Round 13, 1931
Melbourne vs Essendon
Saturday 1 August
Venue: MCG
Attendance: 13,828
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Final | |
| Melbourne | 1.2 | 6.3 | 8.6 | 11.6.72 |
| Essendon | 2.1 | 4.3 | 5.8 | 10.11.71 |
Melbourne win by 1 points
Goalkickers: George Margitich 7, Ivor Warne-Smith 2, Webber Jackson 1, Richard Taylor 1
Milestones:
Nil
After six losses in a row the Redlegs finally broke through for another victory against the team one spot higher on the ladder, but it took withstanding a thrilling comeback by the Same Olds in the final term before they could claim the points.
Melbourne's midfielders gave them the advantage, and they were helped by an accurate display up front by George Margitich.
Halfway through the last quarter the home side had extended the lead to 23 points and looked safe, but then Essendon stormed back into the match just as they had when the two sides played in Round 2. Only this time Melbourne were able to withstand the pressure.
Margitich, Vine and Beames were best. 19th man was Conole.
Essendon protested the result and demanded at tie, but their objections were dismissed. Their secretary was also scathing of the MCG surface, saying "I have seen better cow paddocks than the Melbouren ground."
Seconds
Essendon 9.16 d. Melbourne 7.9
Lists
One point games
Notes
It's not clear what the protest was about.
Media
Herald - 31/07/1931
Weekly Times - 01/08/1931
Sporting Globe - 05/08/1931
Herald - 07/08/1931
Football Record R14 1931