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May 1887 match vs Hotham

Saturday 14 May - MCG
Crowd - 6000-8000

Melbourne 2.4, 4.5, 4.6, 4.6
Hotham 1.1, 1.6, 3.7, 5.8

Hotham win by 1 goal

Goalkickers: Burns 2, McDonald 1, Dodds 1

After opening their season with a win the previous Saturday, Melbourne fell victim to a last quarter comeback in their first match for the season on the MCG.

Hotham were thought to be weakened after having dismissed several of their players as 'undesirable members' of the team but as the afternoon proved they had found capable replacements for them. The game was delayed for 15 minutes while the visitors waited for the rest of their team to turn up.

Melbourne kicked with the breeze in the first quarter, and soon after the kick-off they rescued the ball from their defensive end and registered the first behind of the game. Hotham's attempts to clear the ball didn't get them back past the centre and the home side opened the scoring with the first goal through McDonald.

Hotham soon equalised into the wind, but Melbourne soon attacked again and kept the visitors' goal under siege for a time but could only manage behinds until Burns got the second goal late in the quarter.

Against the wind Melbourne further extended their lead in the second. Hotham attacked first but would only register five worthless behinds. The home team added two more goals - first through Burns after a good run by Tuckfield. When Dodds added the fourth they looked certain winners but didn't add another goal for the rest of the day.

Two goals to nil against the breeze got Hotham back in the game, and they added another two in the last quarter to win. With 10 minutes to go the game was being played in near darkness but shortly before time was called Hotham scored the winner. Melbourne had cost themselves numerous times late in the game by giving away free kicks for unnecessary holding and slinging.

Best were Tuckfield, Brown, and Murphy.

Media
North Melbourne Advertiser - 20/05/1887
Australasian - 21/05/1887
Australasian - 21/05/1887