Loading...
 

1895

Image
Captain - Eddie Fox (until August), Joe Wilson (from August)
Vice Captain - Patrick O'Loughlin (until June), Joe Wilson (from June)
Secretary - RH McLeod
Committee - Eddie Fox, Moore, Dave Christie, Farquhar, Murdoch McKenzie

For a side who had been on the verge of going out of business a few short seasons earlier, their relationship with the MCC had seen the Reds take a shortcut to the league's group of top teams. Bailed out by the cricket club five years earlier, they were suddenly described as having practically unlimited influence, financial as well as social with 35 players in their training squad. A newspaper also said they had "the biggest following of barrackers" in the league.

After seven games Melbourne were unbeaten, having kicked 60 goals to 28. They won one more game before being defeated, and were third at the end of the year. In the press they were accused of taking games against poor sides easily and not being up to the big matches.

VFA season

DateOppositionResult
May 4 South Melbourne WIN
May 11 Collingwood WIN
May 18 Essendon WIN
May 25 Footscray WIN
June 15 North Melbourne WIN
June 22 Richmond WIN
June 29 Carlton WIN
July 6 Williamstown WIN
July 13 Fitzroy LOSS
July 20 Port Melbourne WIN
July 27 Geelong LOSS
August 3 St. Kilda WIN
August 10 Essendon LOSS
August 17 Fitzroy LOSS
August 24 North Melbourne WIN
August 31 South Melbourne WIN
September 7 Geelong LOSS
September 14 Footscray WIN

Other matches

DateOppositionResult
13 April Richmond City UNKNOWN
27 April Austral WIN
1 June Norwood WIN
8 June Essendon WIN

Ladder

TeamWinLossDrawForAgainstPoints
1st Fitzroy 1215774758
2nd Geelong 13501286252
3rd Melbourne 13501027052
4th Collingwood 1242836352
5th South Melbourne 972848240
6th Essendon 882918136
7th Port Melbourne 783728734
8th North Melbourne 7101647530
9th Footscray 6111789326
10th Williamstown 6111698726
11th Carlton 5112557724
12th Richmond 41138012422
13th St. Kilda 3132649616

Players

Bill Ahern, Alfred Bedford, J. Bedford, David Christy, W. Cornish, Eddie Fox, Herbert Fry, Frank Girdlestone, Alf Healing, J. Hogan, Harry Hughes, Austin Lewis, Lew Massey, McCaffrey, Jim McCarthy, Bill McCulloch, Fred McGinis, Alex McKenzie, W. Milne, Henry Mitchell, George Moodie, Robert Moore, George Moysey, O'Connor, Patrick O'Dea, George O'Dwyer, James O'Halloran, Patrick O'Loughlin, Mick Roche, Albert Salkeld, William Sharp, Fred Sheahan, Eddie Sholl, W. Smith, Ned Sutton, Archibald Swannie, Eddie Toms, Dick Wardill, Charles Watson, Joe Wilson

Goalkickers

McGinis 16, Roche 16, Girdlestone 13, McCarthy 13, Moysey 7, Christy 6, Moodie 6, Wilson 4, Wardill 3, Hogan 2, McCulloch 2, McKenzie 2, Sholl 2, Smith 2, Bedford 1, Fry 1, Lewis 1, McCaffrey 1, Milne 1, O'Halloran 1, Sutton 1, Swannie 1

Notes
A match may have been played against Brunswick at the Warehouseman's Ground in late April.

Media
Herald - 30/03/1895
Age - 20/05/1895
[https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/227717255|Sportsman] - 21/05/1895|Sportsman] - 21/05/1895
Sydney Mail - 25/05/1895
Australasian - 25/05/1895
Age - 27/05/1895
Age - 17/06/1895
Argus - 17/06/1895
Age - 24/06/1895
West Australian 13/07/1895
West Australian 29/07/1895
Age - 05/08/1895

Links
Blueseum 1895 page
VFA Results and Tables