Coach: Neale Daniher
Captain: David Neitz
Finishing Position: 14th
Best and Fairest: Russell Robertson
Leading Goalkicker: David Neitz (65)
Best First Year Player: Ryan Ferguson
Major Sponsor : LG Electronics
Members: 20,555
| Matches | Ladder | Playing List | Best and Fairest | VFL | {ALINK(aname=Coaching Staff}Coaching Staff{ALINK} |
Despite their heartbreaking finals loss in 2002 - where they were one quarter from a preliminary final - there were still many questions over the 2003 Demons. Despite their often potent forward line Melbourne lacked a true centre-half forward, and anything approaching a superstar defence. If David Neitz couldn't recapture his Coleman Medal form of the year before, Melbourne would be vulnerable.
Midfielder Travis Johnstone was also coming off a career best season and with the loss of Shane Woewodin (traded) and Stephen Powell (allowed to leave due to salary cap pressure) he was also vulnerable despite the recruitment of Essendon premiership player Chris Heffernan.
Melbourne started the season at 17-1 for the premiership, $1.66 for the top eight and $21 for the wooden spoon. Pundits variously ranked Melbourne between 4th (Tim Watson) and 14th (Caroline Wilson).
The Demons won in Round 1 before collapsing towards the bottom of the ladder. It was the third consecutive time under Neale Daniher that the Demons had shown promise in the finals the year before then fell apart the next year.
From 2-1 after three rounds a 5 match losing streak spelt the end for season 2003. After the Round 6 loss to West Coast president Gabriel Szondy suggested that Neale Daniher had to improve the side's performance or might face the consequences. After the Queen's Birthday thrashing at the hands of Collingwood, Daniher was forced into a team meeting where he told the players he was putting too much pressure on them. CEO Ray Ellis was also moved to email members with an apology for the performance and a promise of a review of the football department. Melbourne lost by 70 points the next week.
Two wins in the middle of the year took the pressure off a bit, but they then lost their last seven matches of the season. Fan anger peaked after the Round 19 loss to Geelong, with several supporters remonstrating with the team and coaching staff as they left the ground. The club were forced to refute suggestions that they were trying to play for a priority pick, but by winning just five games for the season Melbourne did 'earn' a priority pick (selection 3 - Colin Sylvia in the 2003 National Draft.
On-field highlights were few and far between, but David Neitz managed to kick 65 goals, just ten down from his haul in a much better 2002 season. Clint Bizzell also adapted well to his new role as a running defender after crossing from Geelong. James McDonald and Russell Robertson also had their best years - Robertson eventually rewarded with the best and fairest - but the side lacked key defenders or big bodied forwards to help Neitz out.
Adem Yze played every game but carried injuries and had an ordinary season, while Travis Johnstone followed a career best year with a disappointing season that had some questioning his interest in playing AFL football. Chris Lamb couldn't get a game despite the need for tall defenders, Peter Vardy saw his season destroyed by injuries and the recruitment of Gary Moorcroft from Essendon was a failure.
Having seen his side follow a good year with bad for the third time, Neale Daniher said "It's a very disappointing season. It's a very, very disappointing season, but we've been able to at least start to blood some key position players that we're desperate for and I'm sure they'll all get better in 2004."
Gabriel Szondy resigned as president and annoited Paul Gardner as his successor. Gardner's election was confirmed at that year's board elections when seven of 13 candidates supported him.
The club lost $2.2 million for the year. Attendances fell $300k below expectation, gaming revenue dropped $150k, and corporate function revenue was down $100,000. It was also revealed that the club owed the tax department $1.2 million in back taxes and interest after failing to pay tax for three years. It was believed that the unpaid tax bills had been missed by several administrations and auditors before being discovered in the bottom of a drawer by financial officer Rob Ewart after he had taken on the role.
A bizarre business deal with a builder and passionate Melbourne fan also cost the Demons a $400,000 windfall. He was constructing the Big Brother house and promised to give it to the club when the series was finished. Melbourne agreed to sell it to the Ten Network for almost half a million dollars. The builder, however, ran out of funds and - committed to the sale to Network Ten - Melbourne were forced to pay to finish construction. They didn't lose any money on the project but didn't make them the expected cash.
