Round 16, 1953
Melbourne vs Essendon
Saturday 15 August
Venue: MCG
Attendance: 25,543
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Final | |
| Melbourne | 0.4 | 3.6 | 7.8 | 8.9.57 |
| Essendon | 4.6 | 5.7 | 9.9 | 12.10.82 |
Essendon win by 25 points
Goalkickers: Dale Anderson 3, Noel Clarke 2, Frank Adams 1, Denis Cordner 1, Bob McKenzie 1
Milestones:
Nil
Melbourne had beaten Essendon earlier in the year, but on a weekend where several other lowly teams scored upset victories they couldn't repeat the trick. In gusty wind and drizzling rain the Bombers pace, ruckwork and better forward line was the difference in their win over the wooden spoon candidates. They were 22 points in front before the Demons scored, and that was enough for the afternoon.
Despite their win the Bombers were equally poor, with players overrunning the ball, dropping marks and kicking poorly. Once they calmed down they were clearly the better team, and after setting up their win with a four goal to nil first term the Bombers struggled to take control. The middle two quarters were the only time Melbourne showed real resistance, kicking three goals to one in the second and drawing to within seven points in the third. Lance Arnold had held John Coleman well, but the deadly spearhead still managed to kick five decisive goals.
The Demons ran out of gas and Essendon ran away to an easy win in the last quarter. Defeat left Melbourne bottom of the ladder, half a game behind Hawthorn.
Best were Lane, Thomson and McLean.
Seconds
Essendon 13.12.90 d. Melbourne 6.3.39
Goals - Schofield 3, Bull 1, Bourke 1, Tobias 1
Best - Whittaker, McKenzie, Gill
Thirds
Essendon 5.2 d. Melbourne 4.12
Media
Age - 15/08/1953
Age - 17/08/1953
Argus - 17/08/1953
Age - 19/08/1953
Football Record R17 1953