Round 14, 1953
Melbourne vs North Melbourne
Saturday 1 August
Venue: MCG
Attendance: 13,768
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Final | |
| Melbourne | 2.4 | 6.6 | 6.7 | 9.13.67 |
| North Melbourne | 2.6 | 3.9 | 6.16 | 8.16.64 |
Melbourne win by 3 points
Goalkickers: Bob McKenzie 4, Peter Schofield 2, Frank Adams 1, Denis Cordner 1, Jack Thomson 1
Milestones:
First game and First goal
Frank Adams
After eight weeks without a win, the Demons finally struck gold in a thrilling match. They were forced to fight back from a three quarter time deficit, but were lifted to victory after introducing quicker small men to the side. For the second straight week their opposition had more scoring shots but were wasteful, with the difference that this time it allowed Melbourne to sneak home with a thrilling victory.
Still with a chance of finals, North was lethargic early, and tried to play a slow, marking game that played into the home side's strengths. When Melbourne went into half time 15 points up North reshuffled nearly their side and started to play in the open. The moves paid dividends in the third quarter as they retook the lead. It took until the last quarter for the Demons to spark again, blanketing North's attack and gradually reducing the gap. All four goals to Bob McKenzie came in the first half before he was shut out of the game, but his teammates lifted. Scores were level until Melbourne kicked three behinds late to win.
Best were Beckwith, Spencer and Williams. The 19th and 20th men were not used.
Seconds
North Melbourne 15.18 d. Melbourne 11.15
Goals - Anderson 5, Unknown 6
Best - Hayes, Anderson, Case
Thirds
Melbourne 5.9 d. North Melbourne 3.4
Media
Age - 31/07/1953, 01/08/1953
Argus - 03/08/1953
Herald - 03/08/1953
Sun - 03/08/1953
Football Record - R15 1953