Coach: Frank Hughes
Captain: Ivor Warne-Smith
Finishing Position: 1st (Premiers)
Best and Fairest: Ron Baggott
Leading Goalkicker: Norm Smith (86)
Best First Year Player: Col McLean
| Matches | Ladder | Playing List | Seconds | ||
World War II commenced a day after the last home and away game of 1939, and while Melbourne ended the war as one of the VFL's worst affected clubs, the most serious effects would come later, allowing them to win consecutive premierships for the first time.
The league changed rules to allow reporting of players who threw the ball away after a free kick or mark, or interfered with a player in those circumstances. Despite the additional reporting options, not one Melbourne player appeared before the Tribunal that year. Other minor alterations to the laws enlarged the ring in the centre of the ground and stopped players from kicking in after a behind until the goal umpire signalled a point.
In March, a 16-year-lease for football was signed between the MCC, VFL, and MCG Trustees. The agreement which was intended to run until 1956 provided for all finals games, interstate matches, and Melbourne home games to be played at the MCG, with no games later than the second Saturday of October. Any other games were a "matter of mutual agreement" between the MCC and VFL.
Melbourne's premiership defence started with a pre-season fitness campaign overseen by Danish expert Drace Nissen, but their success was build on a dynamic forward line. Norm Smith, Jack Mueller and Ron Baggott kicked a combined 171 goals as their side scored over 300 points more than any other side in the league, registering scores of over 100 in a club record 16 of 21 games.
Smith's 86 goals remained the most in club history until 97 by Fred Fanning in 1947. While they were scoring freely, the Demons were shaky in defence and conceded the fourth most points of any side in the competition. In Round 7 they set a league record by kicking 34 behinds, and three weeks later were beaten by Geelong 151-154, the highest losing score in club history, and the first VFL game with a total score above 300.
Round 15 was delayed a week for teams to play a 'Patriotic Carnival' Lightning Premiership to raise funds for the war effort.
After finishing two games clear at the top of the ladder, a shock Semi Final loss to second placed Richmond left Melbourne on the verge of elimination. They beat Essendon in a thrilling Preliminary Final to earn another shot against the Tigers. With police boxing champion Jack O'Keefe playing protector against the deadly Jack Dyer, Melbourne avenged their earlier finals defeat to capture a fifth league premeirship.
Despite the successful season, the club still made a financial loss, with expenditure of £4054 against receipts of £3201.
Delegates to the VFL were Joe Blair and Bruce Hogg. Committee elections at the start of the season were originally to be contested, but the withdrawal of candidate A. McL Paterson meant that no vote was required.
Premiership season
| Round | Opposition | Result | Score | ||
| 1 | Essendon | LOSS | 108-125 | ||
| 2 | Richmond | WIN | 122-99 | ||
| 3 | Footscray | WIN | 141-102 | ||
| 4 | Carlton | WIN | 116-90 | ||
| 5 | Collingwood | WIN | 114-98 | ||
| 6 | Hawthorn | LOSS | 81-87 | ||
