Round 7, 1961
Melbourne vs Carlton
Saturday 3 June
Venue: MCG
Attendance: 49,678
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Final | |
| Melbourne | 3.2 | 8.7 | 12.9 | 15.14.104 |
| Carlton | 2.2 | 6.8 | 10.11 | 11.13.79 |
Melbourne win by 25 points
Goalkickers: Robert B Johnson 4, Frank Adams 3, Ian Ridley 3, Clyde Laidlaw 2, Laurie Mithen 2, Hassa Mann 1
Milestones:
First Game
Bruce Leslie
Despite a stop start opening to the season the Demons still rose to the top of the ladder after winning their first MCG match of the season in patchy weather on a slippery ground.
They held the lead at every change but it took until the final term for the Demons to kick away from their opponents. The third quarter was a battle of Carlton's aerial superiority against Melbourne's pace but neither side could open up a winning break. Due to the wet conditions and the fierce pressure by players from both teams each side had their problems with fumbles and ball handling errors.
Melbourne finally broke free during the last quarter, finally shutting down Carlton's most powerful asset - their ruck division. The Blues' had held sway in that department for the first three quarters before John Lord was sent to centre half-forward after giving his all throughout the day, to be replaced in the middle by Clyde Laidlaw. A relatively fresh Ron Barassi was thrown into the ruck and the move delivered the killer blow to the Blues.
Best players were B. Johnson, Mithen and Mann. Ridley and Hassa Mann were replaced by Nilsson and Leslie respectively during the last quarter.
Reserves
Carlton 15.14 d. Melbourne 13.8
Goals - Breen 4, Turner 3, Carroll 2, Anderson 1, Ireland 1, Rowarth 1, Thorpe 1
Best - Massey, Rowarth, Carroll
Under 19s
Carlton 8.7 d. Melbourne 4.14
Media
Age - 05/06/1961
Football Record R8 1961
Links
Blueseum match report