Exactly 100 years ago today, Melbourne smashed Carlton at Princes Park by 77 points with forward Harry Davie booting a then club record of 13 goals …

In 1925, the City of Melbourne remained the seat of government for the Commonwealth of Australia, a role it had maintained since Federation. The country's conservative Prime Minister, Stanley Bruce, who led the Nationalist Party and shared the middle name "Melbourne" with the staid capital of his country which presented a stark contrast to its bustling rival metropolis, Sydney, on the east coast. Under Bruce's administration, Australia experienced a period of relative prosperity, during which he oversaw the relocation of government to the new capital city of Canberra, an event that was two years away.

Even then, sports played a pivotal role in Australian society, and the country's popular indigenous game was expanding rapidly with the introduction of new clubs at its elite level. Meanwhile, its oldest club was experiencing a resurgence after many years in the football wilderness.

On the first day of August 1925, the Melbourne Football Club virtually guaranteed its first finals appearance in a decade when, with the conclusion of two-thirds of the home-and-away season, it secured a crucial 19-point win over St Kilda at the Junction Oval. The Redlegs thereby significantly diminished the Saints' finals aspirations and, at the same time, established a two-and-a-half-win buffer over fifth-placed Fitzroy.

Round 12, 1925

St. Kilda vs Melbourne

Saturday 1 August

Venue: Junction Oval

Attendance: 20,000

MELBOURNE 5.3.33 9.5.59 9.9.63 10.10.70

ST. KILDA 1.1.7 4.4.28 5.9.39 7.9.51

Goalkickers: Colin Deane 3, Gerry Donnelly 3, Percy Tulloh 2, Harry Davie 1, Ivor Warne-Smith 1

The faster, stronger Redlegs secured the victory with a dominant first half, scoring nine goals to four and establishing a substantial 31-point halftime lead over their error-prone opposition. The Saints regained momentum in the third term, holding Melbourne scoreless while adding a single goal of their own in a fiercely contested yet fair encounter. Undeterred, St Kilda scored the opening goal of the final quarter, but subsequently lapsed into subpar form, allowing the Redlegs to maintain a comfortable advantage in the end.

The drama continued after the game when St Kilda protested the result on the grounds that Melbourne had played an ineligible player, Gerald Donnelly who was virtually unknown when he was signed by the club. It was found that the Redlegs had been mistakenly granted a permit for him to play when he was residentially bound to play for North Melbourne but they were allowed to keep the points. The club was however, forced to transfer Donnelly, who kicked three goals and was one of the team's best players, to North immediately after the game. Other good players for the Redlegs on the day were Deane and Dunbar.

Seconds (played 4 July) Melbourne 11.11.77 d. St Kilda 7.6.48 

The Redlegs were now second on the ladder but faced further controversy surrounding playing permits a week later, prior to their match against third placed Collingwood at the MCG. The Magpies were questioning the status of Harry Davie, who was in his second year with the club. Rumours suggested Davie was tied to Richmond, but ultimately Collingwood refrained from lodging a protest, allowing the match to proceed as scheduled with the player in the Redlegs’ team. He booted three goals but it made no difference to the result as the Magpies took second place to ladder-leaders Geelong, winning a close encounter by 13 points.

Round 13, 1925

Melbourne vs Collingwood

Saturday 8 August

Venue: MCG

Attendance: 33,462

MELBOURNE 2.1.13 4.2.26 6.9.45 7.10.52

COLLINGWOOD 1.1.7 5.4.34 7.5.47 9.11.65

Goalkickers: Harry Davie 3, Jack Cannan 1, Jimmy Davidson 1, Col Deane 1, Stan Wittman 1

 The loss of Donnelly to North Melbourne disrupted team placement and Melbourne were forced to reshuffle its side and with Warne-Smith required in defence their attack suffered. The Magpies went in with a full-strength side and forced their opponents into error with their fast style of game. 

Despite this, the Redlegs took the early lead in the first quarter with the use of the breeze but, after a brief scare, Collingwood asserted control despite ending the game with three disabled players. 

Their strong defence enabled them to move to an eight point advantage at half time. The Redlegs narrowed the gap to two points at the final break, after which the Magpies kicked away with the breeze at their backs.

Deane, Corbett and Warne-Smith were Melbourne's best. It was Hugh Dunbar’s 50th game for the club.

Seconds: Collingwood 19.14.128 d. Melbourne 6.9.45

Best: Ewing, Jorgensen, Jones 

On a wet Saturday afternoon in August, 7,000 fans attended Princes Park to witness an exceptional display of forward play from Redleg forward Harry Davie, who scored 13.5, a record for goals in a game at Princes Park that stood until the ground closed to AFL football in 2005. It was also Melbourne’s best individual goal tally until Fred Fanning’s 18 goals against the Saints in 1947 which stands as the competition’s best to this day.

Davie's remarkable goal-kicking achievement occurred just two weeks after speculation emerged suggesting he might be lost to the club due to claims of residential ties to Richmond, but this did not deter the player or the club, as they exacted a heavy toll on a side experiencing difficult times. 

The forward's impressive goal tally included eight goals in the final term and fell just one short of the then league record of 14 goals in a match. It also contributed significantly to what was then Melbourne's largest victory over Carlton. 

Most of Davie's goals originated from distances of 40 to 60 yards, and at the conclusion of the game, he was carried off the ground by his teammates amidst the applause of supporters from both teams.

Round 14, 1925

Carlton vs Melbourne

Saturday 22 August

Venue: Princes Park

Attendance: 7000

MELBOURNE 2.0.12 6.7.43 9.10.64 18.14.122

CARLTON 3.1.19 3.3.21 6.7.43 6.9.45

Goalkickers: Harry Davie 13, Harry Moyes 3, Hugh Dunbar 1, Ivor Warne-Smith 1

Following a week-long hiatus for a state game, Melbourne rebounded from its disappointing loss to Collingwood a fortnight earlier with a percentage-boosting 77-point victory over the Blues, overcoming a seven-point deficit to the home side, which had commenced with the advantage of a strong breeze in the first quarter. 

The Redlegs, who had closed the game down with congested play in its early phase, slowly worked their way into the lead when their turn came to kick with the wind, although poor kicking for goal kept their lead down to 22 points at the main break. By this time, Davie had four of his team’s six goals.

Carlton once again failed to capitalise on the breeze to its advantage in the third quarter and was subsequently punished heavily by a rampant Melbourne goal kicking spree, spearheaded by Davie in the last. The fact that neither the injured Chadwick nor Mollision could play at 100% proved inconsequential as the Redlegs added 9.4 to two behinds in the final quarter avalanche.

Melbourne's final score fell just three points short of its all-time historical record, set against St Kilda in 1901. Davie was outstanding alongside Lilley and Taylor as the team looked ahead to the coming weeks still sitting in third position with the finals series looming.

Seconds: Melbourne 12.17.89 d. Carlton 7.8.50

Goals: Dunin 2, Crossin 2, Jones 1, Ewer 1, Hazel 1

To be continued …

Really enjoy reading about the club's storied history.