Saturday 23 August - MCG
Crowd: 10,000-12,000
Melbourne 2.4
Carlton 1.10 (half time 0.3-0.6)
Melbourne win by 1 goal
Goalkicker: John Macdonald 2
On an unsuitably surfaced ground where players often ran into the fences around the ground, Melbourne finally beat Carlton in their fourth match of the season - three league games and one exhibition under lights - after a draw and two losses. Based on the results of the earlier matches Carlton went in red hot favourites, but all but ruined with premiership hopes with defeat, leaving the way open for Geelong to be crowned champions of Victoria again.
Melbourne were forced to defend first, and had to repel several Carlton's attacks in the early minutes. The visitors had the best of the first half, other than a 15 minute period where the ball was trapped in the middle of the ground - and had twice as many scoring shots as the home side.
Both sides increased their effort in the second half, and it was Melbourne who scored first through Macdonald who grabbed the ball from scrimmage and goalled. Carlton equalised, but Macdonald again put his side back in front with a goal kicked from a difficult angle and his side held on to win.
Best were Sandilands, Power and E. Longden.
Media
Argus - 25/08/1879
Australasian - 30/08/1879
Weekly Times - 30/08/1879