1945 | Demonwiki (original) (raw)
Coach: Checker Hughes
Captain: Norm Smith
Finishing Position: 9th
Best and Fairest: Fred Fanning
Leading Goalkicker: Fred Fanning (67)
Best First Year Player: Roy Stabb
| Matches | Ladder | Playing List | Tribunal | Seconds |
|---|
After two seasons of struggling with a list decimated by war service, Percy Beames resigned as coach in February. Checker Hughes was asked to come out of retirement and take over the side he'd last coached in <1941>. Hughes arrived to a side still exiled at Punt Road while the was being used in war service, and even with 80 players trialed during pre-season there was no marked improvement over the season. The Demons won three of their first five games before military transfers took their toll, requiring more inexperienced players to be blooded.
Selection committee consisted of Percy Beames, Fred Ince, Richard Taylor, Checker Hughes and Norm Smith.
With the war in Europe ending early in the season, and the Pacific conflict winding down, attendances continued to increase, reaching their highest level since <1939>. Senior club membership increased by 45% and junior membership by 150%. An increase in income to £2781 was off-set by a rise in player payments, with expenses of £4323.
Melbourne's VFL delegates were Joe Blair and Bruce Hogg.
Premiership season
| Round | Opposition | Result | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carlton | WIN | 108-87 |
| 2 | St. Kilda | WIN | 118-49 |
| 3 | Collingwood | LOSS | 78-81 |
| 4 | Richmond | LOSS | 65-85 |
| 5 | Geelong | WIN | 120-100 |
| 6 | Footscray | LOSS | 55-82 |
| 7 | North Melbourne | LOSS | 72-119 |
| 8 | South Melbourne | LOSS | 58-88 |
| 9 | Fitzroy | LOSS | 81-101 |
| 10 | Hawthorn | WIN | 104-86 |
| 11 | Essendon | WIN | 68-54 |
| 12 | Carlton | LOSS | 80-81 |
| 13 | St. Kilda | WIN | 83-64 |
| 14 | Collingwood | LOSS | 77-112 |
| 15 | Richmond | LOSS | 79-92 |
| 16 | Geelong | WIN | 115-56 |
| 17 | Footscray | WIN | 90-81 |
| 18 | North Melbourne | LOSS | 58-83 |
| 19 | South Melbourne | LOSS | 73-92 |
| 20 | Fitzroy | LOSS | 101-106 |
Exhibition matches
| Opposition | Result | Score |
|---|---|---|
| St Kilda | LOSS | 71-80 |
| Warracknabeal | WIN | ? |
Ladder
| W | D | L | % | P | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Melbourne | 16 | 0 | 4 | 131.8 | 64 |
| Collingwood | 15 | 0 | 5 | 128.8 | 60 |
| North Melbourne | 13 | 0 | 7 | 111.1 | 52 |
| Carlton | 13 | 0 | 7 | 106.9 | 52 |
| Footscray | 12 | 0 | 8 | 108.9 | 48 |
| Fitzroy | 11 | 1 | 8 | 119.1 | 46 |
| Richmond | 11 | 0 | 9 | 103.4 | 44 |
| Essendon | 10 | 1 | 9 | 99.1 | 32 |
| Melbourne | 8 | 0 | 12 | 99.1 | 32 |
| Hawthorn | 6 | 0 | 14 | 85.6 | 24 |
| Geelong | 2 | 0 | 18 | 64.9 | 8 |
| St. Kilda | 2 | 0 | 18 | 62.2 | 8 |
Playing List
| Number | Player | Games | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Roy Dowsing | 19 | 0 |
| 3 | Ron Irwin | 16 | 0 |
| 4 | Norm Smith | 17 | 33 |
| 5 | Billy Deans | 20 | 0 |
| 6 | Fred Fanning | 19 | 67 |
| 7 | Clem Conroy | 9 | 1 |
| 8 | Ralph Latham | 16 | 11 |
| 9 | Ivan Porter | 19 | 26 |
| 10 | Gordon Kramer | 12 | 1 |
| 11 | Gordon Bowman | 6 | 3 |
| 12 | Jack Mueller | 5 | 5 |
| 14 | Ron Hall | 2 | 0 |
| 14 | George Archibald | 6 | 0 |
| 15 | Ron Baggott | 16 | 25 |
| 16 | George Bickford | 5 | 0 |
| 17 | Allan La Fontaine | 14 | 5 |
| 18 | Adrian Dullard | 9 | 1 |
| 19 | Bill Scanlan | 14 | 4 |
| 20 | Harry New | 1 | 0 |
| 20 | George Lenne | 4 | 0 |
| 21 | Don Cordner | 20 | 8 |
| 22 | Ernie O'Rourke | 12 | 12 |
| 22 | Roy Stabb | 14 | 2 |
| 23 | Norm Leverton | 2 | 0 |
| 24 | Dick Kennedy | 9 | 5 |
| 25 | Col McLean | 20 | 1 |
| 26 | Esmond Downey | 6 | 0 |
| 27 | Keith Molloy | 8 | 0 |
| 28 | Percy Taylor | 2 | 3 |
| 30 | Norm Wilson | 7 | 4 |
| 31 | Frank Hughes | 8 | 0 |
| 31 | Jack Mitchell | 6 | 9 |
| 32 | Jim Oppy | 3 | 0 |
| 33 | Bruce Edge | 3 | 0 |
| 33 | Ern Rowarth | 11 | 1 |
| 35 | Charlie Newman | 4 | 0 |
| 37 | Frank Kennedy | 10 | 6 |
| 38 | Jack Stock | 5 | 0 |
| Harry Rowe | 1 | 0 |
Best and Fairest
| Player | |
|---|---|
| 1st | Fred Fanning |
| 2nd | Roy Dowsing |
Awards
Most Determined - Col McLean
Most unselfish - Norm Smith
Most consistent - Donald Cordner
Best clubman - Ivan Porter
Best utility - Ralph Latham
Most improved - Bill Scanlan
Most dependable - Ron Irwin
Training trophy - Billy Deans
Most promising under 20 - Clem Conroy, Ern Rowarth, Gordon Bowman
Tribunal
| Round | Player | Charge | Sanction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Round 1 | Ron Irwin | Striking | 4 matches |
Seconds
| W | D | L | % | P |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fitzroy | 18 | 0 | 2 | 72 |
| Footscray | 16 | 0 | 4 | 64 |
| Essendon | 14 | 1 | 5 | 58 |
| Collingwood | 14 | 0 | 6 | 56 |
| South Melbourne | 14 | 0 | 6 | 56 |
| Carlton | 12 | 0 | 8 | 48 |
| North Melbourne | 9 | 0 | 11 | 36 |
| Melbourne | 6 | 0 | 14 | 24 |
| Geelong | 5 | 2 | 13 | 24 |
| Richmond | 5 | 1 | 14 | 22 |
| St Kilda | 4 | 1 | 15 | 18 |
| Hawthorn | 0 | 1 | 19 | 2 |
Notes
Ernie O'Rourke and Roy Stabb are both shown as wearing number 22 in official club records. Football Record shows Stabb in #22 for his Round 3 debut.
Media
Argus - 21/03/1945
Football Record R8 1945
Argus - 23/10/1945
Herald - 04/02/1946
Barrier Daily Truth - 06/02/1946
Argus - 07/02/1946