1924 AND ALL THAT - PART SIX by Whispering Jack

The 1924 season was rapidly drawing to a close when Melbourne took on its near neighbour Richmond at Punt Road Oval and, in doing so, it discovered a new full forward.

Round 16 Richmond vs Melbourne 
Saturday 9 August 1924
Venue: Punt Road
Attendance: 14,000

RICHMOND 4.4.28 10.6.66 12.8.80 17.19.121

MELBOURNE 2.9.21 3.12.30 6.20.56 9.21.75

Goals: Harry Davie 6 Jack Collins Richard Taylor Stan Wittman

Harry Davie made his debut and kicked six out of the team’s nine goals in its loss against the Tigers. Ironically, the defeat was one of its biggest for the season in a game ruined by strong winds with both teams suffering from inaccuracy in front of the goals. 

The Redlegs had been fruitlessly searching for a star forward all season and finally found one in first gamer Davie from the Melbourne Juniors who was also his team’s best player followed by Thomas and Chadwick while his six goals remains the club record for a player on debut.

In the following season in a game against Carlton at Princes Park, Davie kicked 13 goals and 5 behinds, the record at that ground and the equal most by a player against Carlton anywhere, a feat shared with both Tony Lockett and Tony Modra in the 1990s. This was also the Melbourne Football Club record until 1947 when Fred Fanning bagged 18.

Davie twice kicked over 50 goals in a season and topped Melbourne's goalkicking in 1925 and 1927. He missed out on his club's 1926 premiership through injury before crossing to Carlton for one season in 1927. 

Harry Davies’ time in the limelight of football was all too brief.

Seconds 

Richmond 12.10.82 d. Melbourne 5.8.38

The following round saw another huge loss as the Maroons kicking away to a 43-point win and George Simmonds and Percy Wilson bowed out in their final games.

Round 17 Melbourne vs Fitzroy 
Saturday 30 August 1924
Venue: MCG
Attendance: 12,487

MELBOURNE 2.1.13 2.4.16 4.8.32 9.14.68

FITZROY 4.2.26 8.10.58 12.10.82 16.14.110

Goals Harry Davie 4 Percy Tulloh 2 Bert Chadwick George Haines  Percy Wilson

Melbourne kicked the first two goals, but conceded the next four for the term with Fitzroy dominating the second quarter. The Redlegs more than doubled their score in the final term but it was nowhere near enough as Fitzroy’s Moriarty kicked eight goals to break the all-time VFL record for goals in a single season to that point. Davie followed up his fine debut form with four more goals and Corbett, Chadwick, Wilson and Haines were Melbourne's best.

The final round of the season was a journey away to Windy Hill against Essendon which had already sewn up a double chance and had nothing to play for while Melbourne was desperate to avoid the wooden spoon. It did so by taking advantage of its host’s lacklustre performance to grab the win.

Round 18 Essendon vs Melbourne 
Saturday 6 September 1924
Venue: Windy Hill 
Attendance: 10,000

ESSENDON 4.5.29 6.6.42 11.7.73 12.10.82

MELBOURNE 3.3.21 10.5.65 12.10.84 14.12.96

Goals Harry Davie 4 Hugh Dunbar Percy Tulloh 3 Jimmy Abernethy 2, Bert Chadwick George Haines 

Harry Davie booted four goals to take his tally to 14 goals in his first three games in what was only Melbourne's second win against Essendon since 1910.

The first half saw Essendon playing casually against a side that had lost six in a row and only once in almost four months. The home side was lucky to be in front at quarter time after kicking the last goal, but on the back of a strong ruck performance Melbourne kicked seven goals to two with the wind in the second term to open up 23 point lead at the main break. Essendon reeled that lead down to 9 points at three quarter time and during the break Melbourne’s Hugh Dunbar collapsed and was carried from the field, Miraculously, he recovered to play a prominent part in the finish, kicking one of his team’s two goals with the wind to Essendon’s one in the final term.

Chadwick, Thomas and Corbett were Melbourne’s best.

Ironically, Essendon went on to win the premiership that season..

Seconds 

Essendon 10.13.73 d. Melbourne 7.5.47

To be continued …