Round 12, 1981
Melbourne vs Fitzroy
Saturday 13 June
Venue: MCG
Attendance: 17,691
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Final | |
| Melbourne | 1.6 | 6.7 | 8.10 | 13.12.90 |
| Fitzroy | 5.5 | 9.12 | 12.21 | 17.32.134 |
Fitzroy win by 44 points
Goalkickers: Mark Jackson 5, Tony Dullard 2, Phil Pinnell 2, Stephen Bickford 1, Tony Elshaug 1, Greg Hutchison 1, Steven Smith 1
Milestones:
Last Game
Stephen Bickford
100 Games
Wayne Gordon (also with Collingwood)
Respectable performances against Richmond and Essendon in previous weeks had lifted the mood slightly around the Demons, but they were still wooden spoon contenders playing against top five aspirants the Lions.
Fitzroy should have won by so much more. Their kicking for goal was abysmal, with Mick Conlan booting 2.7 and Lee Murnane 2.5 but the final tally of 49 scoring shots to 25 said it all about the gulf in class between the two sides. Matt Rendell was more accurate with six goals.
As his side dropped to 1-11 Ron Barassi was asked by a journalist if his side had half a dozen players who weren't up to league standard. He walked out of the room, and on returning said "I went to get an ashtray - put that down as the answer".
Best were Jackson, Elshaug and Pinnell. Cameron Clayton was taken to hospital with what initially seemed a fractured pelvis but turned out to be a minor injury to a disc in his back.
Reserves
Fitzroy 23.23.161 d. Melbourne 14.13.97
Goals - Walters 5, Coles 1, Hamilton 1, Korn 1, McLean 1, Maynard 1, O'Dwyer 1, Seddon 1, Todd 1, Turnbull 1
Best - Barham, Hamilton, Maynard
Under 19s
Melbourne 18.19.127 d. Fitzroy 12.6.78
Goals - Cordner 3, Fisher 3, Tossol 3, Battiston 2, Judd 2, McCarthy 2, Howard 1, Whitworth 1, Withers 1
Best - Withers, Battiston, Connolly
Media
Canberra Times - 14/06/1981
Age - 15/06/1981
Football Record R13 1981