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Round 1 1979

Round 1, 1979
Melbourne vs Footscray
Saturday 7 April
Venue: MCG
Attendance: 24,133

1st2nd3rdFinal
Melbourne7.312.713.1018.17.125
Footscray4.57.1113.1316.17.113
Match Statistics


Melbourne win by 12 points

Goalkickers: Garry Baker 3, Shane Fitzsimmons 3, Robert Flower 2, Graham Gaunt 2, Andrew Moir 2, Greg Wells 2, Phil Carman 1, Henry Coles 1, Carl Ditterich 1, Glenn Elliott 1

Milestones:
First Game
Gerard Healy
Tony Martyn

First MFC Game
Phil Carman
Glenn Elliott

First Game as Coach
Carl Ditterich

Last Game
Ken Roberts

In the pre-season Carl Ditterich had announced that his new side would make the finals in 1979. It was a bold claim for a team that won the wooden spoon in 1978, but for four quarters at the MCG it looked like they might just make it after all.

Three recruits, Phil Carman, Shane Grambeau and Glenn Elliott joined Ditterich and the selectors named two debutants in Tony Martyn and Gerard Healy.

The members gave the team a standing ovation at the end of the game, and for now nobody seemed too concerned that Footscray were one of the five sides the Demon had beaten in '78.

Glenn Elliott had a great game in the centre, and fellow debutant Phil Carman defied a lack of match fitness to come to life in the last quarter at centre half-forward.

There were still questions over the Melbourne lineup, and the defence still looked brittle in the first half. Kelvin Templeton kicked 5.4 against his future employers, but was quietened in the second half when Ditterich moved Steven Smith moved onto him.

26 minutes into the second quarter the Demons led by 34 points but the Dogs gradually fought back over the next two quarters.

Ditterich himself played a quality first game back at the Demons, but he was overshadowed by the man he tipped to win the Brownlow, Robert Flower. Both his goals were kicked after mazy runs through the Bulldog defence.

The paper thin backline would prove to be the Demons undoing multiple times throughout the season, but on this Saturday it held firm long enough to deliver the four points.

Flower, Ditterich and Smith were best. Garry Baker suffered a knee injury when he was kicked during the match and missed six matches.

Reserves
Footscray 18.19.127 d. Melbourne 18.17.125
Goals - Woodman 5, Code 2, Hunnibell 2, Walters 1, Gordon 1, Maynard 1, Begg 1, Wallace 1, McKeon 1, Johnston 1, Whitfort 1, Norsworthy 1
Best - Maynard, Gordon, Hunnibell
Reports - Walters (spitting in face of umpire)

Under 19s
Footscray 12.13.85 defeated Melbourne 8.4.62
Goals - Denko 3, Dickson 2, Bull 1, Juliffe 1, Stromjlani 1
Best - Parrish, Bardoel, Boyle

Media
Age - 09/04/1979
Football Record R2 1979

Created by Supermercado. Last Modification: Monday 02 September 2019 23:26:12 AEST by Supermercado. (Version 11)

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