Round 1, 1964
Melbourne vs Geelong
Saturday 18 April
Venue: MCG
Attendance: 66,250
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Final | |
| Melbourne | 2.4 | 8.7 | 11.11 | 14.13.97 |
| Geelong | 2.2 | 8.4 | 12.7 | 17.8.110 |
Geelong win by 13 points
Goalkickers: John Lord 4, Ken Emselle 3, Barry Bourke 2, David Robbie 2, Hassa Mann 1, Barrie Vagg 1, Don Williams 1
Milestones:
150 Games
Frank Adams
First Goal
David Robbie (7th game)
During Melbourne's glory era the Cats had only won at the MCG once since 1954, and were favoured to be defeated again but came out on top of a game which was close for the full four quarters. In their first competitive game since winning the 1963 premiership, Geelong cemented their status as the fittest team in the competition by extending their lead in the last quarter. Norm Smith had worked his team hard in the off-season to try and beat the Cats while fresh but they fell short.
It took the visitors a half to settle down, but when they did their pressure won out. The lead was 20 points in the secnd quarter before the Cats fought back, using a height advantage to cut the margin to three at the long break.
Acting captain Hassa Mann took on 1962 Brownlow Medal winner Alistair Lord, and comprehensively outplayed him in the first half. His contribution was key to Melbourne’s lead, as was the marking of John Lord. Barry Bourke was the key forward target but only kicked two for the day, while rover Ken Emselle was the driving force behind the first half lead, with two second quarter goals.
Three goals to Geelong's Doug Wade in the third quarter helped his side grab the lead, but Melbourne clung on to only be two points down at the last change. They'd lost their flow, quickly conceding three goals in the last quarter and the game as lost. A last ditch comeback came too late to influence the contest and they went down by 13 points.
Best were Mann, Lord and Johnson. Neil Crompton was concussed during the third quarter and John Lord suffered cracked teeth. Miller replaced Crompton and Townsend was an unused reserve.
The large crowd contributed to a record attendance for a single VFL round, the six games totalling more than 6000 than any other round since 1897.
Reserves
Geelong 11.7 d. Melbourne 10.9
Goals - Carroll 4, Bourke 2, Bartlett 1, Leitch 1, Matthews 1, Wood 1
Best - Zinko, McLean, Davis
Under 19s
Melbourne 8.18 d. Geelong 7.11
Goals - Stone 2, Pritchard 2, McNabb 1, Jones 1, Osborne 1, Reinholdt 1
Best - Stone, Jones, Pritchard
Media
Football Record R1 1964