Round 15, 1957
Melbourne vs Hawthorn
Saturday 3 August
Venue: MCG
Attendance: 32,163
1st | 2nd | 3rd | Final
| |
| Melbourne | 2.2 | 5.7 | 6.11 | 8.18.66 |
| Hawthorn | 3.9 | 3.10 | 7.13 | 10.13.73 |
Hawthorn win by 7 points
Goalkickers: Ian Ridley 3, Geoff Tunbridge 2, Frank Adams 1, Robert B Johnson 1, Ian McLean 1
Milestones:
Nil
The Demons found themselves a game and a half clear at the top of the ladder with the end of the season approaching, but for the second time in 1957 they lost to Hawthorn.
In the first quarter the Hawks were the inaccurate side with the wind, kicking three goals from 12 scoring shots, but as the game wore on they found their range while Melbourne struggled. In the tense last quarter they managed just 1.7 and it was their undoing.
Hawthorn got the first goal of the last quarter, but Melbourne took the lead and held it until time-on when a Roy Simmonds kick broke at right angles and bounced through for a goal. They followed up with another goal a minute later, and a late effort from Geoff Tunbridge only registered a point.
The Hawks had gained an advantage by sending captain John Kennedy to shadow Bob Johnson in the ruck and up-forward, and he sacrificed his game to ensure that Johnson wouldn't have any impact. For a time the Demons capitalised on the focus on Johnson and used Peter Marquis as a 'third man up' to win taps but couldn't sustain it into the second half.
Despite their first loss at the MCG for two years the Demons retained top spot courtesy of Carlton also suffering defeat. However they were not only now a chance of conceding the double chances, but were not yet confirmed as a top four side.
Best were Beckwith, Wilson and Tunbridge. Barassi (cramp) was replaced by Fenton-Smith in the last quarter.
Seconds
Hawthorn 10.7 d. Melbourne 7.16
Goals - Burrows 2, Lay 2, Unknown 3
Best - Mountain, Pinfold, Hayes
Thirds
Hawthorn 16.11 d. Melbourne 3.1
Media
"Hawks fight back to snatch win" - The Age 05/08/1957
Football Record R16 1957