Coach: Norm Smith
Captain: John Beckwith
Finishing Position: 1st (Premiers)
Best and Fairest: Laurie Mithen
Leading Goalkicker: Ron Barassi / Athol Webb (44)
Best First Year Player: Hassa Mann
| Matches | Ladder | Playing List | Best and Fairest | Seconds | Thirds |
In response to their Grand Final loss to Collingwood the year before, the players set out to increase their fitness. Frank Adams, an Australian sprint champion, schooled the players in running and strength training was carried out under the auspices of Austrian athletic coach Franz Stampfl - the man who had helped Roger Bannister beat the four minute mile.
They used 27 players for the year, equalling 1956 as the least of any Melbourne season.
Melbourne's VFL delegates were Bert Chadwick and Richard Taylor. The start time for matches was moved back 15 minutes to 2.30pm to accomodate Seconds games being played as curtain raisers.
At the end of season premiership dinner, Norm Smith said "I am very proud of you players. You are wonderful the way you accept what I hand out. At time I am tactless. At times I hurt players. I don't mean to hurt you, but to stir you to the maximum team effort."
At the end of the season the Demons played an exhibition match against Port Adelaide, premiers of the South Australian league. They then had an end of season trip to the Gold Coast.
Premiership Season
| Round | Opposition | Result | |||
| 1 | Richmond | WIN | |||
| 2 | Collingwood | WIN | |||
| 3 | Fitzroy | LOSS | |||
| 4 | Footscray | WIN | |||
| 5 | Carlton | LOSS | |||
| 6 | Geelong | WIN | |||
| 7 | South Melbourne | WIN | |||
| 8 | Essendon | WIN | |||
| 9 | Hawthorn | WIN | |||
| 10 | St. Kilda | WIN | |||
| 11 | North Melbourne | WIN | |||
| 12 | Richmond | WIN | |||
| 13 | Collingwood | LOSS | |||
| 14 | Fitzroy | DRAW | |||
| 15 | Footscray | LOSS | |||
| 16 | Carlton | WIN | |||
| 17 | Geelong | WIN | |||
| 18 | South Melbourne | WIN | |||
| SF | Carlton | WIN | |||
| GF | Essendon | WIN | |||
Ladder
W | D | L | % | P
| |
| Melbourne | 13 | 1 | 4 | 142.7 | 54 |
| Carlton | 13 | 0 | 5 | 109.3 | 52 |
| Collingwood | 12 | 0 | 6 | 121.6 | 48 |
| Essendon | 11 | 0 | 7 | 112.4 | 44 |
| Fitzroy | 10 | 1 | 7 | 113.5 | 42 |
| North Melbourne | 10 | 0 | 8 | 89.3 | 40 |
| Hawthorn | 9 | 0 | 9 | 112.7 | 36 |
| St. Kilda | 9 | 0 | 9 | 94.3 | 36 |
| South Melbourne | 8 | 0 | 10 | 103.4 | 32 |
| Geelong | 5 | 0 | 13 | 78.5 | 20 |
| Richmond | 4 | 0 | 14 | 73.9 | 16 |
| Footscray | 3 | 0 | 15 | 73.3 | 12 |
Exhibition match
Opposition | Result
| ||||
| Port Adelaide | WIN | ||||
Playing List
| Number | Name | Games | Goals | ||
| 1 | Dick Fenton-Smith | 13 | 3 | ||
| 2 | Alan Rowarth | 17 | 42 | ||
| 4 | John Lord | 8 | 0 | ||
| 5 | Ian McLean | 20 | 4 | ||
| 6 | Frank Adams | 17 | 25 | ||
| 7 | Geoff Case | 20 | 0 | ||
| 8 | Tassie Johnson | 20 | 0 | ||
