Round 12, 1961
Melbourne vs Fitzroy
Saturday 8 July
Venue: MCG
Attendance: 29,947
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Final | |
| Melbourne | 1.0 | 2.3 | 4.7 | 6.8.44 |
| Fitzroy | 0.1 | 2.3 | 3.6 | 6.8.44 |
Match Drawn
Goalkickers: Ray Nilsson 3, Ron Barassi 2, Frank Adams 1
Milestones:
First game
John Leahy
In cold, windy conditions the MCG was a mudheap and the two teams turned out a suitably low scoring match. Melbourne had been wracked by injury in the week before the game - losing Laurie Mithen to a fractured cheekbone suffered in the previous Saturday, Len Mann to a serious car accident and Ian Ridley to a training injury.
Those three, Terry Gleeson and Geoff Case were all missing from the side which had won at Brunswick Street on the opening day of the season.
Melbourne had been in good form in recent weeks, but so had the Lions - and in difficult conditions with the two defences well on top the team changes were as much of a leveller as the weather.
The Demons took a narrow advantage into the two minor breaks before the Roys struck back, a late goal in the third term keeping them in the match. Melbourne led deep into the last until the Roys kicked a late goal to tie the scores. They had spent much of the last quarter desperately holding Fitzroy's forwards out before finally succumbing. It was Melbourne's first draw since their match against the same opponent in Round 14, 1959.
Lord, Barassi and Tassie Johnson were Melbourne's best. Lord suffered split webbing in his hand and Brian Leahy a cut hand.
It would be the last time until Round 3, 2014 that Melbourne would play a game where both sides combined to score less than 10 points in a first quarter.
Reserves
Melbourne 8.14 d. Fitzroy 2.10
Goals - Breen 2, Thorpe 2, Bourke 1, Matthews 1, Ireland 1, Baker 1
Best - Mooney, Strachov, Matthews
Under 19s
Fitzroy 6.6 d. Melbourne 4.5
Lists
Draws
Media
Age - 05/07/1961
Age - 10/07/1961
Football Record R13 1961