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Fourths

Image There is much confusion over the origin of the fourths, and various competitions which had the name.

The Melbourne Boys League was reformed in 1933, and funded by the VFL in the 1940s. It had various grades but the widest age range was the 15-17 group. Teams of league clubs such as Footscray, North Melbourne, South Melbourne, Collingwood - as well as the Hawthorn thirds - played in the 40s. A Melbourne Under 16's side played in the D-Grade of the league in 1937 when the competitions was referred to as being for Under 16s.

In 1950 the league abandoned all grades for younger players and began concentrating solely on Under 17s. Melbourne FC fielded its first official Fourth XVIII in 1953, a reaction to being inundated with more recruits than their Thirds team could handle.

In 1970 and 1971 (at least) the Demons' fourths played at East Bentleigh/Bentleigh McKinnon Youth Club in the Melbourne Boys' League. At this point the side had a sister club called Moorabbin United. After the 1971 Grand Final against Port Melbourne descended into violence, Jim Cardwell was quoted as saying he'd recommend the club leave the Boys' League.

Some sources suggest 1977 was the last year the competition was played, but others have the Melbourne Fourths playing in the Metropolitan League in 1980. From the 70's onwards it was known as the Under 17's. Melbourne supported a Hawthorn motion that a league Under 17s competition be adopted in the late 1970s but it was not passed.

An Under 17 team is shown as playing against a touring Irish side in 1983, though this is likely to have one of the Demons' scholarship sides rather than a team from an organised league.

Seasons (incomplete

1950 1953 1954 1956 1959
1961 1962 1963 1968
1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977


Honours (incomplete)
Premierships - 1957, 1958, 1959, 1964, 1968, 1969, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1976, 1977
Grand Finalists - 1956, 1962, 1970, 1975

Coaches

NameYears
Roy McKay 1953-54
Ray Hutchins 1955-56
Norm Cain 1957-1964
Frank Adams 1965-1966
Unknown 1967
Colin Coutts 1968
Colin Lobb 1969
John Osborne 1970
Gordon Duff 1971-1977

Best and Fairest

YearPlayer
1954 Unknown
1955 Ron Dudley
1956 Neil Campbell
1957 Malcolm Innes
1958 Malcolm Innes
1959 Frank Leahy
1960 Herbie Matthews
1961 Graeme Jacobs
1962 M. Brodie and T. Date
1963 R. Sheers and W. Adams
1964 J. Sinclair
1965 Greg Smith
1966 K. Williams
1967 A. Hollings
1968 Jim Theodore
1969 L. Blackburn
1970 Ray McQueen
1971 Barry Lierich
1972 Robbie Flower
1973 Shane Young
1974 Steve Hilton
1975 Andrew McKaige
1976 Kelvin Richards
1977 Tony Elshaug

Notes
May have been related to the Prahran City Football Club that was under Melbourne's control from 1936.

The Melbourne United and Melbourne Rovers clubs who played in the competition in the 1940s were not related to the MFC.

1957 Football Record shows Melbourne playing South Melbourne in the Grand Final on 24 August at Punt Road, but a later edition says the GF was Richmond vs South.

Some articles make reference to league sides fielding fifths (Under 16's) teams. Melbourne was involved in 1966 with Frank Adams as coach (possibly with an affiliated team under another name) but not in 1970 or 1971.

Richmond joined in 1951, Fitzroy in 1963 and Hawthorn played until 1968.

26 June 1937 - Melbourne vs South Melbourne A at Yarra Park.
3 July 1937 - Melbourne vs North Melbourne

Media
Sporting Globe - 01/04/1933
Argus - 01/07/1937, 21/05/1942, 01/04/1950
Football Record - R1 1953
Herald - 25/03/1953
Age - 08/04/1953, 23/08/1971, 27/07/1983
Bendigo Advertiser - 05/08/1960
Inside Football - 31/08/1978, 26/06/1980

Created by supermercado. Last Modification: Tuesday 19 March 2024 09:39:24 AEDT by Supermercado. (Version 77)

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