Round 17, 1979
Fitzroy vs Melbourne
Saturday, 28 July
Venue: Waverley
Attendance: 12,149
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Final | |
| Fitzroy | 7.7 | 14.14 | 26.17 | 36.22.238 |
| Melbourne | 2.1 | 2.5 | 4.8 | 6.12.48 |
Fitzroy win by 190 points
Goalkickers: Graham Gaunt 2, Ray Biffin 1, Jim Durnan 1, Gerard Healy 1, Peter Thorne 1
Milestones:
First Goal
Jim Durnan (6th game)
Statistical categories led:
Largest loss in a match, against Fitzroy and at Waverley
Highest score conceded
Biggest loss in Round 17
The ultimate humiliation. Fifteen years of finals free football saw Melbourne the laughing stock of football on many occasions but never had it got this bad. Beaten by the biggest margin in the history of VFL football, a record that will probably never be broken. It was at the time also the biggest score by a league side.
Carl Ditterich missed the game through an ankle injury but it probably wouldn't have helped if he was out there. The Demons were outclassed to an embarassing degree, and not surprisingly all the talk after the match was of Ron Barassi returning as senior coach. Robert Flower was also missing, and without them the Demons had nothing.
Bob Beecroft kicked 10 goals for Fitzroy, and it was only the Roys sharing of the goals that stopped somebody from booting 15 or 16. The Lions had kicked 12 between them in the third quarter to make the score embarassing, but the 10 in the last quarter pushed it into historic territory. With the match over in the first ten minutes interest only returned when it came down to a question of what records would fall.
In an era where possessions weren't given out as freely Garry Wilson racked up 42, and Warwick Irwin 36 in a display that saw him kick 5.5.
The score was the biggest loss in VFL/AFL history, and the highest score ever conceded by the Demons. At least the reserves had a big win!
Reserves
Melbourne 27.19.181 d. Fitzroy 7.14.56
Goals - Moir 7, Gull 4, O'Donnell 4, Woodman 3, Bardoel 2, Flower 2, Maynard 2, Dellamarta 1, Wallace 1, Whitfort 1
Best - Burn, Wallace, Elshaug
Under 19s
Fitzroy 17.15.117 d. Melbourne 14.19.97
Goals - Boyle 3, Bickford 2, Richards 2, Vanderheyden 2, Adams 1, Cochrane 1, Logie 1, Todd 1, Walters 1
Lists
Highest Scores Conceded
100 point losses
Media
Age - 30/07/1979
Football Record R18 1979