At the end of the season Daniel Breese, Luke Molan, Gary Moorcroft and Aaron Rogers were delisted. Craig Ellis and Andrew Leoncelli retired.
Practice Matches
| Opposition | Result | ||||
| Sydney | LOSS | ||||
| West Coast | LOSS | ||||
Wizard Cup
| Round | Opposition | Result | |||
| 1 | Richmond | WIN | |||
| QF | North Melbourne | LOSS | |||
Premiership Season
| Round | Opposition | Result | |||
| 1 | Hawthorn | WIN | |||
| 2 | Essendon | LOSS | |||
| 3 | Western Bulldogs | WIN | |||
| 4 | Geelong | LOSS | |||
| 5 | Sydney | LOSS | |||
| 6 | West Coast | LOSS | |||
| 7 | Port Adelaide | WIN | |||
| 8 | Richmond | LOSS | |||
| 9 | Fremantle | LOSS | |||
| 10 | Brisbane | LOSS | |||
| 11 | Collingwood | LOSS | |||
| 12 | Adelaide | LOSS | |||
| 13 | St. Kilda | WIN | |||
| 14 | Carlton | WIN | |||
| 15 | Kangaroos | LOSS | |||
| 16 | Hawthorn | LOSS | |||
| 17 | Essendon | LOSS | |||
| 18 | Western Bulldogs | LOSS | |||
| 19 | Geelong | LOSS | |||
| 20 | Port Adelaide | LOSS | |||
| 21 | West Coast | LOSS | |||
| 22 | Sydney | LOSS | |||
Ladder
| W | D | L | % | P | |
| Port Adelaide | 18 | 0 | 4 | 127.2 | 72 |
| Collingwood | 15 | 0 | 7 | 121.6 | 60 |
| Brisbane | 14 | 1 | 7 | 121.9 | 58 |
| Sydney | 14 | 0 | 8 | 115.0 | 56 |
| Fremantle | 14 | 0 | 8 | 103.1 | 56 |
| Adelaide | 13 | 0 | 9 | 120.5 | 52 |
| West Coast | 12 | 2 | 8 | 117.4 | 52 |
| Essendon | 13 | 0 | 9 | 111.7 | 52 |
| Hawthorn | 12 | 0 | 10 | 100.6 | 48 |
| Kangaroos | 11 | 1 | 10 | 98.3 | 46 |
| St. Kilda | 11 | 0 | 11 | 95.8 | 44 |
| Geelong | 7 | 1 | 14 | 89.8 | 30 |
| Richmond | 7 | 0 | 15 | 88.8 | 28 |
| Melbourne | 5 | 0 | 17 | 81.0 | 20 |
| Carlton | 4 | 0 | 18 | 66.7 | 16 |
| Western Bulldogs | 3 | 1 | 18 | 74.8 | 14 |
Senior List
| Number | Player | Games | Goals | ||
| 1 | Chris Heffernan | 20 | 7 | ||
| 2 | Steven Armstrong | 18 | 8 | ||
| 3 | Clint Bizzell | 22 | 6 | ||
| 6 | Scott Thompson | 13 | 5 | ||
| 7 | Gary Moorcroft | 3 | 2 | ||
| 8 | Alistair Nicholson | 10 | 0 | ||
| 9 | David Neitz | 22 | 65 | ||
| 10 | Daniel Ward | 20 | 3 | ||
| 11 | Darren Jolly | 19 | 4 | ||
| 13 | Adem Yze | 22 | 17 | ||
| 14 | Luke Molan | 0 | 0 | ||
| 15 | Nick Smith | 3 | 0 | ||
| 16 | Travis Johnstone | 16 | 10 | ||
| 18 | Brad Green | 21 | 35 | ||
| 19 | Peter Vardy | 9 | 5 | ||
| 21 | Daniel Bell | 0 | 0 | ||
| 23 | James McDonald | 21 | 4 | ||
| 24 | Russell Robertson | 22 | 41 | ||
| 25 | Nathan Brown | 19 | 6 | ||
| 26 | Luke Williams | 21 | 4 | ||
| 27 | Jared Rivers | 3 | 0 | ||
| 28 | Aaron Rogers | 0 | 0 | ||
| 29 | Chris Lamb | 3 | 0 | ||
| 30 | Simon Godfrey | 22 | 3 | ||
