Round 7, 1979
Essendon vs Melbourne
Saturday 19 May
Venue: Windy Hill
Attendance: 21,426
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Final | |
| Essendon | 7.7 | 15.8 | 17.12 | 23.18.156 |
| Melbourne | 2.5 | 4.9 | 6.14 | 9.20.74 |
Essendon win by 82 points
Goalkickers: Graham Gaunt 3, Carl Ditterich 2, Michael Byrne 1, Stewart Gull 1, Robert Walters 1, Greg Wells 1
Milestones:
MFC Debut
Stewart Gull
Statistical categories led:
Equal biggest loss at Windy Hill
The Demons' defensive frailties were cruelly exposed by an Essendon side who went into half time looking they were going to rack up a league record score. With Melbourne's third quarters having traditionally been poor a lead of 65 points at the long break seemed to indicate that they were going to run away massive victors.
To their credit Melbourne dug in during the second half and minimised the damage but they were still beaten badly by a Bomber side playing entertaining, attacking football. The effort expended bringing the margin back slightly in the third term cost them in the last when they were overrun and the marks tally for the day - 116 to 54 - showed how badly they'd been beaten in the air.
Carl Ditterich said "We were second to the ball, our disposal was poor, our marking non-existent and we had no real strength. His day got worse when he was reported and suspended for two matches for striking.
The Demons were later fined $500 for sending Robert Elliott out in the number of his brother Glenn who was a last minute withdrawal. Phil Carman was also a late withdrawal through injury. Gerald Healy came into the squad despite battling flu all week, while Robert Walters came into the side late after playing in the Reserves and finished the day with a broken collarbone. With 17 players out before the withdrawals, Melbourne's injury crisis was so deep that Frank Davis, who had last played in 1973, had to sit on the bench in the Reserves just to make up numbers.
Best were Fowler, Ditterich and Flower
Reserves
Essendon 20.18.138 d. Melbourne 18.7.115
Goals - Flower 4, Code 3, Biffin 2, Dullard 2, Hutchison 2, Whitford 2, Clayton 1, Gordon 1, Smith 1
Best - Giles, Flower, Hutchison
Under 19s
Essendon 13.13.91 d. Melbourne 11.17.83
Goals - Logie 2, McKissick 2, Walters 2, Bardoel 1, Bickford 1, Durnan 1, Hope 1, Juliff 1
Best - Parish, Greene, Durnan
Video
Lists
Tribunal
Media
Age - 21/05/1979
Age - 24/05/1979
Canberra Times - 05/08/1979
Football Record R8 1979