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1945

Coach: Checker Hughes
Captain: Norm Smith
Finishing Position: 9th
Best and Fairest: Fred Fanning
Leading Goalkicker: Fred Fanning (67)
Best First Year Player: Roy Stabb

Matches Ladder Playing List Tribunal Seconds

After two seasons of struggling with a list decimated by war service, Percy Beames resigned as coach in February. Checker Hughes was asked to come out of retirement and take over the side he'd last coached in 1941. Hughes arrived to a side still exiled at Punt Road while the MCG was being used in war service, and even with 80 players trialed during pre-season there was no marked improvement over the season. The Demons won three of their first five games before military transfers took their toll, requiring more inexperienced players to be blooded.

Selection committee consisted of Percy Beames, Fred Ince, Richard Taylor, Checker Hughes and Norm Smith.

With the war in Europe ending early in the season, and the Pacific conflict winding down, attendances continued to increase, reaching their highest level since 1939. Senior club membership increased by 45% and junior membership by 150%. An increase in income to £2781 was off-set by a rise in player payments, with expenses of £4323.

Melbourne's VFL delegates were Joe Blair and Bruce Hogg.

Premiership season

RoundOppositionResultScore
1 Carlton WIN108-87
2 St. Kilda WIN118-49
3 Collingwood LOSS78-81
4 Richmond LOSS65-85
5 Geelong WIN120-100
6 Footscray LOSS55-82
7 North Melbourne LOSS72-119
8 South Melbourne LOSS58-88
9 Fitzroy LOSS81-101
10 Hawthorn WIN104-86
11 Essendon WIN68-54
12 Carlton LOSS80-81
13 St. Kilda WIN83-64
14 CollingwoodLOSS77-112
15 Richmond LOSS79-92
16 GeelongWIN115-56
17 FootscrayWIN90-81
18 North Melbourne LOSS58-83
19 South Melbourne LOSS73-92
20 Fitzroy LOSS101-106

Exhibition matches

OppositionResultScore
St Kilda LOSS71-80
Warracknabeal WIN?

Ladder

WDL%P
South Melbourne1604131.864
Collingwood1505128.860
North Melbourne1307111.152
Carlton1307106.952
Footscray1208108.948
Fitzroy1118119.146
Richmond1109103.444
Essendon101999.132
Melbourne801299.132
Hawthorn601485.624
Geelong201864.98
St. Kilda201862.28

Playing List

NumberPlayerGamesGoals
2 Roy Dowsing 190
3 Ron Irwin 160
4 Norm Smith 1733
5 Billy Deans 200
6 Fred Fanning 1967
7 Clem Conroy 91
8 Ralph Latham 1611
9 Ivan Porter 1926
10 Gordon Kramer 121
11 Gordon Bowman 63
12 Jack Mueller 55
14 Ron Hall 20
14 George Archibald 60
15 Ron Baggott 1625
16 George Bickford 50
17 Allan La Fontaine 145
18 Adrian Dullard 91
19 Bill Scanlan 144
20 Harry New 10
20 George Lenne 40
21 Don Cordner 208
22 Ernie O'Rourke 1212
22 Roy Stabb 142
23 Norm Leverton 20
24 Dick Kennedy 95
25 Col McLean 201
26 Esmond Downey 60
27 Keith Molloy 80
28 Percy Taylor 23
30 Norm Wilson 74
31 Frank Hughes 80
31 Jack Mitchell 69
32 Jim Oppy 30
33 Bruce Edge 30
33 Ern Rowarth 111
35 Charlie Newman 40
37 Frank Kennedy 106
38 Jack Stock 50
Harry Rowe 10

Best and Fairest

Player
1st Fred Fanning
2nd Roy Dowsing

Awards
Most Determined - Col McLean
Most unselfish - Norm Smith
Most consistent - Donald Cordner
Best clubman - Ivan Porter
Best utility - Ralph Latham
Most improved - Bill Scanlan
Most dependable - Ron Irwin
Training trophy - Billy Deans
Most promising under 20 - Clem Conroy, Ern Rowarth, Gordon Bowman

Tribunal

RoundPlayerChargeSanction
Round 1 Ron Irwin Striking 4 matches

Seconds

WDL%P
Fitzroy 180272
Footscray 160464
Essendon 141558
Collingwood 140656
South Melbourne 140656
Carlton120848
North Melbourne901136
Melbourne601424
Geelong521324
Richmond511422
St Kilda411518
Hawthorn01192

Notes
Ernie O'Rourke and Roy Stabb are both shown as wearing number 22 in official club records. Football Record shows Stabb in #22 for his Round 3 debut.

Media
Argus - 21/03/1945
Football Record R8 1945
Argus - 23/10/1945
Herald - 04/02/1946
Barrier Daily Truth - 06/02/1946
Argus - 07/02/1946

Links
AFL Tables page
Wikipedia page