Coach: Allan La Fontaine
Captain: Denis Cordner
Finishing Position: 12th (Last)
Best and Fairest: Noel McMahen
Leading Goalkicker: Bob McKenzie (40)
Best First Year Player: John Beckwith

Matches

Ladder

Playing List

Best and Fairest

Lightning Premiership

Seconds

Thirds

Having lost many of his best players from 1950, including the entire backline, its first ruck and star rover, Melbourne declared 1951 to be a rebuilding year.

With the youngest MFC side in years at his disposal Allan La Fontaine blooded 18 first year players in his last season as coach, many of which would play an important part in their resurgence later in the decade. Only six of the 1948 premiership team remained, and it took until round 7 for the Demons to send out a side without a first game player.

The 103 point round 9 loss to Footscray was the club's worst in 32 years and the fans turned on their players and coaching staff with a vengeance. Secretary Jim Cardwell was forced to hose down rumours of a rift between La Fontaine and his players, but it was clear that not all was well at the club. A player anonymously contacted a newspaper with an off-the-record defence of his side, claiming that their form was due to training on an MCG surface that he been a quagmire all season. The club had to hose down rumours of dissension amongst players in the press.

Despite the poor performance in games that mattered the Demons did well in that season's Lightning Premiership, losing the final to Collingwood in extra time.

With the club rock bottom last, Cardwell made a mid-season approach to Norm Smith asking him to return as coach. Smith refused to discuss the issue before the end of the year but left the prospect of a comeback open.

Melbourne finished three games last, their fifth wooden spoon being the first since 1923. For the second time the coaching vote came down to La Fontaine vs Smith, and in a twist of fate this time it was Smith who the role by a solitary vote.

Before the start of the season the VFL altered permit rules to allow players to join any league club where their father had played more than 50 games.

Melbourne's VFL delegates were Bert Chadwick and Wally Scott.

Premiership Season

Round	Opposition	Result	Score
1	Essendon	LOSS	76-86
2	Collingwood	LOSS	57-106
3	Fitzroy	LOSS	60-84
4	St. Kilda	LOSS	91-98
5	South Melbourne	LOSS	78-96
6	Carlton	WIN	78-58
7	Richmond	LOSS	67-81
8	North Melbourne	LOSS	48-93
9	Footscray	LOSS	49-152
10	Geelong	LOSS	49-84
11	Hawthorn	LOSS	86-120
12	Essendon	LOSS	54-74
13	Collingwood	LOSS	82-129
14	Fitzroy	LOSS	45-69
15	St. Kilda	LOSS	48-60
16	South Melbourne	LOSS	106-125
17	Carlton	LOSS	61-106
18	Richmond	LOSS	95-124

Ladder

	W	D	L	%	P
Geelong	14	0	4	135.4	56
Collingwood	14	0	4	125.6	56
Essendon	13	0	5	121.2	52
Footscray	12	0	6	113.0	48
Fitzroy	10	2	6	105.2	44
Richmond	10	0	8	116.9	40
Carlton	8	1	9	107.0	34
South Melbourne	8	1	9	93.0	34
North Melbourne	7	0	11	85.4	28
St. Kilda	5	0	13	82.2	20
Hawthorn	4	0	14	75.0	16
Melbourne	1	0	17	70.5	4

Lightning Premiership

Round	Opponent	Result	Score
1	Hawthorn	WIN	4-1
QF	Footscray	WIN	8-0
SF	Richmond	WIN	20-14
F	Collingwood	LOSS	12-6

Playing List

Number	Player	Games	Goals
1	Denis Cordner	16	7
2	Bob McKenzie	14	40
3	Geoff Collins	14	0
4	Ken Christie	10	6
5	Ian McLean	7	0
6	Kevin Webb	4	4
7	Eddie Jackson	17	1
8	Doug Heywood	10	1
9	Alan Daly	7	3
10	Lance Arnold	18	0
12	Stuart Spencer	13	14
13	Alan Krause	3	1
14	Robert B Johnson	12	0
15	Geoff Mason	4	0
15	Ralph Lane	8	0
15	Terry Pierce	1	0
16	George Bickford	16	4
17	Geoff McGivern	12	4
18	Nevin Paynter	4	0
19	Colin Love	6	5
20	Tom McLean	11	1
21	John Cordner	6	0
22	John Ferguson	2	0
23	George O'Keeffe	9	1
24	Ray Hutchins	4	0
25	Ron McMahon	5	1
26	Noel Clarke	13	25
27	Bob Rowse	6	0
28	Bill Smeaton	11	20
29	Ken McKaige	6	0
30	John Beckwith	15	11
32	Len Dockett	10	4
33	Jack Thomson	17	14
34	Ralph Lane	8	0
35	Noel McMahen	18	1
36	Keith Robinson	15	0
37	Mike Woods	16	2

Best and Fairest

	Player
1st	Noel McMahen
2nd	Lance Arnold
3rd	Denis Cordner

Other Awards
Most Improved - Stuart Spencer
Outstanding service - Geoff Collins, Eddie Jackson
Special trophy - Keith Robinson
Tribunal

Round	Player	Charge	Sanction
Round 15	George O'Keeffe	Attempted Striking	2 matches
Round 15	Bob McKenzie	Striking	4 matches

Seconds

1951 Seconds season

	W	D	L	%	P
Essendon	16	0	2	185.8	64
Carlton	13	0	5	113.1	52
Footscray	12	1	5	128.3	50
Geelong	11	2	5	130.8	48
Richmond	11	0	7	121.0	44
St Kilda	9	0	9	98.1	36
North Melbourne	8	1	9	104.1	34
Collingwood	8	0	10	105.2	32
South Melbourne	7	0	11	79.1	28
Melbourne	6	0	12	82.3	24
Fitzroy	3	1	14	67.3	14
Hawthorn	1	1	16	57.8	6

Thirds

1951 Thirds season
Captain - Tom Ferguson
Best and Fairest - Ken McKay

	W	D	L	%	P
Essendon	15	0	1	60
Carlton	14	1	1	58
North Melbourne	14	0	2	56
Richmond	9	1	6	38
Geelong	9	0	7	36
Collingwood	8	1	7	34
Footscray	7	2	7	34
Fitzroy	7	0	9	30
Melbourne	4	1	11	18
St Kilda	3	1	12	16
Hawthorn	2	1	13	14
South Melbourne	1	0	15	4

Notes
For Thirds ladder, draw total shows abandoned matches as draws for Carlton, Richmond, Footscray (one of two), Melbourne, St Kilda and Hawthorn.

A Dan Sullivan may have been on the committee.

Media
Argus - 22/03/1951
Argus - 27/06/1951
Sporting Globe - 30/06/1951