Round 1, 1991
West Coast vs Melbourne
Sunday 24 March
Venue: Subiaco
Attendance: 26,105
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Final | |
| West Coast | 3.2 | 3.4 | 10.6 | 14.15.99 |
| Melbourne | 0.0 | 0.1 | 1.5 | 2.8.20 |
West Coast win by 76 points
Goalkickers: Glenn Lovett 1, Garry Lyon 1
Brownlow Votes:
Nil
Milestones:
First Game
Allen Jakovich
David Schwarz
MFC Debut
Rod Owen
Only MFC Game
Phil Egan
Statistical categories led:
Lowest score against West Coast and at Subiaco
As the only side to beat the Eagles in Perth the previous year, a Melbourne side which had boosted its forward stocks in the off-season were expected to provide stiff resistance to the locals. Instead, the attack failed miserably, with the Demons registering the lowest Round 1 score since North Melbourne kicked 2.7 in 1930. It was the lowest score ever by a Victorian team playing interstate.
They were kept scoreless in the first quarter, and added just one point before half time. The breakthrough finally came a minute into the third quarter through Garry Lyon. Lyon's goal cut the margin to a manageable 16 points, but there was no comeback. West Coast kicked the next seven goals and Melbourne's only other major fell to Glenn Lovett 14 minutes into the last term. The Eagles ended the day with a percentage of 495.
John Northey tried positional shifts to get his side back into the game but none were successful. Jim Stynes opened the game at centre half-back before moving into the ruck, and during the second quarter he spent time at full-back and on the bench. Northey described the performance as the worst in his time at the club, and showing an admirable flair for understatement suggested they were "beaten by a better team". He described the forward line as 'abysmal'.
The score flattered Melbourne, who might have been saved from an even bigger margin by poor Eagles goalkicking and intermittent rain.
Best were Flintoff, O'Dwyer and T. Viney
Reserves
Essendon 19.10.124 d. Melbourne 13.17.95
Goals - Beveridge 4, Bryce 3, Eishold 3, Lovell 2, C O'Sullivan 1
Best - Dyson, Stretch, Yeats
Lists
Scoreless First Quarters
Media
Age - 25/03/1991
Canberra Times - 25/03/1991