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1944

Captain - Coach: Percy Beames
Finishing Position: 8th
Best and Fairest: Norm Smith
Leading Goalkicker: Fred Fanning (87)
Best First Year Player: Esmond Downey

Matches Ladder Playing List Tribunal Seconds
Image

Geelong returned to the VFL, but Melbourne's playing stocks continued to be ravaged by World War II. Of 36 players who appeared in the 1941 premiership season just four were still playing, with 24 in the services. Despite a successful move into the centre by Norm Smith and Fred Fanning winning the league goalkicking for a second time, a thin list meant another year out of the finals. With 22 of the 1943 squad unavailable, Percy Beames debuted 16 new players. He used 46 players overall, the equal most of any season in club history.

The league originally planned to retain the 1943 system where the bottom club would drop out after Round 11, and this time the second last team would be eliminated too. The idea was dropped midway through the year.

Fred Fanning, Ron Irwin and Bill Adams were guest players in an August match to raise funds for prisoners of war.

The club spent £1627 and had £818 of income.

Melbourne's VFL delegates were Joe Blair and Bruce Hogg.

Practice match

OppositionResultScore
RAAF ? ?

Premiership Season

RoundOppositionResultScore
1 RichmondLOSS92-132
2 EssendonLOSS100-120
3 CarltonLOSS77-92
4 GeelongWIN142-69
5 St. KildaLOSS73-86
6 CollingwoodWIN99-69
7 North MelbourneLOSS82-110
8 FitzroyLOSS52-77
9 FootscrayLOSS61-63
10 South MelbourneWIN70-67
11 HawthornWIN157-52
12 RichmondLOSS69-110
13 EssendonLOSS78-98
14 CarltonWIN54-38
15 GeelongWIN69-56
16 St. KildaLOSS52-91
17 CollingwoodLOSS83-102
18 HawthornWIN111-49

Exhibition Match

OpponentResultScore
Ballarat League WIN155-31

Ladder

WDL%P
Richmond1314131.254
Fitzroy1314131.154
Essendon1224134.052
Footscray1215106.950
Carlton1206131.548
North Melbourne1008100.340
South Melbourne90996.936
Melbourne7011102.728
St. Kilda621090.428
Collingwood701189.128
Hawthorn211566.210
Geelong101758.64

Playing List

NumberPlayerGamesGoals
1 Ron Kimberley 20
1 Jack Compton 32
2 Roy Dowsing 146
3 Ron Irwin 180
4 Norm Smith 183
5 Billy Deans 184
6 Fred Fanning 1487
7 Clem Conroy 20
9 Ivan Porter 23
10 Gordon Kramer 91
11 Norm Matthews 41
12 Jack Mueller 56
13 Frank Scanlan 30
14 George Archibald 162
15 Colin Bradley 30
16 Hughie McPherson 116
17 Tom Bush 10
18 Darcy Walsh 30
19 Lloyd Bennett 94
20 Harry New 10
20 Bob Herbert 1313
21 Don Cordner 182
22 Shane McGrath 20
22 Tony Bizzaca 21
23 Jack Doherty 20
24 Percy Beames 1817
25 Col McLean 180
26 Doug Heywood 168
27 Col Galbraith 40
28 Percy Taylor 717
29 Ken Levey 70
31 Les Gibbs 10
32 Jack Minnis 121
33 Frank McGrath 21
33 Warren Lewis 43
34 Neil Bencraft 23
35 Charlie Newman 70
36 Esmond Downey 167
37 Jack Maher 42
37 Bryan Crimmins 10
38 Bill Scanlan 1012
39 Jack Stock 90
39 Frank Kennedy 64
Ron Hall 30
Don Hewson 10
Jim Ryan 10

Best and Fairest

Player__
1st Norm Smith
2nd Don Cordner

Awards
Best Clubman - Roy Dowsing
Most Outstanding and Special Goalkicking - Fred Fanning
Most Improved - Ron Irwin
Most Determined - Percy Beames and Hughie McPherson
Best Utility - Billy Deans and George Archibald
Most Dependable - Col McLean
Most Promising Performances - Doug Heywood, Bill Scanlan and Frank Kennedy
Tribunal

RoundPlayerChargeSanction
Round 11 Fred Fanning Striking 4 matches
Round 16 Roy Dowsing Striking Not Guilty

Seconds

1944 Seconds season

WDL%P
Footscray 1404125.056
Fitzroy 1314134.054
Collingwood 1305145.652
St Kilda 1206122.648
Carlton 1017108.042
South Melbourne 90986.436
North Melbourne801087.032
Geelong801086.132
Essendon601298.924
Richmond501381.720
Hawthorn411382.118
Melbourne411377.718

Notes
A charity practice match may have been played against Hawthorn on 29 April, but the league appears to have rejected the concept.

Media
Football Record R1 1944
Australasian - 24/06/1944
Herald - 02/08/1944
Argus - 23/11/1944
Herald - 21/02/1945
Barrier Daily Truth - 06/02/1946

Links
AFL Tables page
Wikipedia page

Created by Supermercado. Last Modification: Wednesday 11 October 2023 22:54:58 AEDT by Supermercado. (Version 28)

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