| 31 | Paul Wheatley | 5 | 1 | ||
| 32 | Cameron Bruce | 20 | 25 | ||
| 33 | Cameron Hunter | 2 | 0 | ||
| 34 | Jeff White | 16 | 9 | ||
| 35 | Ryan Ferguson | 17 | 1 | ||
| 36 | Andrew Leoncelli | 16 | 4 | ||
| 37 | Brad Miller | 16 | 1 | ||
| 38 | Daniel Breese | 0 | 0 | ||
| 40 | Mark Jamar | 9 | 2 | ||
| 42 | Peter Walsh | 16 | 5 | ||
| 43 | Guy Rigoni | 9 | 3 | ||
| 45 | Matthew Whelan | 22 | 4 | ||
Rookie List
| Number | Player | Games | Goals | ||
| 12 | Nicholas Walsh | 0 | 0 | ||
| 17 | Michael Clark | 0 | 0 | ||
| 39 | Ezra Poyas | 0 | 0 | ||
| 41 | Nathan Carroll | 7 | 0 | ||
| 44 | Adam Fisher | 0 | 0 | ||
| 46 | Dale Carson | 0 | 0 | ||
Best and Fairest
Five members of the match committee select the best five players each week and rate them out of 10.
| Player | Votes | ||||
| 1st | Russell Robertson | 267 | |||
| 2nd | James McDonald | 240 | |||
| 3rd | David Neitz | 198 | |||
| 4th | Clint Bizzell | 166 | |||
| 5th | Simon Godfrey | 165 | |||
| 6th | Cameron Bruce | 159 | |||
| 7th | Brad Green | 145 | |||
| 8th | Matthew Whelan | 141 | |||
| 9th | Nathan Brown | 139 | |||
| 10th | Adem Yze | 131 | |||
| 11th | Daniel Ward | 128 | |||
| 12th | Jeff White | 124 | |||
| 13th | Luke Williams | 85 | |||
| 14th | Chris Heffernan | 76 | |||
| 15th | Andrew Leoncelli | 71 | |||
| 16th | Guy Rigoni | 54 | |||
| 17th | Darren Jolly | 38 | |||
| 18th | Brad Miller | 32 | |||
| 19th | Travis Johnstone | 31 | |||
| 20th | Alistair Nicholson | 27 | |||
| 21st | Peter Walsh | 26 | |||
| 22nd | Nathan Carroll | 25 | |||
| 23rd | Scott Thompson | 23 | |||
| 24th | Steven Armstrong | 19 | |||
| 25th | Mark Jamar | 2 | |||
Other awards
Best team player - Matthew Whelan
Most improved player - Brad Miller
Most consistent player - Russell Robertson
Best clubman - Cameron Bruce
| Round | Player | Charge | Sanction | ||
| Round 4 | Adem Yze | Unduly Rough Play | Not guilty | ||
| Round 6 | Jeff White | Umpire contact | 1 match | ||
| Round 9 | James McDonald | Wrestling | $2500 fine | ||
| Round 16 | Brad Green | Stomping | Not Guilty | ||
| Round 16 | Matthew Whelan | Unduly Rough Play | Not Guilty | ||
VFL
Sandringham Zebras 2003 season
Coaching staff
Chris Fagan
Mark Riley
Brian Royal
Media
"Team countdown: Melbourne" - The Age 20/03/2003
"Demons reject lessons of the past" - 09/05/2003
"Mick's poke at gabby Dee boss" - Herald Sun 10/05/2003
"Report card 2003" - afl.com.au 04/09/2003
"Robertson takes home Bluey" - The Age 03/10/2003
"Demons face massive new tax bill" - The Age 10/12/2003
"More Demons back Gardner" - The Age 11/12/2003
"Demons lose on TV gamble" - The Age 19/12/2003