Round 16, 1957
St Kilda vs Melbourne
Saturday 10 August
Venue: Junction Oval
Attendance: 17,000
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Final | |
| St. Kilda | 0.0 | 0.2 | 1.3 | 1.5.11 |
| Melbourne | 1.5 | 4.6 | 6.7 | 6.13.49 |
Melbourne win by 38 points
Goalkickers: Athol Webb 4, Ian McLean 1, Geoff Tunbridge 1
Milestones:
50 Games
Clyde Laidlaw
A loss to Hawthorn the previous Saturday had left the Demons in some danger of losing top spot, but they officially ensured themselves of a spot in the finals and all but sealed their top-two double chance by keeping the Saints to one of the lowest scores in post-war league football.
Norm Smith sprung a selection surprise by moving Ron Barassi into the centre of the ground to try and free him from some of the close checking and tagging that he had suffered throughout the year. On the other side the Saints were badly injury hit.
Rain and a muddy ground didn't help, but it was still no excuse for only managing one goal in a day. The Demons adapted far better to the difficult conditions, handling the greasy ball with certainty while their opponents fumbled and fell over.
All six of Melbourne's goals came from snap shots, with three from Athol Webb during the second quarter the best period of attacking play for the day. Despite fighting a losing battle St Kilda's defenders never stop battling and held their opponents reasonably well.
Melbourne could have won by much more had they been more adept with their forward play, but their defenders were unbeatable and badly outclassed St Kilda's attackers.
Late in the game a brawl developed involving 10 players and five trainers. No charges were laid by the umpire or the league but two trainers claimed they were punched during the melee.
Best were Beckwith, Case and Tunbridge. Both Laidlaw (thigh) and Mithen (ankle) were replaced with injuries before half-time, Laidlaw in the first five minutes. They were replaced by Fenton-Smith and Brenchley respectively.
Seconds
St Kilda 9.11 d. Melbourne 8.15
Goals - Wilkinson 3, Dudley 2
Best - K. Mithen, Lord, Jones
Thirds
St Kilda 15.14 d. Melbourne 2.6
Lists
Scoreless first quarters
Media
Age - 09/08/1957
Age - 12/08/1957
Age - 13/08/1957
Football Record R17 1957