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
Melbourne's defensive frailties were exposed by Essendon, who looked set for a massive score when they finished the first half on 15 goals. The third quarter had been Melbourne's worst all year, but they managed to slow the home side down and shave a point off the lead by the final change. They were unable to contain opposition playing entertaining, attacking football, and were outmarked 116 to 54 for the day.
Carl Ditterich was well beaten by Peter Keenan, and said "We were second to the ball, our disposal was poor, our marking non-existent and we had no real strength". Disappointed by his players, Ditterich promised that coaches would "go back to teaching them the basic skills". It was a dirty day all round for the playing coach, reported for striking Peter Bennett with a right forearm to the head in the second quarter. He claimed to have been raising his arm to shepherd for Melbourne debutante Stewart Gull, and was confident that video evidence would see the charges being dismissed. The Tribunal saw it differently, outing him for two matches. Bennett said his black eye was from another incident League rules meant he wouldn't be able to enter the rooms as coach while suspended, and Melbourne secretary Ray Manley said that the club would request an alteration but they were unable to change the rules before Round 8, leaving Frank Davis to coach.
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.
Notes
Sunday Press shows the crowd as 18,568.
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
Sunday Press - 20/05/1979
Age - 21/05/1979, 24/05/1979
Sun - 23/05/1979
Canberra Times - 05/08/1979
Football Record - R8 1979