Round 13, 1981
Melbourne vs Footscray
Saturday 20 June
Venue: Waverley
Attendance: 15,599
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Final | |
| Melbourne | 5.3 | 5.6 | 8.8 | 14.10.94 |
| Footscray | 6.4 | 10.7 | 16.8 | 19.11.125 |
Footscray win by 31 points
Goalkickers: Brent Crosswell 3, Tony Elshaug 3, Mark Jackson 3, Michael Byrne 1, Vin Catoggio 1, Robert Flower 1, Wayne Gordon 1, Kelly O'Donnell 1
Milestones:
Last Game
Tony Dullard
Jim Durnan
Wayne Gordon
Last MFC Game
Garry Baker
With the Demons only win of the season so far (and as it turned out, at all) having been by a point over the Dogs the least anyone could expect out of a game between the two league cellar-dwellars was some excitement. They got it for a quarter, with Bulldog forwrad Shane Loveless kicking three goals in the first 12 minutes and 11 goals total for the term.
Shut out of the game by the Dogs defence in the second term, the Demons dropped out of the game and all but assured themselves the 1981 wooden spoon by losing to the only team they'd previously beaten that year. In the third quarter Graham Gaunt broke out of a pack and booted the ball 30 metres in the wrong direction.
The Age described the match as "spasmodically appalling, often comical, riddled with elementary mistakes and featuring some of the worst kicking of the footy since Henry Harrison picked one up". Most of the Demons handballs missed the target and their kicks were equally as unlikely to find their target.
Brent Crosswell was smashed at full-back in the first half but played a better second in the forward line, kicking three goals and laying another two off.
Best were Fowler, Keenan and Elshaug. Robert Flower suffered a bruised hip, Wayne Gordon a damaged spleen which would ultimately end his career and Russell Dickson a torn thigh muscle. Jim Durnan and Jim Edmond were reported for striking each other and Durnan was outed for two matches.
Reserves
Melbourne 19.22.136 d. Footscray 11.9.75
Goals - Walters 6, McGlashan 5, Coles 3, Hardeman 1, McLean 1, Todd 1, Warnet 1, Zantuck 1
Under 19s
Melbourne 16.8.104 d. Footscray 15.11.101
Goals - Cordner 6, Curran 2, Tossol 2, Withers 2, Battiston 2, Bergman 1, Fisher 1
Best - Connolly, Curran, Fisher
Lists
Tribunal
Media
Age - 22/06/1981
Age - 23/06/1981
Football Record R14 1981