Saturday 22 July - East Melbourne
Crowd: 10,000
Melbourne 3.2, 3.2, 3.3, 4.3
Fitzroy 0.0, 2.3, 2.3, 2.3
Melbourne win by 2 goals
Goalkickers: Wilson 2, A. McKenzie 1, Fry 1
What turned out to be a poor game between two of the few remaining premiership contenders started with a bang, with three goals scored in the first five minutes of the match. Only three more followed for the rest of the game.
Wilson, replacing the absent Smith as Melbourne's spearhead, got the first two goals of the games - with the second assisted by the wind from 60 yards out on a wing. They added a third through McKenzie and could have had a fourth soon after if they hadn't missed a shot.
With a strong wind blowing to one end of the ground the match resembled more of a wrestling match, threatening to explode into boxing, than football. The umpire let the game get out of his hands early and couldn't bring the two sides back under his control.
Melbourne continued to attack but Fitzroy's defence held firm after the first few minutes, and in the end their lead of three goals was not as impressive as it could have been. The visitors managed two goals in the second quarter to slash the lead to one major, and when Melbourne only managed a behind in the third quarter it gave Fitzroy their chance.
The last hour the two sides were battling so hard with each other that they only managed two scoring shots. Against the wind Melbourne got the goal early in the fourth quarter and Fitzroy weren't able to score again and make the game interesting.
At the end of the game the crowd rushed the field as players wrestled in the mud. The umpire claimed he had not heard the bell and was letting play continue. Police had to help restore order.
Best was Gerald Sheahan, Lewis and F. Sheahan.
Team
Christy, Fox, Fry, Healing, Howes, Kelly, Lewis, Moysey, Moore, Massey, McRaile, McKenzie, O'Dea, O'Loughlin, O'Leary, O'Halloran, Roche, Smith, Stranger, F. Sheahan, G. Sheahan, Toms, Wilson, Wiseman