| 9 | Brian Dixon | 20 | 2 | ||
| 11 | Laurie Mithen | 19 | 7 | ||
| 12 | Neil Crompton | 11 | 11 | ||
| 14 | Trevor Johnson | 15 | 1 | ||
| 15 | Athol Webb | 5 | 4 | ||
| 16 | Bob Johnson | 19 | 38 | ||
| 20 | Graeme Pinfold | 1 | 3 | ||
| 22 | Bryan Kenneally | 2 | 0 | ||
| 23 | Geoff Tunbridge | 20 | 23 | ||
| 24 | Ian Ridley | 18 | 25 | ||
| 25 | Don Williams | 17 | 2 | ||
| 26 | Ian Thorogood | 17 | 0 | ||
| 27 | Denis Jones | 20 | 3 | ||
| 28 | Terry Gleeson | 8 | 3 | ||
| 29 | Hassa Mann | 17 | 21 | ||
| 30 | John Beckwith | 19 | 0 | ||
| 31 | Ron Barassi | 18 | 46 | ||
| 33 | Colin Wilson | 9 | 0 | ||
| 35 | Clyde Laidlaw | 19 | 8 | ||
| 38 | Peter Brenchley | 11 | 5 | ||
Best and Fairest
| Player | Votes | ||||
| 1st | Laurie Mithen | ||||
| 2nd | Ron Barassi | ||||
| 3rd | Robert B Johnson | ||||
| Round | Player | Charge | Sanction | ||
| Round 12 | Hughie McPherson | Misconduct | Reprimand | ||
Seconds
Best and Fairest - George Milner
Second Best and Fairest - Graeme Pinfold
Best First Year Player - Len Mann
Outstanding Service - Bernie Massey, Bob Turner, Terry Gleeson, John Lord
| W | D | L | % | P | |
| Hawthorn | 16 | 0 | 2 | 151.4 | 64 |
| Fitzroy | 13 | 1 | 4 | 112.7 | 54 |
| Collingwood | 12 | 1 | 5 | 116.6 | 50 |
| St Kilda | 9 | 1 | 8 | 110.1 | 38 |
| Richmond | 8 | 9 | 1 | 91.8 | 34 |
| Melbourne | 8 | 0 | 10 | 99.2 | 32 |
| Carlton | 8 | 0 | 10 | 97.5 | 32 |
| Geelong | 8 | 0 | 10 | 88.7 | 32 |
| North Melbourne | 7 | 0 | 11 | 94.8 | 28 |
| Footscray | 6 | 1 | 11 | 86.6 | 26 |
| South Melbourne | 5 | 1 | 12 | 82.4 | 22 |
| Essendon | 5 | 0 | 13 | 86.0 | 20 |
Thirds
Best and Fairest - Robert Miller
Second Best and Fairest - Ron Rolfe
Third Best and Fairest - John Eastgate
Leading Goalkicker - John Leahy
Best Clubman - Alec Ingwersen
Outstanding service - Robert Clarke, Fred Olssen, John Leahy, Tony Bourke, Peter Baker, Brian Weidlich
| W | D | L | % | P | |
| Essendon | 12 | 0 | 4 | 165.5 | 48 |
| Melbourne | 12 | 0 | 4 | 142.1 | 48 |
| Geelong | 12 | 0 | 4 | 120.3 | 48 |
| Collingwood | 11 | 1 | 4 | 137.0 | 46 |
| Hawthorn | 9 | 0 | 7 | 100.9 | 36 |
| St Kilda | 8 | 0 | 8 | 102.4 | 32 |
| South Melbourne | 8 | 0 | 8 | 84.9 | 32 |
| North Melbourne | 5 | 0 | 11 | 91.3 | 20 |
| Fitzroy | 5 | 0 | 11 | 84.1 | 20 |
| Richmond | 5 | 0 | 11 | 70.3 | 20 |
| Carlton | 4 | 1 | 11 | 77.2 | 18 |
| Footscray | 4 | 0 | 12 | 75.1 | 16 |
Finals
| Round | Opposition | Result | |||
| SF | Essendon | LOSS | |||
| PF | Collingwood | LOSS | |||
Fourths
Best and Fairest - Frank Leahy
Second Best and Fairest - Alan Riddle
Outstanding service - Ray Groom, John Taylor, Kevin Glass, George Hill
Media
"Later start for league matches" - The Age 13/12/1958
VFL sides name final lists" - The Age 13/04/1959
"Demons' season still not over" - The Age 29/09/1959
"Demons felt weight at lifting course" - The Age 8/11/1960