Round 16, 1971
Melbourne vs Fitzroy
Saturday 17 July
Venue: MCG
Attendance: 20,013
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Final: | |
| Melbourne | 1.2 | 1.7 | 2.8 | 4.10.34 |
| Fitzroy | 2.4 | 4.4 | 5.6 | 7.7.49 |
Fitzroy win by 15 points
Goalkickers: Paul Callery 2, Lloyd Burgmann 1, John Tilbrook 1
Milestones:
Last Game
Peter Weekes
Having gotten their faltering season back on track with a win at Windy Hill, the Demons hosted mid-table Fitzroy in shocking conditions, hoping to further consolidate their place in the four.
Melbourne's kicking, especially in the forward line, was dire even considering the wet conditions and Fitzroy silenced the red and blue sections of the MCC crowd with superior teamwork.
The home team kicked the first goal of the day through John Tilbrook, back after a week off after suffering an injury in a blistering mid-week practice match a fortnight before, but their next didn't come until the eight minute mark of the third quarter.
The last quarter saw Melbourne put in a belated comeback but despite kicking two goals, doubling their tally for the day, they also kicked the ball out of bounds on the full four times when going forward and with tough away games against premiership contenders on the horizon were nearly written off as finals contenders by the media. They were left hanging on to a spot in the four on percentage with three teams below them all on 10 wins and six losses.
It was Melbourne's lowest score against Fitzroy since 1922.
Best were Biffin, Callery and Hodges. Dillon was replaced by Burgmann in the last quarter, and Sinclair (bruised thigh) by Weeks also in the last quarter.
Reserves
Melbourne 10.12 d. Fitzroy 9.12
Goals - Carr 6, Colcott 1, MacDonald 1, Ritterman 1, Theodore 1
Best -Carr, Lakes, MacDonald
Under 19s
Melbourne 13.14 d. Fitzroy 2.4
Goals - Taylor 7, Tesoriero 3, Cunningham 1, Moore 1, Thorneycroft 1
Best - Taylor, Harrold, Tassell
Media
Canberra Times - 17/07/1971
Age - 19/07/1971
Football Record R17 1971