Saturday May 17 - East Melbourne
Crowd: 10,000
Melbourne 3.12
Essendon 5.11 (half time 0.3 to 4.9)
Essendon win by 2 goals
Goalkickers: Archie McIntyre 1, Harry Rush 1, Murphy 1
With two wins in a row to start the season, the in-form Reds went into a match against the team who beaten them three times in 1883 with hope, but suffered defeat.
Essendon won the toss and decided to kick with a strong wind to the north of the East Melbourne ground, and the home side camped in Melbourne's area for much of the first half. Whenever the visitors would clear the ball it would get no further than the centre before coming back again.
Despite kicking into the breeze Melbourne had the best of the game, but they couldn't capitalise and much of the play moved laboriously along the edge of the ground, going out of bounds after nearly every kick. Melbourne's forwards weren't given a chance by the way their teammates were moving the ball and Essendon goalled first.
They then followed up with several behinds, and only narrowly missed another goal before W. Hughes scored his second. From the restart Melbourne finally managed their first behind of the game, but by half time Essendon had racked up four goals.
In the second half Melbourne managed two quick goals, but Essendon steadied with their five. The visitors got a late goal in the bad light but suffered defeat.
Best were Jones, McIntyre and Plant.
Notes
Some sources have the score as 5.10-3.13, and Essendon's half-time score as 0.3
Media
Argus - 19/05/1884
Sportsman - 21/05/1884
Australasian - 24/05/1884