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1961

Coach: Norm Smith
Captain: Ron Barassi
Finishing Position: 2nd
Best and Fairest: Ron Barassi
Leading Goalkicker: Robert B Johnson (36)
Best First Year Player: Brian Roet
Members: 4611

Matches Ladder Playing List Tribunal Reserves Under 19s Fourths

Melbourne started the season looking for a third premiership hat-trick, but failed to finish on top of the ladder for the first time since 1954.

Before the season the league altered the recruiting district boundaries and Melbourne were left with the Lonsdale, Latrobe, Gipps and Albert wards of the City of Melbourne, the city of Prahran, East ward of the City of Caulfield and the North and Centre wards of the City of Moorabbin. With a surplus of promising recruits they extended the senior list from 34 to 40 - the largest of any league club.

Pre-season started at the Old Scotch Ground after the MCG surface was relaid, with senior players Ray Nilsson, Denis Jones and Trevor Johnson all suffered broken bones. Two losses in the first month were followed by a winning streak that left the Demons in their familiar position at the top of the ladder, before a draw and three losses in four weeks left them struggling to secure a double chance. They recovered to finish second and enter a finals series with Hawthorn, St Kilda, and Footscray, teams with one premiership between them. After losing the Semi Final to Hawthorn, a Preliminary Final 1961 defeat to Footscray eliminated them in straight sets.

On an end-of-season trip during October, the club played intra-club matches in Auckland and Wellington. It was the first organised end of season trip by a VFL club.

Richard Taylor and Bert Chadwick were Melbourne's delegates to the VFL. During the year they voted against a proposal to reduce the number of players on the ground to 16, and abstained from a vote regarding unlimited use of the interchange. The reduction in players lost unanimously, and the interchange proposal was defeated 6-5. Unlimited interchange was back on the agenda a week later, and this time Melbourne voted in favour but the 6-6 result was defeated on the casting vote of the chair of the VFL Permit Committee.

During the year Melbourne introduced a motion to the VFL in support of league clubs paying transfer fees when they took players from country sides. The idea had been put to the Melbourne committee by former coach Checker Hughes who suggested a payment of £100 to major country clubs and £50 to minor country clubs.

Chadwick resigned as the club's league delegate on 19 January 1962 and was replaced by Tom Trumble.

Premiership season

RoundOppositionResultScore
1 Fitzroy WIN75-46
2 HawthornLOSS44-76
3 EssendonWIN82-57
4 St. KildaLOSS81-84
5 GeelongWIN120-55
6 FootscrayWIN87-62
7 CarltonWIN104-79
8 CollingwoodWIN121-52
9 South MelbourneWIN98-62
10 North MelbourneWIN93-44
11 RichmondWIN120-54
12 FitzroyDRAW44-44
13 HawthornLOSS40-58
14 EssendonLOSS78-87
15 St. KildaLOSS55-66
16 GeelongWIN89-87
17 FootscrayWIN88-48
18 CarltonWIN91-90
SF HawthornLOSS73-80
PF FootscrayLOSS58-85

Ladder

WDL%P
Hawthorn1404125.156
Melbourne1215131.250
St. Kilda1107117.144
Footscray1107109.744
Fitzroy1017116.842
Geelong1017100.442
Essendon918109.538
Carlton90996.536
Collingwood511284.822
Richmond501378.920
South Melbourne501372.220
North Melbourne411379.118

Playing List

NumberPlayerGamesGoals
1 Bruce Leslie 61
2 Alan Rowarth 12 11
4 John Lord 194
6 Frank Adams 1323
7 Geoff Case 20
8 Tassie Johnson 200
9 Brian Dixon 162
10 Bob Turner 80
11 Laurie Mithen 1723
12 Mike Collins 21
14 Trevor Johnson 140
16 Robert B Johnson 1936
17 Ray Dawson 125
18 Brian Roet 130
19 Bob Carroll 60
20 Graeme Pinfold 30
21 Brian Leahy 170
22 Bryan Kenneally 201
23 Geoff Tunbridge 2026
24 Ian Ridley 1421
26 Ian Thorogood 141
28 Terry Gleeson 131
29 Hassa Mann 2026
30 John Leahy 20
31 Ron Barassi 1919
32 George Milner 100
33 Robert Miller 140
34 Len Mann 102
35 Clyde Laidlaw 2011
37 Bernie Massey 80
38 Ray Nilsson 1413
39 Herbie Matthews 32

Best and Fairest

Player
1st Ron Barassi
2nd Frank Adams
3rd Brian Dixon
4th Laurie Mithen

Other Awards
Outstanding Service - Tassie Johnson, Bryan Kenneally, Brian Roet, Geoff Tunbridge
Best Clubman - John Lord
Special Trophy - Laurie Mithen

Tribunal

RoundPlayerChargeSanction
Round 5 Under 19s Ian Petty Striking 6 matches
Round 17 | Bernie Massey | Striking | 2 matches
!!!Reserves
1961 Reserves season
Image
Best and Fairest - Bruce Leslie
Second Best and Fairest - Gavin Mooney
Equal third best and fairest - Mike Collins and John Leahy
Outstanding Service - Tony Bourke, Bob Turner, Garry Ireland.
!!!Under 19s
Image
Best and Fairest - George Hill
Second Best and Fairest - G. Fraser
Most Determined Player - T. Johnson
Outstanding Service - D. Kirby, N. Corrigan, Ken Emselle, Tom Ingpen
Finals
Round|Opposition|Result|Score

SF | Fitzroy | WIN|81-69
PF | South Melbourne | LOSS|67-83||

Fourths

Best and Fairest - Graeme Jacobs
Second Best and Fairest - P. Armitage
Outstanding Service - Alan Schultz, R. Keane, J. Miller

Media
Age - 08/11/1960
Age - 25/03/1961
Age - 28/03/1961
Age - 05/05/1961
Age - 12/05/1961
Age - 24/05/1961
Football Record R8 1961
Age - 09/09/1961
Sun - 04/10/1961

Links
AFL Tables page
Wikipedia page

Created by Supermercado. Last Modification: Saturday 14 October 2023 19:03:49 AEDT by Supermercado. (Version 52)

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