Coach: Ivor Warne-Smith
Captain: Francis Vine
Finishing Position: 9th
Best and Fairest: n/a
Leading Goalkicker: George Margitich (60)
Best First Year Player: n/a
Matches | Ladder | Playing List | Seconds |
With Andrew Manzie retiring as secretary after 20 years of service, former player Charlie Streeter took on the job. He only served for one year before Melbourne lured Percy Page from Richmond to take over the job. The club set a fixed rate of payment for players of three pounds per game, the maximum allowed by the league.
Due to the MCG undergoing resurfacing works, and the fertiliser used on the ground a hazard to players, the Fuschias were forced to play their home games at the Motordrome until Round 6. They had already taken their pre-season training to a number of venues while it was unavailable.
In June, a combined team of Melbourne players, jockeys and cricketers played a charity match at Flinders Naval Base.
After finishing eighth in 1931 the club received applications from five non-playing and eight playing coaches before the season started. Despite re-advertising for a non-playing coach only they eventually stuck with Ivor Warne-Smith as playing coach. He beat 12 other applicants for the position.
At the end of the season one of the reasons given for the poor overall performance of the side throughout the year was that of 40 players on the senior list 39 of them had suffered injuries throughout the year. Warne-Smith resigned as coach.
Chairman Joe Blair said we have had some of the best small men in the league, but no small men can stand up to the heavy bumping they receive now without heavy men to stand up for them. He suggested the club would try and recruit more big men.
G. Sleight became one of Melbourne's VFL delegates, alongside Harry Parkin, but he only remained in the role for one year.
The reserves won their second consecutive premiership.
Premiership Season
Round | Opposition | Result | Score | ||
1 | South Melbourne | LOSS | 65-85 | ||
2 | Richmond | LOSS | 55-116 | ||
3 | Hawthorn | LOSS | 50-59 | ||
4 | Geelong | LOSS | 95-133 | ||
5 | North Melbourne | LOSS | 88-118 | ||
6 | Carlton | LOSS | 63-87 | ||
7 | Collingwood | LOSS | 83-101 | ||
8 | Footscray | LOSS | 27-67 | ||
9 | St. Kilda | WIN | 85-74 | ||
10 | Fitzroy | WIN | 102-90 | ||
11 | Essendon | WIN | 53-50 | ||
12 | South Melbourne | LOSS | 84-93 | ||
13 | Richmond | LOSS | 66-90 | ||
14 | Hawthorn | WIN | 76-72 | ||
15 | Geelong | LOSS | 43-104 | ||
16 | North Melbourne | LOSS | 93-118 | ||
17 | Carlton | LOSS | 63-105 | ||
18 | Collingwood | LOSS | 90-113 |
Ladder
W | D | L | % | P | |
Carlton | 15 | 0 | 3 | 137.8 | 60 |
Richmond | 14 | 1 | 3 | 139.2 | 58 |
Collingwood | 14 | 0 | 4 | 111.6 | 56 |
South Melbourne | 13 | 0 | 5 | 118.0 | 52 |
Geelong | 11 | 1 | 6 | 139.7 | 46 |
Essendon | 10 | 0 | 8 | 103.5 | 40 |
Footscray | 9 | 0 | 9 | 103.5 | 36 |
North Melbourne | 8 | 0 | 10 | 97.1 | 32 |
Melbourne | 4 | 0 | 14 | 76.5 | 16 |
Fitzroy | 3 | 0 | 15 | 76.2 | 12 |
St. Kilda | 3 | 0 | 15 | 72.0 | 12 |
Hawthorn | 3 | 0 | 15 | 64.1 | 12 |
Playing List
Number | Player | Games | Goals | ||
1 | Leo Nolan | 6 | 4 | ||
2 | Wyn Murray | 10 | 1 | ||
3 | George Margitich | 17 | 60 | ||
4 | Jim Abernethy | 9 | 1 | ||
5 | Bill Deague | 4 | 1 | ||
5 | Hec Davidson | 2 | 0 | ||
6 | Archie Roberts | 10 | 0 | ||
6 | Ted Esposito | 1 | 0 | ||
7 | Bert Avery | 15 | 1 | ||
8 | Bill Adams | 15 | 11 | ||
9 | Arthur Dickens | 13 | 7 | ||
10 | Geoff McInnes | 4 | 4 | ||
11 | Frank Smith | 2 | 0 | ||
11 | Terry Ogden | 3 | 0 | ||
12 | Ted Thomas | 3 | 0 | ||
12 | Alan Ryan | 9 | 0 | ||
13 | Joe Hogan | 1 | 0 | ||
14 | Ivor Warne-Smith | 13 | 14 | ||
14 | Jack Richardson | 1 | 0 | ||
15 | Tom McMahon | 2 | 0 | ||
16 | Robert C Johnson | 7 | 14 | ||
17 | Joe Kinnear | 15 | 0 | ||
18 | Don Hooper | 13 | 11 | ||
19 | Edwin Pemberton | 9 | 1 | ||
20 | Harry Long | 17 | 4 | ||
21 | Bill Vanthoff | 12 | 13 | ||
22 | Reg Conole | 13 | 2 | ||
23 | Francis Vine | 18 | 1 | ||
24 | Percy Beames | 16 | 7 | ||
25 | Bill Earle | 9 | 0 | ||
26 | Lou Riley | 8 | 15 | ||
27 | Bill Tymms | 7 | 1 | ||
28 | Webber Jackson | 3 | 0 | ||
29 | Jimmy Davidson | 17 | 5 | ||
30 | Dan Cunningham | 1 | 0 | ||
30 | Howard Steel | 2 | 1 | ||
31 | Jack Power | 2 | 0 | ||
32 | Gordon Ogden | 12 | 0 | ||
33 | Ron Rutherford | 1 | 1 | ||
34 | Ray Usher | 15 | 0 | ||
35 | Ike Sellers | 2 | 0 | ||
38 | Jim Moodie | 1 | 0 | ||
40 | Jack Pickford | 2 | 0 |
Awards
Best Clubman - George Margitich, Bert Avery, George Margitich
Most regular and attentive player at training - Jack Davidson
Most useful player - Jack Davidson
Most Consistent - Francis Vine
Tribunal
Round | Player | Charge | Sanction | ||
Round 17 | Bert Avery | Violently Pushing | Guilty |
Seconds
1932 Seconds season
Finals
Round | Opposition | Result | |||
SF | Geelong | WIN | |||
GF | Essendon | WIN |
Notes
Many sources show Warne-Smith as captain-coach, but he was a playing coach with Vine as captain.
Media
Argus 11/02/1932
Herald - 16/02/1932
Age - 08/03/1932
Herald - 29/04/1932
Herald - 23/05/1932
Hera;d - 24/06/1932
Argus - 05/09/1932
[https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/243036065|Herald] - 09/09/1932
Sporting Globe - 10/09/1932
Argus - 20/12/1932
Referee - 28/12/1932