Round 19, 1984
Melbourne vs Footscray
Saturday 11 August
Venue: MCG
Attendance: 18,091
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Final | |
| Melbourne | 1.4 | 6.8 | 7.12 | 15.13.103 |
| Footscray | 4.7 | 8.9 | 16.13 | 20.15.135 |
Footscray win by 32 points
Goalkickers: John Fidge 3, Chris Connolly 2, Roger Ellingworth 2, Greg Healy 2, Russell Richards 2, Bret Bailey 1, David Cordner 1, Frank Rugolo 1, Xavier Tanner 1
Brownlow Votes:
2 - Peter Moore
Milestones:
Nil
With the Dogs a game in front of them, but holding a better percentage, Melbourne could almost kiss their finals aspirations good-bye with a loss at home and when Robert Flower was ruled out with a knee injury their task became even more difficult.
Barassi was also missing Alan Johnson and Gerard Healy from his best side, but by now the wheels had well and truly fallen off at Melbourne, and Simon Beasley's seven goal haul helped Footscray almost officially put them out of finals calculations. Despite storming home with three goals in the first five minutes of the last term, and in total they were still beaten comfortably, thanks to conceding eight goals of their own in the third term, and Barassi lamented the lack of four quarter players in his team.
After tormenting his old side earlier in the year Kelvin Templeton was a shadow of his former self, missing two early kicks for goal from 40m with the second one not even making the distance. Luckily for him it was marked by John Fidge who kicked the first of his three goals. Templeton was dragged twice, to the audible relief of Demon fans the second time when he received Bronx cheers.
Other sides had been doing the Demons favours for weeks, but now with a loss to the Dogs and Geelong rediscovering their winning touch against the Swans, Melbourne dropped to two games outside the five with three matches remaining and even their superior percentage wasn't going to save them now. The next game would decide whether they still had a mathematical chance or not, but in reality most knew they were gone and that it would be another wasted year.
Barassi bemoaned that his side lacked the "inhuman quality" to rise above self-doubt, and said they were playing worse than when they lost five straight to open the year.
Video
Reserves
Footscray 24.16.160 d. Melbourne 10.15.73
Goals - Battiston 3, Hutchison 2, Hutchinson 1, Keenan 1, Reynolds 1, Tossol 1, Cox 1
Best - Durnan, Earley, Fidge
Under 19s
Melbourne 15.18.108 d. Footscray 5.7.37
Goals - Stoney 3, Chant 2, Paul McCarty 2, Lane 2, Grinter 1, McLean 1, Ward 1, Hannant 1, Cheung 1, Mazurek 1
Best - Paul McCarty, Bourke, Peter McCarty
Media
Age - 13/08/1984
Football Record R20 1984