Coach: Norm Smith
Captain: Hassa Mann
Finishing Position: 7th
Best and Fairest: John Townsend
Leading Goalkicker: John Townsend (34)
Best First Year Player: John Townsend

Matches

Ladder

Playing List

Night Series

Best and Fairest

Reserves

Under 19s

After a traumatic off-season where premiership success was followed by Ron Barassi defecting to Carlton and the drawn out clearance saga that followed, the Demons lined up with Hassa Mann as their new skipper, seemingly ready to continue the success which the side had enjoyed over the last decade.

In a season where St Kilda and North Melbourne moved into new grounds, the Demons had competition at the MCG for the first time when Richmond moved into the ground as co-tenants. The Tigers move tested the loyalty of MCC members for the first time and it soon became clear that many would prefer to sit in their usual seat and watch the Tigers than travel to grounds like Moorabbin or the Lake Oval to watch Melbourne.

An attempt to play a practice match against South Adelaide at the MCG on April 10 was rejected by VFL league delegates, but with the SANFL having no problems about the two sides meeting the reigning premiers of Australia's premier competitions played off against each other in Adelaide instead. Melbourne won comfortably and became the unofficial 'champions of Australia'.

A VFL plan to introduce country zones was defeated when 10 of 16 affiliated country leagues voted against the move.

Despite winning the first eight matches of the season the Demons were well down on their performance of 1964. In the first four weeks of the season they had three narrow victories over sides they should have thrashed. It was only when they picked up a scrappy victory at Kardinia Park in Round 5 that confidence amongst journalists was restored. Another scrappy win the next week over the Magpies left them undefeated after six rounds.

Norm Smith was sensationally sacked after Round 12 when his issues with the committee came to a head and he was sacked by letter. Checker Hughes was brought out of coaching retirement to look after the team for the Round 13 match against North Melbourne at Coburg Oval (Melbourne's only match at the ground) but Smith was reinstated for the next match.

Despite winning their first match after Smith's reinstatement the Demons fell apart and only won one more match for the season. Four losses to finish the year saw them finish 7th, and a last round defeat to the Bulldogs which helped Footscray avoid the wooden spoon was a last cruel blow in a year where after the side's first eight wins they were the worst performing side in the league.

Playing in their first night series with just teams who hadn't made the top four the Demons were knocked out in the first round by Carlton.

The club suffered its first financial loss for many years, with a £5,733 shortfall.

Melbourne's VFL delegates were Arthur King and Tom Trumble.

Practice Matches

Opposition	Result	Score
Ballarat	WIN	194-1
South Adelaide	WIN	126-53

Premiership Season

Round	Opposition	Result	Score
1	Richmond	WIN	47-41
2	North Melbourne	WIN	80-72
3	Fitzroy	WIN	109-58
4	South Melbourne	WIN	80-77
5	Geelong	WIN	69-55
6	Collingwood	WIN	49-47
7	Footscray	WIN	69-65
8	Carlton	WIN	95-58
9	St. Kilda	LOSS	61-122
10	Essendon	LOSS	42-71
11	Hawthorn	WIN	125-67
12	Richmond	LOSS	60-66
13	North Melbourne	LOSS	60-81
14	Fitzroy	WIN	83-81
15	South Melbourne	LOSS	39-78
16	Geelong	LOSS	73-107
17	Collingwood	LOSS	52-94
18	Footscray	LOSS	72-75

Ladder

	W	D	L	%	P
St. Kilda	14	0	4	136.3	56
Collingwood	13	0	5	130.2	52
Geelong	13	0	5	121.2	52
Essendon	12	0	6	132.9	48
Richmond	10	0	8	125.0	40
Carlton	10	0	8	110.7	40
Melbourne	10	0	8	96.2	40
South Melbourne	9	0	9	89.4	36
North Melbourne	5	0	13	80.8	20
Footscray	4	0	14	77.1	16
Fitzroy	4	0	14	70.5	16
Hawthorn	4	0	14	68.9	16

Practice Matches

Opposition	Result	Score
East Fremantle	LOSS	76-80

Playing List

Number	Player	Games	Goals
1	Rob Foster	3	4
4	John Lord	14	22
5	Neil Crompton	15	0
6	Frank Davis	18	0
8	Tassie Johnson	17	1
9	Brian Dixon	13	1
10	Ken Emselle	17	22
11	Tony Anderson	10	2
12	Hugh Bromell	13	4
14	Barry Bourke	12	6
15	Stan Alves	12	1
16	John Townsend	18	34
17	Graeme Watson	5	1
18	Brian Roet	5	0
20	Graeme Jacobs	14	12
21	Brian Leahy	1	0
22	Bryan Kenneally	18	11
23	Graham Wise	17	0
25	Kerry Rattray	6	6
26	Frank Vearing	5	1
27	Robin Andrew	1	1
28	David Robbie	9	1
29	Hassa Mann	14	9
30	Ken Rowe	8	0
31	Ray Groom	8	2
32	Barrie Vagg	17	30
33	Robert Miller	16	0
35	Don Williams	17	1
36	Peter McLean	18	1
37	Bernie Massey	7	0
38	Jim Leitch	10	7
40	Rick Feldmann	1	0
48	Bob Gormly	1	0

Night Series

Round	Opposition	Result	Score
1	Carlton	LOSS	60-136

Exhibition Match

Opposition	Result
East Fremantle	LOSS	76-80

Best and Fairest

	Player
1st	John Townsend
2nd	Hassa Mann
3rd	Brian Dixon
4th	Ken Emselle
5th	Don Williams

Other Awards
Outstanding Service - Ken Emselle, Don Williams

Reserves

1965 Reserves Season

Best and Fairest - Frank Vearing
Best and Fairest - David Robbie
Outstanding Service - Rob Foster, Ken Rowe, John Quirk

Under 19s

1965 Under 19's Season

Captain - Bob Stewart
Best and Fairest - Bob Stewart
Second Best and Fairest - A. Mars
Outstanding Service - Neville Stone, M. Nash
Best Clubman - John Callery

Early in the season the Under 19's forfeited the points from two games for fielding ineligible players, but by the end of the year all their wins were credited on the ladder.

Fourths

Best and Fairest - Greg Smith
Second Best and Fairest - Bob Stone
Outstanding Service - D. Leahy, D. King, E. Feldmen

Notes
A practice match against Essendon in September was proposed but doesn't appear to have been played.

Media
Age - 06/02/1965
Age - 18/03/1965