1961 VFL Season: Melbourne
These are the details of the premiership results of Melbourne for the 1961 VFL season. The team finished the regular season in second place, securing a place in the finals series. After being defeated by Hawthorn in a semi final, Melbourne were defeated by Footscray in the preliminary final, resulting in finishing in third place overall (adjusted for finals).
Season Team Details
Competition:
1961 VFL Season
Team:
Melbourne
Home Ground:
MCG
Team Results
Ladder Position:
2nd (W-D-L: 12-1-5, P%: 131.2)
Finals Performance:
Defeated by Footscray (Preliminary Final)
Player Results
| Player | Guernseys | Matches | Goals | Rounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adams, Frank | #6 | 13 | 23 | R01-12, PF |
| Barassi, Ron | #31 | 19 | 19 | R01-12, R14-18, SF, PF |
| Carroll, Bob | #19 | 6 | 0 | R05, R12, R16-18, SF |
| Case, Geoff | #7 | 2 | 0 | R01-02 |
| Collins, Mike | #11 | 2 | 1 | R18, SF |
| Dawson, Ray | #17 | 12 | 5 | R01-02, R05-06, R10-13, R16-18, PF |
| Dixon, Brian | #9 | 16 | 2 | R01-12, R14-16, PF |
| Gleeson, Terry | #28 | 13 | 1 | R01-09, R13-15, PF |
| Johnson, Bob | #16 | 19 | 36 | R01-02, R04-18, SF, PF |
| Johnson, Tassie | #8 | 20 | 0 | R01-18, SF, PF |
| Johnson, Trevor | #14 | 14 | 0 | R02-04, R10-18, SF, PF |
| Kenneally, Bryan | #22 | 20 | 1 | R01-18, SF, PF |
| Laidlaw, Clyde | #35 | 20 | 11 | R01-18, SF, PF |
| Leahy, Brian | #21 | 17 | 0 | R01-17 |
| Leahy, John | #30 | 2 | 0 | R12-13 |
| Leslie, Bruce | #1 | 6 | 1 | R07, R10-12, R15, SF |
| Lord, John | #4 | 19 | 4 | R01-03, R05-18, SF, PF |
| Mann, Hassa | #29 | 20 | 26 | R01-18, SF, PF |
| Mann, Len | #34 | 10 | 2 | R01, R03-11 |
| Massey, Bernie | #37 | 8 | 0 | R01-02, R08-09, R12-14, R17 |
| Matthews, Herbie | #39 | 3 | 2 | R13-15 |
| Miller, Robert | #33 | 14 | 0 | R03-10, R13, R15-18, SF |
| Milner, George | #32 | 10 | 0 | R03, R09-15, R17-18 |
| Mithen, Laurie | #11 | 17 | 23 | R01-08, R11, R13-18, SF, PF |
| Nilsson, Ray | #38 | 14 | 13 | R04, R06-08, R10-14, R16-18, SF, PF |
| Pinfold, Graeme | #20 | 3 | 0 | R03-04, R15 |
| Ridley, Ian | #24 | 14 | 21 | R01-11, R16, SF, PF |
| Roet, Brian | #18 | 13 | 0 | R04-11, R16-18, SF, PF |
| Rowarth, Alan | #2 | 12 | 11 | R01-03, R09, R13-18, SF, PF |
| Thorogood, Ian | #26 | 14 | 0 | R01-08, R12-14, R18, SF, PF |
| Tunbridge, Geoff | #23 | 20 | 26 | R01-18, SF, PF |
| Turner, Bob | #10 | 8 | 0 | R09, R14-18, SF, PF |
Coach Results
| Coach | Matches (W-D-L) | Rounds | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smith, Norm | 20 | 12 | -1- | 7 | R01-18, SF, PF |
Match Results
| Date | Round | Opponent | H/A | Result | Coach | Captain (Nominated) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15/04/1961 | Round 1 | Fitzroy | AWAY | WIN | MELB by 29 | Norm Smith | Ron Barassi |
| 22/04/1961 | Round 2 | Hawthorn | HOME | LOSS | HWTH by 32 | Norm Smith | Ron Barassi |
| 25/04/1961 | Round 3 | Essendon | AWAY | WIN | MELB by 25 | Norm Smith | Ron Barassi |
| 06/05/1961 | Round 4 | St Kilda | HOME | LOSS | STKL by 3 | Norm Smith | Ron Barassi |
| 13/05/1961 | Round 5 | Geelong | AWAY | WIN | MELB by 65 | Norm Smith | Ron Barassi |
| 27/05/1961 | Round 6 | Footscray | AWAY | WIN | MELB by 25 | Norm Smith | Ron Barassi |
| 03/06/1961 | Round 7 | Carlton | HOME | WIN | MELB by 25 | Norm Smith | Ron Barassi |
| 12/06/1961 | Round 8 | Collingwood | HOME | WIN | MELB by 69 | Norm Smith | Ron Barassi |
| 17/06/1961 | Round 9 | South Melbourne | AWAY | WIN | MELB by 36 | Norm Smith | Ron Barassi |
| 24/06/1961 | Round 10 | North Melbourne | AWAY | WIN | MELB by 49 | Norm Smith | Ron Barassi |
| 01/07/1961 | Round 11 | Richmond | HOME | WIN | MELB by 66 | Norm Smith | Ron Barassi |
| 08/07/1961 | Round 12 | Fitzroy | HOME | DRAW | drawn | Norm Smith | Ron Barassi |
| 15/07/1961 | Round 13 | Hawthorn | AWAY | LOSS | HWTH by 18 | Norm Smith | Bob Johnson |
| 29/07/1961 | Round 14 | Essendon | HOME | LOSS | ESSE by 9 | Norm Smith | Ron Barassi |
| 05/08/1961 | Round 15 | St Kilda | AWAY | LOSS | STKL by 11 | Norm Smith | Ron Barassi |
| 12/08/1961 | Round 16 | Geelong | HOME | WIN | MELB by 2 | Norm Smith | Ron Barassi |
| 19/08/1961 | Round 17 | Footscray | HOME | WIN | MELB by 40 | Norm Smith | Ron Barassi |
| 26/08/1961 | Round 18 | Carlton | AWAY | WIN | MELB by 1 | Norm Smith | Ron Barassi |
| 09/09/1961 | Semi Final | Hawthorn | AWAY | LOSS | HWTH by 7 | Norm Smith | Ron Barassi |
| 16/09/1961 | Preliminary Final | Footscray | HOME | LOSS | FOOT by 27 | Norm Smith | Ron Barassi |
Ladder Chart
This chart is based on the nominal round, i.e. only one result (win, loss, draw, bye) per round, which may result in not being accurate from a chronological perspective. The positions during the finals series is determined via bespoke logic.