Captain - Coach: Bert Chadwick
Finishing Position: 3rd (Premiers)
Best and Fairest: n/a
Leading Goalkicker: Harry Moyes (55)
Best First Year Player: n/a
Members: 1822
| Matches | Ladder | Playing list | Seconds | ||
After playing finals for the first time in a decade in 1925, the football club demanded greater autonomy from the MCC. They got two representatives on the cricket club's committee, as well as an eight man committee to oversee the football club. The football committee was voted on by MCC members, and all candidates also had to be members of the club.
Three of the 1925 committee - S. Church, W. Sykes and HD Westley, were defeated at election before the season. Successfully elected were H. Parkin (346 votes), G. Coulter (309), JO Smith (306), Henty Wilson (270), A. Sowden (253), F. Ince (247) and GH Watson (229). G. Haines (94) and CA Taylor (84) won the vote to be member representatives, defeating S. Hutton (46).
Melbourne didn't start the year as top premiership contenders, but were carried to the finals by the goals of Harry Moyes (55), Robert C Johnson (51), and Harry Davie (50), who became the first trio of teammates to register more than 50 goals in a season. play. Essendon was beaten in the Semi Final, despite playing with 17 men for much of the second quarter after Bob Corbett suffered a broken jaw after a king hit. A barely conscious Corbett returned to the field in the last quarter, helping free Ivor Warne-Smith to play his normal role. After playing every game for the year Corbett was unable to take his place in the Grand Final, watching on as his teammates avenged their defeat by Collingwood was avenged in the Grand Final. One of the club's founding fathers Henry Harrison was also present as his side captured their first premiership since 1900. Players celebrated by driving around the streets of Melbourne in open topped cars singing "It's A Grand Old Flag" before repairing to the Bentleigh milkbar of Hugh Dunbar to continue the celebrations.
A verse by committeeman JO Smith called "Will to Win" celebrated the Reds making the Grand Final
''There's a wonderful old player
In the Melbourne side this year
His name's not in the "Record"
But you can bet he's there
He's know as Mr. Will-to-Win
And he dominates the play
At Centre, Back or Forward
You'll find him in the fray
He's great on tear-through tactics,
And loves a willing crush.
And many a game he's won for us
With a great last-quarter rush
Sometimes this year he's been away
And sometimes he's been sick:
He's back and feeling fit and well
And says he's going to stick.
He's not too fond of birds and beasts
And when we have to play
In Tigers' lairs and Magpies' nests
He sometimes stays away
And wires to our committee
That he's got a nasty pain,
But he's made a faithful promise
That it won't occur again.
And when the finals come he says -
That he'll be at his best:
He'll give the Blues the blues again
And paralyse the rest.''
Former Redleg Bill McClelland became President of the VFL before the season began. He held the position until 1956. Andrew Manzie and Harry Parkin were the club's league delegates.
Premiership season
| Round | Opposition | Result | Score | ||
| 1 | St. Kilda | WIN | 92-63 | ||
| 2 | Carlton | LOSS | 58-69 | ||
| 3 | North Melbourne | WIN | 119-89 | ||
| 4 | Collingwood | LOSS | 79-84 | ||
| 5 | Richmond | WIN | 122-89 | ||
| 6 | Footscray | WIN | 105-46 | ||
| 7 | South Melbourne | WIN | 88-65 | ||
| 8 | Essendon | WIN | 75-69 | ||
| 9 | Hawthorn | WIN | 154-13 | ||
| 10 | Geelong | LOSS | 53-67 | ||
| 11 | Fitzroy | WIN | 99-60 | ||
| 12 | St. Kilda | WIN | 118-29 | ||
| 13 | Carlton | WIN | 90-58 | ||
| 14 | North Melbourne | WIN | 70-67 | ||
| 15 | Collingwood | LOSS | 43-93 | ||
| 16 | Richmond | WIN | 94-68 | ||
| 17 | Footscray | WIN | 140-68 | ||
| 18 | Hawthorn | WIN | 121-79 | ||
| SF | Collingwood | WIN | 95-84 | ||
| PF | Essendon | WIN | 42-39 | ||
| GF | Collingwood | WIN | 119-62 | ||
Ladder
| W | D | L | % | P | |
| Collingwood | 15 | 0 | 3 | 149.3 | 60 |
| Geelong | 15 | 0 | 3 | 145.2 | 60 |
| Melbourne | 14 | 0 | 4 | 146.4 | 56 |
| Essendon | 12 | 0 | 6 | 124.3 | 48 |
| South Melbourne | 12 | 0 | 6 | 118.9 | 48 |
| Carlton | 11 | 0 | 7 | 106.5 | 44 |
| Richmond | 9 | 0 | 9 | 92.0 | 36 |
| Fitzroy | 6 | 0 | 12 | 86.1 | 24 |
| St. Kilda | 6 | 0 | 12 | 75.8 | 24 |
| Footscray | 4 | 0 | 14 | 69.9 | 16 |
| Hawthorn | 3 | 1 | 14 | 66.4 | 14 |
| North Melbourne | 0 | 1 | 17 | 73.7 | 2 |
Playing list
| Number | Player | Games | Goals | ||
| 1 | Stan Wittman | 16 | 20 | ||
| 3 | Ted Thomas | 18 | 1 | ||
| 4 | Jim Abernethy | 19 | 6 | ||
| 5 | Ossie Green | 20 | 1 | ||
| 6 | Jim Veal | 3 | 1 | ||
| 7 | Frank Jorgensen | 2 | 0 | ||
| 8 | Herbert White | 21 | 7 | ||
| 9 | Charlie Streeter | 21 | 0 | ||
| 10 | Jack Collins | 18 | 2 | ||
| 11 | Bruce Pie | 1 | 0 | ||
| 11 | Derek Mollison | 3 | 1 | ||
| 11 | Carlyle Jones | 2 | 2 | ||
| 12 | Bob Corbett | 20 | 0 | ||
| 14 | Ivor Warne-Smith | 20 | 17 | ||
| 16 | Bob Johnson | 20 | 50 | ||
| 17 | Bert Chadwick | 13 | 1 | ||
| 18 | Percy Tulloh | 2 | 4 | ||
| 19 | Harry Coy | 17 | 1 | ||
| 21 | Tom O'Brien | 4 | 0 | ||
| 22 | Harry Moyes | 19 | 55 | ||
| 23 | Francis Vine | 1 | 1 | ||
| 24 | Harry Davie | 15 | 50 | ||
| 25 | Jack Cannan | 1 | 1 | ||
| 26 | Bill Tymms | 13 | 4 | ||
| 28 | Hugh Dunbar | 17 | 1 | ||
| 29 | Jimmy Davidson | 13 | 4 | ||
| 30 | Bert Lawrence | 3 | 0 | ||
| 31 | Col Deane | 18 | 16 | ||
| 32 | Eric Andersen | 2 | 2 | ||
| 33 | Fred Dick | 4 | 1 | ||
| 34 | Dave Duff | 11 | 26 | ||
| 35 | Richard Taylor | 21 | 6 | ||
Seconds
Captain/coach: Jimmy Sullivan
1926 Seconds season
Notes
A match was played against 'Tasmania' in late July. A pre-season game may have been played against Geelong for charity.
Media
Herald - 04/03/1926
Argus - 03/02/1927
Football Record R13 1936
Links
AFL Tables page
Wikipedia page
1926 team photo courtesy of grandoldflag.net