Coach: Frank Hughes
Captain: Ivor Warne-Smith
Finishing Position: 2nd
Best and Fairest: Jack Mueller
Leading Goalkicker: Ron Baggott (51)
Best First Year Player: n/a
Matches | Ladder | Playing List | Seconds | Tribunal |
For the first time players from the country didn't need full clearances to join VFL sides, and could instead play up to six VFL matches with the blessing of their original club before needing to officially change clubs. Also for the first time players were allowed to have representation from their club when they faced the Tribunal.
On Saturday April 10 three Melbourne sides played practice matches. Against Prahran, Williamstown and Prahran Districts
After a club record start to the season where they won their first eight games, two losses in the middle of the year put in a dent in Melbourne's double chance hopes. They won the last four of the season to make absolutely sure of having two chances, but missing Ray Wartman, Maurie Gibb, Lou Reiffel, Frank Roberts and Bert Chandler they were knocked out in straight sets.
Jack Mueller and Allan La Fontaine were selected in a VFL representive team that played the VFA.
Melbourne travelled to Sydney by sea for a match on August 7th and returned by train.
The improved performance on-field helped the club earn £1000 more in takings than for 1936. It was the first profit the club had made in 25 years.
Practice matches
Opposition | Result | Score | |||
Oakleigh | WIN | 124-60 | |||
Coburg | WIN | 110-40 | |||
Prahran | WIN | 105-78 |
Premiership Season
Round | Opposition | Result | Score | ||
1 | Richmond | WIN | 92-66 | ||
2 | Essendon | WIN | 170-85 | ||
3 | Carlton | WIN | 107-71 | ||
4 | St. Kilda | WIN | 95-90 | ||
5 | Collingwood | WIN | 101-76 | ||
6 | Footscray | WIN | 78-56 | ||
7 | North Melbourne | WIN | 166-44 | ||
8 | Hawthorn | WIN | 105-82 | ||
9 | Geelong | LOSS | 71-104 | ||
10 | Fitzroy | WIN | 89-50 | ||
11 | South Melbourne | WIN | 88-82 | ||
12 | Richmond | LOSS | 88-102 | ||
13 | Essendon | WIN | 79-63 | ||
14 | Carlton | LOSS | 104-120 | ||
15 | St. Kilda | WIN | 124-84 | ||
16 | Collingwood | WIN | 153-142 | ||
17 | Footscray | WIN | 105-74 | ||
18 | North Melbourne | WIN | 130-91 | ||
SF | Geelong | LOSS | 113-125 | ||
PF | Collingwood | LOSS | 52-107 |
Ladder
W | D | L | % | P | |
Geelong | 15 | 0 | 3 | 135.3 | 60 |
Melbourne | 15 | 0 | 3 | 131.2 | 60 |
Collingwood | 13 | 0 | 5 | 129.0 | 52 |
Richmond | 11 | 1 | 6 | 108.0 | 46 |
Carlton | 11 | 0 | 7 | 110.9 | 44 |
St. Kilda | 10 | 0 | 8 | 101.3 | 40 |
Fitzroy | 7 | 0 | 11 | 93.1 | 28 |
Hawthorn | 7 | 0 | 11 | 84.4 | 28 |
South Melbourne | 6 | 1 | 11 | 89.9 | 26 |
Essendon | 5 | 0 | 13 | 90.6 | 20 |
Footscray | 4 | 0 | 14 | 81.8 | 16 |
North Melbourne | 3 | 0 | 15 | 64.2 | 12 |
Exhibition Match
Opposition | Result | Score | |||
New South Wales | WIN | 134-56 |
Playing List
Player | Games | Goals | |||
1 | Gordon Jones | 15 | 0 | ||
2 | Lou Reiffel | 8 | 22 | ||
3 | John Lewis | 17 | 4 | ||
4 | Norm Smith | 20 | 45 | ||
5 | Keith Truscott | 12 | 7 | ||
6 | Joe Kinnear | 10 | 0 | ||
7 | Hugh Murnane | 17 | 14 | ||
8 | Rowley Fischer | 17 | 4 | ||
9 | Richie Emselle | 3 | 0 | ||
10 | Fred Backway | 1 | 0 | ||
11 | Beres Reilly | 3 | 1 | ||
12 | Jack Mueller | 19 | 16 | ||
13 | Les Jones | 20 | 14 | ||
14 | Maurie Gibb | 10 | 15 | ||
15 | Ron Baggott | 18 | 51 | ||
16 | Eric Glass | 8 | 17 | ||
17 | Allan La Fontaine | 17 | 3 | ||
18 | Wally Lock | 13 | 8 | ||
19 | Frank Roberts | 15 | 4 | ||
20 | Harry Long | 8 | 0 | ||
20 | Jack Coolahan | 3 | 1 | ||
23 | Ray Wartman | 9 | 4 | ||
24 | Percy Beames | 20 | 44 | ||
25 | Bert Chandler | 11 | 0 | ||
26 | Jack Furniss | 6 | 0 | ||
27 | Stan Penberthy | 11 | 0 | ||
28 | Pat McNamara | 17 | 0 | ||
29 | Jock Ball | 1 | 0 | ||
30 | Jack Foster | 4 | 1 | ||
31 | Ron Barassi | 14 | 24 | ||
32 | Gordon Ogden | 17 | 0 | ||
33 | Ted Buckley | 16 | 1 |
Other Awards
Best Clubman - Rowley Fischer
Most Consistent - Percy Beames
Most Improved - Wally Lock (senior) and Keith Truscott (junior)
Best Utility Player - Frank Roberts
Best Forward - Norm Smith
Best Back Man - Frank Roberts
Most Unselfish Player - Norm Smith
Special training awards - Percy Beames and Gordon Jones
Special clubman trophy - Jack Foster
Special award by the social committee - Jock Ball
Special effort award - John Lewis
Seconds
W | D | L | % | P | |
Geelong | 16 | 1 | 1 | 66 | |
Carlton | 14 | 0 | 4 | 56 | |
Melbourne | 13 | 0 | 5 | 52 | |
Collingwood | 12 | 0 | 6 | 48 | |
Fitzroy | 11 | 0 | 7 | 44 | |
Footscray | 10 | 0 | 8 | 40 | |
Essendon | 7 | 1 | 10 | 30 | |
South Melbourne | 7 | 0 | 11 | 28 | |
Richmond | 6 | 0 | 12 | 24 | |
Hawthorn | 5 | 0 | 13 | 20 | |
St Kilda | 4 | 0 | 14 | 16 | |
North Melbourne | 2 | 0 | 16 | 8 |
Finals
Round | Opposition | Result | |||
SF | Collingwood | LOSS |
Tribunal
Round | Player | Charge | Sanction | ||
Round 13 | Harry Long | Elbowing | Not Guilty | ||
PF | John Lewis | Striking | Not Guilty |
Notes
Practice match also played against Williamstown.
This article says the awards for Roberts and Beames were simply for being 'most serviceable'.
Media
Sporting Globe - 24/03/1937
Argus - 01/04/1937
Argus - 04/05/1937
Sydney Morning Herald - 16/06/1937
Argus - 10/02/1938
Age - 18/02/1938