Saturday 22 September - Fitzroy Cricket Ground
Crowd: "About 4000"
Melbourne 1.7
South Melbourne 2.12 (half time 1.0-1.7)
South Melbourne win by 1 goal
Goalkicker: McIntyre 1
Despite complaints about the spectator experience at the ground when Melbourne played their first match there three weeks earlier against Carlton the club returned to the Fitzroy Cricket Ground for their second last match of the season. A number of improvements had been made to the arena, increasing the space for play and making the game easier to see for fans.
Melbourne had beaten South Melbourne three times in 1883, but at the last opportunity of the year South got their revenge. With their full strength side South started favourites against opposition bolstered by several Second 20 players. South were favoured by a slight breeze and attacked first, scoring a behind. Both sides had their chances to score before South took the lead. McIntyre soon equalised for Melbourne with their only scoring chance of the half.
Favoured by the wind Melbourne should have won, but they conceded the only goal of the second half. The 'home' side continued to have the advantage through the rest of the half but couldn't add another major and suffered defeat.
Best were Ulbrick, McIntyre and Rush.
Selected team
Abernethy, Aitken, Carr, Collins, Cunningham, Jones, Lamrock, Macdonald, Mackenzie, McIntyre, Moss, Patterson, Plant, Pip, Propsting, Pohlman, Rickards, Rush, Thewlis, Tuckfield, Ulbrick, Walsh
Media
Sportsman - 19/09/1883
The Age - 22/09/1883
The Argus - 24/09/1883
Sportsman - 26/09/1883
Australasian - 29/09/1883