Round 3, 1920
Collingwood vs Melbourne
Saturday 15 May
Venue: Victoria Park
Attendance: 10,000
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Final | |
| Collingwood | 2.7 | 2.10 | 3.18 | 4.20.44 |
| Melbourne | 2.0 | 3.4 | 3.5 | 3.5.23 |
Collingwood win by 21 points
Goalkickers: Bert Chadwick 1, Jack Huntington 1, Charlie Streeter 1
Milestones:
Last Game
Bob Bodington
After two wins in a row, including a fighting win against Essendon, the Fuschias fancied themselves to win their first game at Victoria Park since Round 4, 1907 but came up well short after failing to score in the final term - and managing just a point in the second half of a game played with a strong wind affecting play.
Collingwood left the door open for an upset in the first half by kicking terribly for goal, but the visitor's terrible second half showing ruined any chance they had of victory. The breeze blowing across the ground was ruining the Magpies' accuracy, but Melbourne couldn't even get shots in the first place and were handily beaten. They had been expected to use their youth and pace to advantage but conditions meant playing with system was more important than ever, and the Pies had a distinct advantage in that department. It didn't help that the Reds appeared nervous and often over-ran the ball.
Despite kicking the first two goals of the game before Collingwood got going, Melbourne were quickly overrun and managed just one more major for the match. Their downfall was anxiousness when in possession, as well as over-running the ball and crowding the ruck. They were slow to the ball and slow to get rid of it while their opponents excelled in open play. They went into half time having kicked more goals, but with Collingwood having a glut of scoring shots they still took the lead.
In the third quarter the home team kicked away, adding 22 points to a solitary behind. They didn't take advantage of their opportunities, but they had Melbourne on the back foot for the entire quarter and unable to make more than a couple of attacks on goal. At three quarter time the difference was a 13 behind advantage to Collingwood, and with the wind in the final term Melbourne might have had a chance but they were beaten senseless in the ruck and failed to register any score for the term.
It was a return to the form of 1919 when they failed to win a match, though it was a far better performance than either of their matches against Collingwood the previous year. Bob Bodington was injured.
Haines, Tonkin and Allen were best.
Seconds
Collingwood District 4.13.37 d. Melbourne 2.3.15
Lists
Scoreless fourth quarters
Media
Argus - 17/05/1920
Herald - 20/05/1921
Australasian - 22/05/1920
Herald - 04/06/1920
Football Record R4 1920