Saturday 28 August - Melbourne
Crowd: 2000
Melbourne 1
East Melbourne 1 (half time 0-1)
Match drawn
Goalkicker: Utar Nicholas 1
A week earlier Melbourne's premiership chances had been ruined by their loss to Carlton, and they lost further ground by allowing East Melbourne to tough out a draw. Their cause was not helped by six of the first 20 being absent.
In a tight defensive struggle where the ball spent much of the first few minutes trapped in the middle, East took the lead in the first half and managed to hold it until the break. Melbourne had two fewer players, but when the game resumed they took over and eventually equalised through Nicholas. The game was stopped on multiple occasions due to East Melbourne supporters interfering with players.
Andrew Loughnan, Melbourne's best on the day, missed a golden chance late in the game and the match ended in a draw. Kneen and Nicholas were also amongst the best.
Media
Australasian - 04/09/1875