Round 3, 1997
Sydney vs Melbourne
Friday 11 April
Venue: SCG
Attendance: 23,598
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Final | |
| Sydney | 6.3 | 11.4 | 13.6 | 15.9.99 |
| Melbourne | 2.4 | 7.4 | 13.5 | 14.7.91 |
Sydney win by 8 points
Goalkickers: David Neitz 3, Glenn Lovett 2, Garry Lyon 2, Adem Yze 2, Alastair Clarkson 1, Jeff Farmer 1, Leigh Newton 1, Robert Pyman 1, Todd Viney 1
Brownlow Votes:
3 - Robert Pyman
Milestones:
First game and first goal
Leigh Newton
MFC Debut
Nick Pesch
200 games
Garry Lyon
Coming off a Grand Final defeat, the Swans' opening home game took on a marquee rugby league match at the nearby Sydney Football Stadium for the first time. In Melbourne's first non-Sunday game in Sydney, the Super League State of Origin game between New South Wales and Queensland won the attendance battle courtesy of a raft of free tickets, including offering them to people queing for the AFL game.
When the visitors trailed by 41 points in the second quarter, it looked like a repeat of their triple-figure loss the previous week, before a fightback cut the margin to four goals at half time, despite losing Shaun Smith with concussion after an accidental collision with Jim Stynes. In his 200th game, Garry Lyon was far from 100% fit but led
After a thrashing the previous week, Melbourne looked set for more of the same when they trailed by 41 during the second quarter. A fightback cut the margin to four goals at half time, and one point at the last change. By three quarter time the margin was a point, but the Demons were running out of bench players. Nick Pesch missed much of the second half with a thigh injury, and Andrew Leoncelli needed precautionary x-rays after a neck injury and possible concussion.
The game was in the balance for the first 15 minutes of the last quarter until the home side goalled to extend the lead to seven points. Melbourne had run out of legs, but Neil Balme refused to blame injuries, saying "I felt we had enough opportunities to win the game". He was more scathing of a fourth quarter free kick against Lyon when trying to shepherd a Craig Nettelbeck shot through the goal. Balme said he hadn't seen a free kick paid like that "since 1959, I reckon". A fortnight after beating the reigning premier in Round 1, Melbourne ended the week bottom of the AFL ladder.
Leigh Newton's goal came with his first kick in league football.
Stephen Tingay was replaced in the selected side by Adem Yze after suffering a rib injury, while Shaun Smith (knee and concussion), Nick Pesch (thigh) and Andrew Leoncelli (neck and concussion) were injured during the match. Former Demon Kevin Dyson was a late withdrawal to face his old side due to flu.
Best were G. Lovett, Stynes and B. Lovett.
Video
Reserves
Sydney 12.16.88 d. Melbourne 13.5.83
Goals - Nicholson 4, Bradly 3, Robertson 2, Irving 1, Kowal 1, Cockatoo-Collins 1, Gardiner 1, Physick 1
Best - Irving, Bassett, Nicholson
Lists
Goal with their first kick
Media
Age - 11/04/1997, 12/04/1997, 16/04/1997
Sydney Morning Herald - 12/04/1997
Football Record - R4 1997