Saturday May 28 - MCG
Crowd: 1500
South Adelaide 2.2, 2.2, 5.4, 7.7
Melbourne 0.1, 4.6, 5.7, 5.9
Goalkickers: Patrick O'Dea 2, Sheehan 1, Wilson 1, Connolly 1
During their tour of Victoria, South Adelaide also played Horsham, Ballarat, Carlton and Essendon. Their visit to the MCG was marked with wretched weather before the match which reduced the attendance to a pittance of what it might otherwise have been, and turned the ground into a quagmire. Most of the games to be played on lesser grounds were cancelled due to the conditions.
South had been in great form at home, winning one game against the Adelaide club by 21.18 to nothing and Melbourne were weakened by a number of players who were originally named in the team (below) including Harry Graham, Herbert Fry, one of the McKenzies, Lew Massey and O'Loughlin.
Melbourne kicked up hill against the breeze in the first quarter after losing the toss, and South quickly had them on the back foot defending grimly. Alf Healing was equal to the task and was his side's best defender early on.
With the ball not yet having become heavy or greasy both teams tried strenuously to get their first goal on the board and the visitors struck first. Melbourne missed easy chances are were punished when South scored again.
Two goals behind after 10 minutes, Melbourne's chance of using the wind and the slope of the ground to their advantage in the second term was ruined when a heavy downpour hit but conditions ended up suiting Melbourne far better and then piled on four goals to take a lead into half time.
During the interval the rain stopped and the sun came out. South Adelaide were encouraged and started the third quarter with plenty of energy. They missed early chances, and were repelled on numerous occasions by Healing and Lorrain. The defenders would clear the ball to the middle of the ground where it would be caught up in one of a number of increasingly rough scrimmages which the umpire was not interested in breaking up.
Eventually the visitors broke free of the packs to get the two goals they needed to equalise. Without Harry Graham up front Melbourne were rudderless in attack and spurned a number of chances. South took the lead before Melbourne finally got one right courtesy of Kelly to even up the game going into the last quarter.
The play in the last quarter was even but South got the first two goals to build an insurmountable lead. Melbourne failed to score but fought to the finish admirably.
Selected team
Aitken, Connelly, Dobson, Eddie Fox, Herbert Fry, Harry Graham, J. Graham, Hallett, Alf Healing, Howes, Kelly, Keogh, Austin Lewis, Lew Massey, McRaile, McKenzie, McKenzie, Moore, Patrick O'Dea, Ramsay, Sheahan, Sharp, Toms, Wiseman, Wilson
Carlton's Jack Lorraine was one of the replacements.
Notes
Melbourne Punch has Connolly as a goalscorer, not Wilson. Some sources have Kelly instead of Connolly.
Media
Argus - 28/05/1892
Argus - 30/05/1892
Express and Telegraph - 30/05/1892
Leader - 04/06/1892
Adelaide Observer - 04/06/1892
South Australian Chronicle - 11/06/1892