Round 3, 1897
Fitzroy vs Melbourne
Saturday 22 May
Venue: Brunswick Street
Attendance: 10,000
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Final | |
| Fitzroy | 1.0 | 1.4 | 3.8 | 5.9.39 |
| Melbourne | 1.3 | 3.5 | 7.6 | 7.8.50 |
Melbourne win by 11 points
Goalkickers: Charlie Young 3, Edwin Jenkyn 1, Jack Leith 1, Bill McCulloch 1, George Moodie 1.
Milestones:
Only Game
Jim McCoy
First Goal
Edwin Jenkyn (3rd game)
Bill McCulloch (3rd game)
George Moodie (3rd game)
In perfect weather the unbeaten Reds were temporarily jumped by the home side in the first few minutes but by halftime - assisted by an injury to key Fitzroy player Hickey - the visitors had taken a comfortable lead.
It was then that Fitzroy made their comeback. In front of a frenzied crowd the Grace brothers both kicked goals to start the third quarter and give their side a narrow lead. A brave move by their captain/coach Sutton to throw players forward had come off, and when they won the lead he instantly switched the extra attackers back into defence.
It didn't help his side though, and Melbourne booted two goals in a minute and four in a row to end the quarter and take a 22 point lead into the final term. The gap was too big for the Roys to overcome, and while they weren't disgraced they could only manage to halve the margin. Hickey came back late in the game but injury had rendered him almost useless. Fitzroy were also hurt by bad luck in goalkicking, while Melbourne were similarly lucky to see some of their shots go through.
Melbourne's biggest advantage came through its ruckmen. Other players amongst the best were Strahan and Goding. Fred Sheahan suffered an injury after colliding with a Fitzroy opponent and was forced to spend much of the match in the goalsquare and out of the play.
The win left Melbourne unbeaten and second on the ladder behind Collingwood on percentages.
Notes
Jim McCoy and Bill McCulloch played under the false names McDonald and Williams. McCulloch was likely 'Williams'.
The Argus claimed a crowd of approximately 8000, The Australasian said approximately 10,000.
Media
Age - 24/05/1897
Argus - 24/05/1897
Sportsman - 25/05/1897
Sportsman - 25/05/1897
Australasian - 29/05/1897