Leading goalkicker - Fred Fanning - 106
Players included Bill Adams, Noel Alsop, Anderson, Arton, Ron Baggott, Barker, Barton, Bill Baxter, Benjamin, Ted Buckley, Cavanagh, Cutriss, Harden Dean, Elliott, Richie Emselle, Fred Fanning, Maurie Gibb, Les Gibbs, Harry Gray, Harry Harley, Hulme, Ireland, Jones, Joe Kinnear, Jack Maher, Matthews, Geoff McNaughton (c), Sid Meehl, Jim Munday, Bernie Neenan, O'Rourke, Peters, Lou Reiffel, Ted Regan, Stewart, Tough, Wallace and Frank Williams.
Matches
Round 1 - Saturday 23 April
Melbourne 15.13 d. Geelong 11.18
Goals - Glass 6, Unknown 9
Round 2 - Saturday 30 April
Hawthorn 19.11 d. Melbourne 9.4
Round 3 - Saturday 7 May
Melbourne 12.14 d. Fitzroy 10.11
Round 4 - Saturday 14 May
South Melbourne 18.15 d. Melbourne 11.12
Round 5 - Saturday 21 May
Footscray 20.14.134 d. Melbourne 7.5.47
Round 6 - Saturday 28 May
Carlton 20.17.137 d. Melbourne 6.11.47
Goals - Munday 2, Fanning 2, Jones 1, Gibb 1
Best - McNaughton, Baxter, Regan
Round 7 - Saturday 4 June
Collingwood 14.18.102 d. Melbourne 10.4.64
Round 8 - Saturday 11 June
North Melbourne 14.5.89 d. Melbourne 10.8.68
Goals - Wallace 2, Elliott 2, Fanning 1, Gibbs 1, Reiffel 1, Neenan 1, Jones 1, O'Rourke 1
Best - McNaughton, Baston, Steward
Round 9 - Saturday 18 June
Melbourne 14.9 d. St Kilda 10.13
Round 10 - Saturday 25 June
Melbourne 9.10 drew Richmond 9.10
Goals - Alsop 3, Neenan 2, Wallace 1, Adams 1, Tough 1, Harley 1
Best - Meehl, Regan, Kinnear
Round 11 - Saturday 2 July
Melbourne 12.7 d. Essendon 9.5
Round 12 - Saturday 9 July
Geelong 16.16 d. Melbourne 7.7
Goals - Fanning 3, Neenan 2, Barton 1, Gibb 1
Best - Neenan, Meehl, Gibb
Round 13 - Saturday 23 July
Melbourne 15.16.106 d. Hawthorn 10.15.75
Round 14 - Saturday 30 July
Melbourne 10.14 d. Fitzroy 5.9
Goals - Baggot 5, Adams 2, Hulme 2, Arton 1
Best - Maher, Williams, Kinnear
Round 15 - Saturday 6 August
Melbourne 15.9 d. South Melbourne 4.10
Goals - Fanning 7, Alsop 2, Anderson 2, Barton 2
Best - Benjamin, Neenan, Fanning
Round 16 - Saturday 13 August
Melbourne 13.17 d. Footscray 10.9
Goals - Alsop 6
Round 17 - Saturday 20 August
Carlton 20.19 d. Melbourne 13.11
Goals - Fanning 5, Unknown 8
Best - Gray, Gibb, Neenan
Round 18 - Saturday 27 August
Collingwood 6.15 d. Melbourne 6.10
Ladder
| W | D | L | % | P | |
| Collingwood | 16 | 0 | 2 | 64 | |
| Geelong | 15 | 1 | 2 | 62 | |
| Carlton | 15 | 0 | 3 | 60 | |
| Footscray | 13 | 0 | 5 | 52 | |
| Richmond | 9 | 1 | 8 | 38 | |
| Melbourne | 8 | 1 | 9 | 36 | |
| Essendon | 8 | 0 | 10 | 32 | |
| Fitzroy | 7 | 0 | 11 | 28 | |
| South Melbourne | 5 | 0 | 13 | 20 | |
| Hawthorn | 4 | 0 | 14 | 16 | |
| North Melbourne | 4 | 0 | 14 | 16 | |
| St Kilda | 2 | 1 | 15 | 10 | |
Media
Inside Football - 07/08/1980