137 men and two women have only played one game for Melbourne. Some either crossed from another club, or joined other clubs after they left. Many others played just one game in their career.
The number of one game players dropped off after the First World War, with five in 1920 and three in 1921 representing the last significant amount in individual seasons. Once the Reserves competition was established in its best known form in 1925 the numbers dropped further and since then only 1969 has had three.
There have only been 12 male single gamers since 1980, and one since 2000.
| Player | Year | Notes |
| Jim McCoy | 1897 | |
| Arthur Kirk | 1897 | |
| Tom Crawford | 1897 | |
| Jack Godby | 1897 | |
| Alex Murdoch | 1897 | |
| Walter Lyon | 1897 | |
| Gerald Sheahan | 1897 | |
| Henry Hagenauer | 1898 | |
| Norm Rippon | 1898 | 36 with South Melbourne after |
| Joe Finlay | 1899 | |
| Arthur Sinclair | 1899 | |
| Cedric Hay | 1900 | |
| Harold Riggall | 1900 | |
| Billy Shaw | 1901 | 29 with St. Kilda before |
| Ed Garlick | 1901 | |
| Harold De Gruchy | 1901 | |
| Arthur Britt | 1902 | 3 with St. Kilda after |
| Jim Byrne | 1902 | |
| Artie McSpeerin | 1903 | 2 with Carlton before |
| Alby Pilcher | 1903 | |
| Jimmy Burn | 1903 | |
| Tom Jackson | 1903 | |
| Fred Watson | 1903 | |
| Tom Watson | 1904 | 14 with Carlton before |
| Alec Woods | 1904 | |
| Ted Wade | 1904 | 60 with South Melbourne after |
| Les Minto | 1905 | |
| Alick Ogilvie | 1905 | 27 with University after |
| Ern Penrose | 1905 | |
| Ernest Denton | 1905 | |
| Ted Fleming | 1905 | |
| Willie Marshall | 1905 | 11 with University after |
| Alec McDonald | 1906 | |
| Henry Smith | 1906 | |
| Harold Stanley | 1906 | |
| Frank Boynton | 1906 | 38 with Geelong and University after |
| Lance Sleeman | 1906 | 8 with University after |
| Norm Stephenson | 1906 | |
| Charles Suhr | 1906 | |
| Wal Warren | 1907 | |
| Alex Holland | 1908 | 15 with Collingwood before |
| Bill Gillespie | 1908 | |
| George McCart | 1908 | 1 with Carlton before, 2 with St. Kilda after |
| Andy Kennedy | 1908 | 2 with Carlton before |
| Jim Bonella | 1908 | |
| Dick Fowler | 1908 | |
| George McNeilage | 1909 | 5 with Geelong before |
| Bill Fischer | 1909 | |
| Con Doherty | 1909 | |
| George Oliver | 1909 | |
| Billy McBean | 1909 | |
| Bert Morris | 1910 | |
| Tom Sadlier | 1910 | 1 with Fitzroy before |
| Bill McKeone | 1910 | |
| George St John | 1911 | 4 with Richmond before |
| Jack Geggie | 1911 | 43 with Essendon before |
| Jimmy Nolan | 1911 | |
| Jim Moore | 1911 | 1 game with Essendon after |
| Clarrie Abbott | 1912 | |
| Laurie Brady | 1913 | |
| Phil Hosking | 1913 | |
| Norm Jordan | 1913 | |
| Fen McDonald | 1913 | 10 with Carlton before |
| Arthur Maskell | 1913 | |
| Jack Nicholson | 1913 | 1 with University before |
| Herbert Roberts | 1914 | |
| Wal Riddington | 1914 | |
| Roy Gray | 1914 | |
| Max Hislop | 1915 | 9 with Collingwood before, 128 with Richmond after |
| Frank Cummins | 1919 | 1 with South Melbourne before |
| Howard Richardson | 1919 | 19 with Richmond before |
| Les Nichols | 1919 | |
| Gordon Landy | 1919 | |
| Bill Fawcett | 1920 | 2 with Essendon after |
| Harry Tampling | 1920 | 6 with St. Kilda after |
| Reg Ellis | 1920 | 52 with St. Kilda before |
| Leo Dobrigh | 1920 | 2 with Richmond after |
| Aubrey Neal | 1920 | |
| Les Wallace | 1921 | |
| Francis Lyon | 1921 | |
| Bill Lyte | 1921 | |
| John Corby | 1922 | |
| Ted Parker | 1925 | |
| Clarrie Wyatt | 1925 | 13 with St. Kilda after |
| Bruce Pie | 1926 | |
| Eddie Shaw | 1927 | |
| Bill London | 1928 | |
| Alec Proudfoot | 1929 | 4 with St. Kilda before |
| Mick Comber | 1929 | |
| Geoff Frood | 1930 | |
| Gordon Lindsay | 1931 | |
| Dan Cunningham | 1932 | |
| Jack Richardson | 1932 | 34 with South Melbourne before |
| Joe Hogan | 1932 | |
| Ron Rutherford | 1932 | |
| Ron Wilson | 1934 | 58 with St. Kilda after |
| Derek Symonds | 1939 | |
| Jim McDonald | 1942 | |
| Ernie Hart | 1943 | |
| Bryan Crimmins | 1944 | |
| Jim Ryan | 1944 | |
| Ray Jones | 1949 | |
| Ian Toyne | 1952 | 38 with Geelong before |
| Ron McKenzie | 1953 | 4 with Collingwood before |
| Tom Magee | 1954 | 39 with Fitzroy before |
| Kevin Clarke | 1955 | 57 with Carlton after |
| Bill Byrne | 1957 | |
| Graeme Wilkinson | 1958 | |
| John Kerr | 1958 | 81 with Footscray before |
| Peter Baker | 1960 | |
| Robin Andrew | 1965 | |
| Bob Gormly | 1965 | |
| Kerry Ryan | 1966 | |
| John Comben | 1967 | 38 with Carlton before |
| Euan Campbell | 1968 | |
| Graeme Aubrey | 1968 | |
| David Hayes | 1969 | |
| Steve Arnott | 1969 | |
| Ray Sampson | 1969 | |
| Terry Davey | 1970 | |
| Dennis Payne | 1974 | |
| Charles Pagnoccolo | 1974 | 46 with Footscray before |
| Barry Ough | 1975 | |
| Peter Garratt | 1978 | |
| Trevor Castles | 1983 | |
| Ross Fisher | 1984 | |
| Paul Earley | 1984 | |
| Bret Hutchinson | 1985 | |
| Greg Sizer | 1986 | |
| Peter Kiel | 1987 | 80 with St. Kilda before |
| Phil Egan | 1991 | 125 with Richmond before |
| Fabian Francis | 1991 | 108 with Brisbane and Port Adelaide after |
| Wayne Henwood | 1992 | 78 with Sydney before |
| Shane Burgmann | 1992 | |
| Bradley Campbell | 1994 | |
| Michael Clark | 2002 | |
By Decade
1890s - 11
1900s - 40
1910s - 22
1920s - 16
1930s - 8
1940s - 5
1950s - 7
1960s - 10
1970s - 5
1980s - 6
1990s - 5
2000s - 1
2010s - 0
2020s - 0
AFLW
| Player | Year | Notes |
| Elise Strachan | 2017 | |
| Shae Sloane | 2019 | |
| Delany Madigan | 2024 | |