Round 18, 1966
Essendon vs Melbourne
Saturday 27 August
Venue: Windy Hill
Attendance: 22,363
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Final | |
| Essendon | 3.2 | 5.6 | 9.12 | 11.18.84 |
| Melbourne | 5.3 | 5.5 | 7.5 | 7.7.49 |
Essendon win by 35 points
Goalkickers: Hassa Mann 2, Peter Smith 2, Barry Bourke 1, Brent Jones 1, Neville Stone 1
Milestones:
Last Game
Ken Rowe
150 Games
Tassie Johnson
The Demons horror year ended at Windy Hill against an Essendon side who needed to win to stay inside the four. The best Melbourne could do was pull off an unlikely, and unpopular, victory in front of the Essendon fans and hope Footscray lost so they could finish 10th instead of 11th. Elsewhere the Dogs would lose by more than a hundred points, but the task of beating Essendon was too big for the Demons.
The home side were far from their best, and when they went into the quarter time huddle 13 points down it looked as if they might be in line for a shock loss. Richmond were playing one win Fitzroy so there was no doubt they were going to win, so if the Bombers didn't pick up their game they would be tipped out of September action.
The reigning premiers took a one point lead into the third quarter and ran away with the the game in the last quarter, holding the Demons goalless for the last time that season. They qualified for the finals but without any form which indicated that they'd challenge in September.
For the Demons they had suffered a season from hell, kept off the bottom only by the ineptitude of Fitzroy.
Best were Williams, Mann and Alves. Johnson (back) was replaced by Massey at three quarter time and Emselle by K. Osborne in the last term.
Reserves
Melbourne 20.10 d. Essendon 13.15
Goals - R. Feldmann 4, Jungwirth 4, Burston 3, Aitken 2, Murnane 2, Vearing 2, Rattray 1, Dowsing 1, Catlin 1
Best - R. Feldmann, Murnane, Aitken
Under 19s
Essendon 18.12 d. Melbourne 9.9
Media
Age - 29/08/1966