| 7 | North Melbourne | WIN | 106-49 | ||
| 8 | Fitzroy | WIN | 87-85 | ||
| 9 | St. Kilda | WIN | 123-112 | ||
| 10 | Geelong | LOSS | 151-154 | ||
| 11 | South Melbourne | WIN | 130-78 | ||
| 12 | Essendon | WIN | 122-54 | ||
| 13 | Richmond | WIN | 94-87 | ||
| 14 | Footscray | WIN | 110-91 | ||
| 15 | Carlton | LOSS | 96-133 | ||
| 16 | Collingwood | WIN | 104-90 | ||
| 17 | Hawthorn | WIN | 176-62 | ||
| 18 | North Melbourne | WIN | 129-81 | ||
| SF | Richmond | LOSS | 101-107 | ||
| PF | Essendon | WIN | 90-85 | ||
| GF | Richmond | WIN | 107-68 | ||
Ladder
| W | D | L | % | P | |
| Melbourne | 14 | 0 | 4 | 125.8 | 56 |
| Richmond | 12 | 0 | 6 | 120.0 | 48 |
| Essendon | 12 | 0 | 6 | 108.2 | 48 |
| Geelong | 11 | 0 | 7 | 102.9 | 44 |
| Carlton | 10 | 0 | 8 | 111.3 | 40 |
| Footscray | 9 | 0 | 9 | 108.9 | 36 |
| Fitzroy | 9 | 0 | 9 | 92.3 | 36 |
| Collingwood | 8 | 0 | 10 | 100.6 | 32 |
| Hawthorn | 7 | 0 | 11 | 88.0 | 28 |
| South Melbourne | 7 | 0 | 11 | 87.3 | 28 |
| St. Kilda | 5 | 0 | 13 | 86.8 | 20 |
| North Melbourne | 4 | 0 | 14 | 75.1 | 16 |
Lightning Premiership
| Round | Opposition | Result | Score | ||
| 1 | Richmond | LOSS | 1-35 | ||
Exhibition match
| Opposition | Result | Score | |||
| Combined Bookmakers-Ascot Vale Hotel | LOSS | 63-92 | |||
Playing List
| Number | Player | Games | Goals | ||
| 1 | Gordon Jones | 10 | 0 | ||
| 2 | Roy Dowsing | 11 | 15 | ||
| 3 | Bill Baxter | 14 | 0 | ||
| 4 | Norm Smith | 21 | 86 | ||
| 5 | Keith Truscott | 9 | 9 | ||
| 6 | Fred Fanning | 5 | 5 | ||
| 7 | Hugh Murnane | 11 | 11 | ||
| 8 | Rowley Fischer | 16 | 1 | ||
| 9 | Richie Emselle | 21 | 1 | ||
| 10 | Maurie Gibb | 21 | 25 | ||
| 11 | Harold Ball | 13 | 3 | ||
| 12 | Jack Mueller | 21 | 38 | ||
| 13 | Les Jones | 4 | 3 | ||
| 14 | Jack Maher | 6 | 1 | ||
| 15 | Ron Baggott | 21 | 47 | ||
| 16 | Jack Atkins | 4 | 1 | ||
| 17 | Allan La Fontaine | 19 | 6 | ||
| 18 | Wally Lock | 15 | 0 | ||
| 19 | Frank Roberts | 16 | 0 | ||
| 21 | Ron Kimberley | 1 | 1 | ||
| 22 | Shane McGrath | 5 | 0 | ||
| 23 | Ray Wartman | 21 | 7 | ||
| 24 | Percy Beames | 15 | 30 | ||
| 25 | Col McLean | 11 | 0 | ||
| 26 | Jack Furniss | 5 | 0 | ||
| 27 | Gerry Daly | 2 | 0 | ||
| 29 | Jack O'Keefe | 13 | 9 | ||
| 30 | Alby Rodda | 16 | 22 | ||
| 31 | Ron Barassi | 14 | 14 | ||
| 32 | Dick Hingston | 12 | 0 | ||
| 33 | Bernie Neenan | 2 | 1 | ||
| 34 | Adrian Dullard | 2 | 1 | ||
| 35 | Noel Ellis | 1 | 0 | ||
| 36 | Sid Anderson | 21 | 3 | ||
Best and Fairest
| Player | Votes | ||||
| 1st | Ron Baggott | ||||
Awards
Most Consistent - Richie Emselle
Most Improved Senior Player - Sid Anderson
Best Clubman - Gerry Daly
Seconds
| Points | |||||
| Essendon | 56 | ||||
| Collingwood | 52 | ||||
| Carlton | 52 | ||||
| Fitzroy | 52 | ||||
| Melbourne | 48 | ||||
| Richmond | 44 | ||||
| Geelong | 36 | ||||
| Footscray | 28 | ||||
| St Kilda | 24 | ||||
| Hawthorn | 20 | ||||
| South Melbourne | 8 | ||||
| North Melbourne | 8 | ||||
Notes
Gerry Daly is shown as wearing #25 in the R9 and R10 Football Records and #27 in R13
Lists
Season Records
Media
Sun - 03/02/1940
Argus - 13/03/1940
Argus - 15/03/1940
[http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/11300602|Argus - 05/11/1940
Age - 04/02/1940
Argus - 05/02/1941
Herald - 14/03/1944