Round 4, 1897
Melbourne vs St. Kilda
Saturday 29 May
Venue: MCG
Attendance: Unknown
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Final | |
| Melbourne | 2.3 | 6.6 | 7.7 | 11.10.76 |
| St. Kilda | 2.0 | 3.1 | 5.2 | 7.4.46 |
Melbourne win by 30 points
Goalkickers: George Moysey 3, Fred McGinis 2, George Moodie 2, Lew Massey 1, Bert Robinson 1, Alf Wood 1, Charlie Young 1
Milestones:
First VFL game against St Kilda
First game
Arthur Kirk
Lew Massey (also first goal)
John Timothee
First goal
Alf Wood (fourth game)
Melbourne's win over the winless visitors was considered the biggest VFL certainty of the day, but St Kilda offered much sterner resistance than was anticipated. After a dominant first half, Melbourne were unimpressive in registering their fourth straight victory, kicking two goals of their four in the second half just before the final bell.
In an open game, the difference between the two sides was Melbourne's finesse and quick handpassing which was superior to St Kilda's hard slog. The Reds won out in the end but St Kilda didn't disgrace themselves (especially considering that they wouldn't win a match for their first three seasons) in their best performance of the season.
Best were McGinis, Wood and Lewis. The victory left Melbourne as the league's only unbeaten team.
Media
Argus - 31/05/1897
Australasian - 05/06/1897
Prahran Telegraph - 05/06/1897
Leader - 05/06/1897