Practice Match, 1973
Melbourne vs Carlton
Saturday, March 17
Venue: MCG
Attendance: 13,700
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Final | |
| Melbourne | 4.1 | 10.2 | 12.6 | 20.9.129 |
| Carlton | 4.1 | 6.7 | 10.9 | 11.10.76 |
Melbourne win by 53 points
Goalkickers: Greg Parke 5, Paul Callery 4, Ross Brewer 3, Greg Wells 3, Gary Hardeman 3, Shane McSpeerin 1, Carl Ditterich 1
Carlton were forced to deny they were suffering from a premiership hangover after the Demons destroyed them at the MCG.
Ian Ridley, hoping for an improvement on 8th place in 1972, said "Winning like we did today really meant something to us, but it could have helped Carlton too". He was bullish in his attitude towards the season saying "I've no doubt that if we keep our feet on the ground, and go along in the right manner we can make the finals this year".
Carl Ditterich wasn't at his best but he helped bring Paul Callery and Greg Wells into the game and the fitter Demons slammed on 8 goals to 1 in the last quarter.
Graham Molloy was stretchered off after suffering an ankle injury in the third quarter, but it was just a bad bruise.
Media
Age - 19/03/1973