Round 11 1991

Round 11, 1991
Essendon vs Melbourne
Saturday 1 June
Venue: Windy Hill
Attendance: 21,635

Essendon win by 6 points

Goalkickers: Ricky Jackson 4, David Schwarz 2, Darren Bennett 1, Luke Beveridge 1, Andy Lovell 1, Glenn Lovett 1, Steven O'Dwyer 1, Stephen Tingay 1

Brownlow votes:
2 - Jim Stynes
1 - Glenn Lovett

Milestones:
50 games
Darren Bennett (also with West Coast)

First goal
David Schwarz (3rd game)

Melbourne's second loss in a row came in controversial circumstances at Windy Hill when spectators interfered in the finale. The narrow defeat came after selectors made seven changes to the side that had lost in Adelaide a week earlier. John Howat, Andrew Obst and Stephen Tingay were introduced for their first game of the season.

With 22 minutes gone in the last quarter, Glenn Lovett goalled on the run to cut the margin to less than a goal. After Darren Bennett and David Schwarz had missed easy shots to put the Demons in front late in the match the siren went with ex-Bomber Steven Clark holding the ball for a shot on goal after a free kick. Fans poured onto the ground and amongst chaotic scenes Clark's torpedo landed short in the goalsquare where it was kept from scoring by Bombers defenders and enthusiastic local fans.

Clark had already waited several minutes for police to try and clear the field and later admitted that he probably should have waited even longer but said that the longer he waited the more nervous he was getting.

Melbourne should already have been in front Bennett missed from 35m out directly in front though he thought he had kicked it, and Schwarz did the same. They could have finished the game even earlier, in control during the third term before letting the Bombers back into the match. Even earlier they had controlled the second until Paul Salmon kicked the home side's only goal for the quarter after the siren.

President Stuart Spencer called for an enquiry into the post-siren fiasco suggesting that he should have been given another kick if a fan touched the ball and that as he wasn't the match should be declared a draw. The incident caused the league to move more games to the MCG or Waverley and to enforce the 'second siren' rule more stringently.

Best were G. Lovett, Tingay and J. Stynes.

John Northey said "Our work rate dropped away dramatically in the third quarter with players who had been good for us just not doing enough."

Video

Reserves
Melbourne 19.17.131 d. Essendon 14.4.88
Best - Stretch, T. Egan, J. Viney
Goals - P. Egan 4, Gorozides 3, Heaver 2, Sullivan 2, J. Viney 2, Jakovich 2, Francis 2, Stretch 1
Reports - Jay Viney (striking)

Under 19s
Melbourne 18.19.127 d. St Kilda 8.10.58
Best - Wilkins, Merritt, MacKenzie
Goals - Merritt 6, Lamb 2, Coote 2, B. Goldberg 2, P. Goldberg 1, Wilkins 1, Fafatoulis 1, Aubrey 1, Carroll 1, D. Taylor 1

Lists
After the siren
Tribunal

Media
Age - 02/06/1991
Canberra Times - 02/06/1991
Age - 03/06/1991