Loading...
 

1942

Captain - Coach: Percy Beames
Finishing Position: 8th
Best and Fairest: Allan La Fontaine
Leading Goalkicker: Fred Fanning (37)
Best First Year Player: n/a

Matches Ladder Playing List Tribunal Seconds

Image After winning the past three VFL premierships, Melbourne entered the new year with most of their premiership players engaged in the war effort, and only three of the 1941 seconds players available. Melbourne voted to cease the competition until the war was won, but other clubs opted to continue.

The Demons stated that it would be unable to field a team unless other sides cleared players from their districts, and considered voluntarily withdrawing as Geelong had done. Talk of a wartime amalgamation with Collingwood was shelved when each side discovered they were better off for players than they'd first thought. In addition to many players, Melbourne had also lost Secretary Percy Page and coach Checker Hughes to retirement.

Percy Beames took over a side with 18 of 36 players from 1941 unavailable, and many of them unavailable at various times during the year. The club had even lost access to the MCG, which was being used as a camp by the US Army. They played home games at Punt Road and trained at the Albert Ground. After losing their first three games, the decimated club recovered to finish eighth on an unbalanced ladder where Carlton, Collingwood, Footscray, North Melbourne and St Kilda had two byes, which carried four premiership points, and other clubs only had one.

In Round 2 war hero Keith Truscott returned to play what would be his final game. He was made honourary captain for the day. That day Melbourne and Richmond set a VFL record for aggregate score in a match, 313 points, that stood until 1972.

Crowds across the league tumbled, now nearly half of what they had been before the war and down nearly 30 per cent on the previous year.

Melbourne's VFL delegates were Joe Blair and Bruce Hogg. No elections were required for committee positions - H. Donahoo and W. Flintoft represented the MCC Committee, FW Ince, G. Sleight, ECH Taylor, RJ Taylor, WJ Saunders, RB Hogg and L. McArthur represented MCC Members, and A. McLPatterson and W. Berry represented MFC members. S. Brownbill, GM Joshua, L. Lambrick and W. Murphy were coopted to the board by the MCC.

Premiership season

RoundOppositionResultScore
1 EssendonLOSS110-164
2 RichmondLOSS117-196
3 FitzroyLOSS77-133
4 HawthornWIN111-65
5 South MelbourneLOSS115-148
6 St. KildaLOSS45-89
7 North MelbourneWIN83-76
8 CollingwoodLOSS80-105
9 BYE
10 CarltonLOSS67-95
11 FootscrayLOSS95-126
12 EssendonWIN104-84
13 RichmondLOSS86-111
14 FitzroyWIN85-68
15 HawthornWIN118-57
16 South MelbourneLOSS91-107

Ladder

WDL%P
Essendon1203127.152
Richmond1104134.548
South Melbourne1104129.048
Footscray1004126.048
Carlton1004120.248
Fitzroy807104.936
St. Kilda60881.932
Melbourne501085.224
North Melbourne401078.224
Collingwood201276.016
Hawthorn101465.68

Playing list

NumberPlayerGamesGoals
1 Keith Truscott 11
2 Roy Dowsing 152
3 Bob Spargo 20
4 Norm Smith 1030
5 Tom Bush 42
6 Fred Fanning 1537
7 Jack Heal 31
8 Don Hewson 80
9 Richie Emselle 132
10 Maurie Gibb 144
11 Norm Matthews 80
12 Jack Mueller 1326
13 George Lenne 130
14 George Archibald 110
15 Ron Baggott 719
16 Tom Ferguson 51
17 Allan La Fontaine 125
18 Darcy Walsh 70
19 Ray Shearer 20
20 Ted Wood 20
21 Don Cordner 122
22 Arthur Franklin 32
23 Ray Wartman 10
24 Percy Beames 1428
25 Hughie McPherson 90
26 Gordon Kramer 20
27 Frank Deayton 100
28 Ted Cordner 110
29 Jack O'Keefe 52
29 Colin Bradley 40
30 Alby Rodda 89
31 Les Gibbs 94
32 Bob Stone 30
33 Bernie Neenan 12
34 Adrian Dullard 87
35 Danny Powell 76
36 Bryan Martin 30
Billy Deans 43
Clyde Helmer 23
Jim McDonald 10
Jack Minnis 30

Awards
Best clubman - Percy Beames
Most improved - Donald Cordner

Tribunal

RoundPlayerChargeSanction
Round 1 Norm Smith Jostling Not Guilty
Round 3 Jack O'Keefe Elbowing Not Guilty
Round 12 Les Gibbs Striking Not Guilty

Seconds

1942 Seconds Season

WDLP
St Kilda 100348
Richmond 110348
Essendon 90444
Fitzroy 100444
Footscray80540
South Melbourne50828
Melbourne40924
Carlton 201212
North Melbourne101212

Notes
All Seconds teams other than Richmond, Fitzroy and Carlton had two byes.

Some sources suggest Melbourne trained on Punt Road on Monday and Wednesday rather than the Albert Ground.
Pre-season report (Age 02/04/1945) says Bill Farrell would coach the Seconds 'subject to approval of the MCC' but he didn't take up the role.

Media
Sun - 10/02/1942, 23/02/1942
Argus - 10/03/1942, 20/04/1942, 24/04/1942 - 24/04/1942
Age - 31/03/1942

Links
AFL Tables page
Wikipedia page
Membership image courtesy of grandoldflag.net