 2, O'Halloran 2, O'Loughlin 2, Sheahan 2, Wilson 2, Irving 1, O'Dwyer 1, Smith 1

Notes
There is a suggestion that the club rebranded - at least temporarily as - 'MCC'.
Hall is a pseudonym for an unidentified player.

Media
Sydney Mail - 09/05/1896
Australasian - 13/06/1896
West Australian 06/07/1896

Links
VFA Tables and Results
Thanks to Stephen Wade for player data.