Round 7, 1948
Melbourne vs Carlton
Saturday 29 May
Venue: MCG
Attendance: 34,864
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Final | |
| Melbourne | 3.3 | 3.6 | 9.8 | 15.12.102 |
| Carlton | 1.2 | 6.6 | 7.9 | 7.9.51 |
Melbourne win by 51 points
Goalkickers: Adrian Dullard 3, Jim Mitchell 3, Lance Arnold 2, Alby Rodda 2, Norm Smith 2, Bob McKenzie 1, Ernie O'Rourke 1, Frank Scanlan 1
Milestones:
200 Games
Norm Smith
Three wins in a row had Melbourne sitting 4-2 after a rocky start, and against the mid-table Carlton they took the chance to expand even further on their good recent form and consolidate their place in the top four by coming back from three goals down at half time to win easily.
In heavy going with a waterlogged centre area Melbourne's midfielders were the key to victory, and they were also handy winners on the wings. Coupled with Don Cordner dominating in the ruck, the home side were hard to top - but it still took them until the second half to take control of the game.
Melbourne attacked first but Carlton's defence held firm, and the Blues had their chances as well but neither side could get past the other's backs. With his side's forwards being badly outplayed rover Alby Rodda kicked two goals to open up a 13 point lead at quarter time.
The centre of the ground was treacherous, but instead of avoiding it during the second quarter Carlton decided to kick over it instead. Their change in tactics helped them turn a 10 point deficit into a 14 point lead, and they could have been even further in front if the siren hadn't stopped a promising attack.
That was as good as it got for Carlton, they added just one more goal for the day and conceded 12 to end with half of Melbourne's score. The Demons made a change to their attack in the second half, moving Norm Smith to full forward, and he took advantage of defensive errors to kick the first goal of the term. Carlton momentarily extended the lead, and had a period of attack but Melbourne's defence held firm, and a wild kick off the ground by a Carlton player found Arnold who goalled from a long shot to extend the lead. It was the first attack his side had enjoyed after eight consecutive thrusts by Carlton which had gained nothing more than behinds.
The margin was back to eight points before another defensive mishap allowed Scanlan to kick his first and cut the margin to two. Smith goalled from a free kick and his side were in front. The margin was extended to 11 by three quarter time.
Melbourne got the first goal of the last quarter and stormed home to an easy victory. Fast finishes were becoming a feature of their play, over their four consecutive wins they had now outscored opponents 24.10 to 4.3 in the final term. Five more goals to no score made it a rout.
In his 200th game - only the third Demon to reach the milestone - Norm Smith was reported for using obscene language towards an umpire during the second quarter. Despite his claims that he only said "Don't be silly" he was still suspended for four weeks. It would be the only time Smith was ever suspended in his career.
Best were Bickford, McGrath and Cordner. O'Rourke replaced O'Connor at three quarter time and Bowman replaced McMahen.
Seconds
Carlton 14.12 d. Melbourne 10.9
Lists
Tribunal
Media
Sporting Globe - 29/05/1948
Football Record R8 1948