1913

Coach: Alex Hall
Captain: Alf George
Finishing Position: 9th
Best and Fairest: n/a
Leading Goalkicker: Mick Maguire (13)
Best First Year Player: n/a

In 1912 a number of close losses cost Melbourne a finals berth, and they chased further improvement with a large turnover of players. Eight players made their club debut in Round 1, with six playing their first VFL games. They lost and things didn't get any better, with 42 players used during the year. Two of Melbourne's four wins came against the hapless University, the only team to finish below them.

After Alf George was elected captain, the ballot for vice-captain between Bill McKenzie and Jim Fitzpatrick was tied. It was resolved to take another vote after 25 players were selected for the final senior list.

The Round 4 match against Fitzroy nearly didn't take place. In Round 3 a Melbourne player was charged by the police for striking. The club committee failed to defend the charge as they believed the player should accept the consequences of his actions and he was fined 5p. Before the next match, players decided to strike. Chairman Bill McClelland threatened that they'd never play again and the strike action broke down. Two weeks later Vin Coutie and Bernie Nolan resigned from the selection committee, reportedly because they thought a smaller group would operate better.

The state of Melbourne's season was shown when not one player managed to make any of the three VFL representative teams who played matches against South Australia, Bendigo and Ballarat in the middle of the year. Even the winless University managed to have two players selected. Hedley Tomkins was called into the Victorian side for the return fixture later in the season.

The 13 goal performance of Mick Maguire still rates as the lowest total for an MFC leading goalkicker. Seven of his goals came in the first two rounds of the season.

While the interstate matches were taking place Melbourne toured Tasmania in the week between their Round 12 and Round 13 matches. For the second year in a row they returned from their trip to a thumping defeat.

Former Richmond player Len Incigneri had sat out a year waiting for a clearance and didn't play his first game until Round 13. His brother Matt debuted three weeks earlier.

Bill McClelland and Andrew Manzie were the club's VFL delegates.

Practice match

Premiership Season

Exhibition match

Ladder

Playing List

Tribunal

Media
Herald - 18/04/1913
Punch - 29/05/1913

Links
AFL Tables page
Wikipedia page