Round 12, 1997
Melbourne vs Brisbane Lions
Sunday 15 June
Venue: MCG
Attendance: 13,392
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Final | |
| Melbourne | 1.2 | 4.4 | 6.5 | 7.8.50 |
| Brisbane Lions | 5.1 | 10.4 | 17.8 | 21.9.135 |
Brisbane Lions win by 85 points
Goalkickers: David Schwarz 3, Adem Yze 2, Robert Pyman 1, Jim Stynes 1
Brownlow Votes:
Nil
Milestones:
Last game
Dean Irving
Statistical categories led:
Biggest loss against Brisbane Lions
No Brisbane team had won at the MCG since the Brisbane Bears in 1988, but the first of the merged Bears/Fitzroy side delivered a huge win for the visitors. The game was only a contested for the first few minutes, and after Jeff Farmer and Shane Woewodin missed early chances, the Lions kicked five goals to one before quarter time and never looked back.
After two months out injured, Brisbane's Jarrod Molloy kicked his seven goals by a minute into the third quarter. In the process he beat Damien Gaspar, Marcus Seecamp and Anthony Ingerson.
Greg Hutchison said "I felt there was a turning point in the game today which can have an influence on the confidence levels of the players, and that happened, unfortunately, at the 10 minute mark of the first quarter". When former Melbourne coach John Northey was asked what he got out of the day he simply said "percentage".
Obst, Viney and Leoncelli were best. Steven Febey (flu) and Glenn Lovett (shoulder) were replaced in the selected side by Darren O'Brien and Andrew Obst. Alastair Clarkson was reported for eye gouging and wrestling, he was cleared of gouging but fined for wrestling.
Reserves
Western Bulldogs 21.14.140 d. Melbourne 11.7.73
Goals - Newton 3, Bradly 2, Winterton 1, Bishop 1, Black 1, Anderson 1, David Cockatoo-Collins 1, Robertson 1
Best - Newton, Garbers, Anderson
Media
Age - 16/06/1997, 17/06/1997