Round 7, 1920
Melbourne vs Richmond
Saturday 12 June
Venue: MCG
Attendance: 27,712
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Final | |
| Melbourne | 5.1 | 5.3 | 10.4 | 10.8.68 |
| Richmond | 5.3 | 8.8 | 9.11 | 12.16.88 |
Richmond win by 20 points
Goalkickers: Bert Chadwick 2, George Haines 2, Bill Allen 1, Harry Harker 1, Jack Huntington 1, Leo Little 1, Herb Matthews 1, Charlie Streeter 1
Milestones:
50 Games
Hughie Odgers
After four wins in their first five games Melbourne were part of the largest in the history VFL home and away matches to that point. During 1919 crowds had dropped to less than 2000 in some games. The record was beaten later in the season by a Carlton vs Collingwood game, but it showed that Melbourne were worth watching again.
Richmond went in as favourites, but Melbourne were surprisingly competitive. They kicked the first three goals and took the game deep into the last quarter before the Tigers prevailed. The two sides put on a spectacle worthy of the attendance. Despite an absence of wind the match was notable for a great number of goals kicked to one end of the ground.
By half time the visitors had asserted their authority, but for the third consecutive week the Redlegs were dominant in the third term. Another three goals to open the quarter helped reduce the lead to a point, but with light rapidly fading in the last quarter Melbourne were unable to add another goal and Richmond left with the four points in near darkness due to a longer than usual half-time break.
Bob Carew of the Tigers suffered an embarassment when a tackle by Alec Farrow caused his pants to split and to save his modesty he had to sit on the ground until a spectator offered him an overcoat to cover himself. A trainer soon provided a new pair of shorts and he rejoined the game.
Odgers, Corbett and Haines were best.
Just as they had won some respectability again Melbourne would go on to lose 10 of the last 11 games of the season.4
Seconds
Richmond 13.15.93 d. Melbourne 7.6.48
Notes
Football Record lists the attendance as 28,883. Argus claims that the attendance was shown as 31,000.
Media
Argus - 14/06/1920
Richmond Guardian - 19/06/1920
Football Record R8 1920