Round 12, 1943
Melbourne vs Footscray
Saturday 31 July
Venue: Punt Road
Attendance: 8,000
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Final | |
| Melbourne | 8.2 | 15.9 | 18.11 | 23.16.154 |
| Footscray | 6.0 | 7.2 | 9.6 | 11.8.74 |
Melbourne win by 80 points
Goalkickers: Fred Fanning 11, Bob Herbert 4, Don Hooper 3, Doug Heywood 2, George Archibald 1, Hughie McPherson 1, Jack Minnis 1
Milestones:
First Goal
George Archibald (21st game)
Statistical categories led:
Biggest score at Punt Road
Biggest win against Footscray and at Punt Road
Melbourne returned from a 21 day break with their biggest even win at Punt Road. Victory lifted them to sixth, and the percentage boost put them right in the frame for the finals. The two teams engaged in a shoot-out first quarter, with 14 goals in total. 11 of the goals came in the first 15 minutes.
Footscray slowed in the second, adding just one goal while allowing Melbourne to continue attacking strongly to put on seven. At 55 points the game was over, and after the visitors' positional changes in the third stemmed the bleeding, Melbourne kicked away again in the last. Two goals early in the last gave Fred Fanning 10, and his 11 in total gave him a four goal lead at the top of the league's goalkicking list.
Best were Donald Cordner, Ted Cordner and Fred Fanning. Ferguson was an unused 19th man.
Seconds
Richmond 20.10 d. Melbourne 9.15
Notes
Sporting Globe shows the crowd as 10,000
Lists
10 goals
Media
Sporting Globe - 31/07/1943
Sporting Globe - 04/08/1943
Football Record R13 1943