Petterd 4, Grimes 2, Jones, Jurrah, Bell, Martin, Maric
Johnson , O'Bree replaced in selected side by Beams
Debut: Tom Scully, James Strauss, Jack Trengove

Prestigiacomo , replaced in the side by N. Brown

Brownlow Votes: Aaron Davey ( 3 votes), Alan Didak ( 2 votes), Ricky Petterd ( 1 vote)
Rockliff 3, Beams 3, Dyson 2, Rich, Buchanan, Rich

*Melbourne headed into a game for the first time as clear favorites since Round 20, 2006.
*In a high scoring first quarter, Richmond kicked the first 2 majors of the game before Melbourne retaliated with the next 8 out of 11.
*By the turn of the second quarter, the game's tempo had slowed dramatically. Melbourne were held goal less and Richmond cut the deficit back to a single goal at half time.
*Midfield veterans Colin Sylvia, Brent Moloney and James McDonald broke the game clear against the 2 young sides in the third quarter. They allowed Melbourne to pile on 7 unanswered goals and give them a 50 point lead at three quarter time.
*By the final quarter, Richmond managed to break the strangle hold Melbourne applied to them in the third quarter. However the damage was already done by Melbourne's senior players as they ran out 56 point winners.

Green 2, Miller 2, Petterd 2, McKenzie, Jamar
Jurrah 5, Sylvia 2, Morton 2, Spencer, Bennell, Jamar
Sylvia 5, Green 4, Bate 3, Petterd 2, Bail 2, McDonald, Jamar, Dunn, Bartram
Brownlow Votes: Jack Grimes ( 3 votes), Bernie Vince ( 2 votes), James McDonald ( 1 vote)

Shadow Secretary of State for the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister

Petterd 4, Miller 2, Maric 2, Jurrah, Scully

Pendlebury, Jolly, N. Brown, Sidebottom, Ball, Shaw, Thomas, Wellingham

Anthony 2, Davis 2, Pendlebury 2, Lockyer 2, Beams, Fraser, Medhurst, Cloke
Brownlow Votes: Brad Green ( 3 votes), James McDonald ( 2 votes), Brent Moloney ( 1 vote)

*After a week of scrutiny for their round 1 performance, Melbourne stunned premiership-contenders Collingwood with rapid ball movement down the corridor and frequent tackling to head into quarter time 2 goals ahead.
*Collingwood wrestled their way back into the game and eventually the lead. However Aaron Davey's movement through the midfield; Jack Grimes' hardness in the back-line; Ricky Petterd's present-ability in the forward line and Mark Jamar's domination in the ruck prevented Collingwood from running away with the match.
*After many lead changes throughout the game and with Collingwood in front by a point in the dying seconds of the game, Rohan Bail would gather uncontested possession of the ball on Melbourne's attacking 50. He would kick the ball to the goal-square where Ricky Petterd was present to mark the ball and kick after the siren. However a desperate rush from Steele Sidebottom prevented Petterd from marking the ball with safe hands as the ball spilled to the ground on the siren.

Minister of State for Faith and Communities

Hansen 3, LeCras 3, Brown 2, Naitanui 2, Embley 2, Cox, Nicoski, Kennedy, Selwood, Stevens, Priddis
Tippett 5, Cook, Petrenko, Thompson, Gunston

Keighley, West Riding of Yorkshire, England

Jolly, Blair, Didak, Thomas, Macaffer, O'Brien, Davis
*The AFL announced in the lead-up to the match that, should the replay have been drawn, it would have been decided in extra time, rather than by another replay.

Brown 3, Roughead 3, Moss 2, Osborne 2, Hooper 2, Peterson, Morton, Hodge, Ladson, Mitchell

Eric Pickles BBC Radio4 Desert Island Discs 9 Dec 2012 b01p6ryx.flac

from the BBC programme Desert Island Discs, 9 December 2012

Brownlow Votes: Luke Hodge ( 3 votes), Jordan Lewis ( 2 votes), Sam Mitchell ( 1 vote)
Miller 3, Bruce 2, Jones 2, Bate 2, Jamar, Green, Petterd

*Melbourne entered the game as underdogs against an undefeated Brisbane Lions side.
*Melbourne immediately got Brisbane on the back-foot with their signature brand of fast-transitioning football through the corridor they had played in the previous 3 weeks. Throughout the first half, Melbourne were too fast for Brisbane and hence they gained a 36 point lead heading into half time.
*Brisbane restored some credibility for their previous week's performances by winning the third quarter. However Melbourne's combination of agility around contests, hard running, hard tackling and rapid ball movement held Brisbane scoreless in the final quarter and Melbourne 50 point winners.
*Melbourne won their third consecutive match for the first time since Round 12, 2006 and their first 50+ point win against Brisbane since Round 10, 2000.

Sidebottom, Didak, Wellingham, Macaffer, Dawes 2

* made its first Grand Final appearance since 2003.
*This was the second time that these two teams met each other in a Grand Final. The first was the 1966 Grand Final, the year of 's first and only premiership, which they won by just one point.
* made consecutive appearances in the Grand Final for the first time since 1965 and 1966.
* missed the Grand Final for the first time since 2006.
*The match was the third drawn Grand Final, and the first since 1977.
*The crowd of 100,016 was the highest at a game since the 1986 VFL Grand Final.

*In unusually cold April weather, an under-performing and winless Adelaide attempted to gain their first victory for the season against a much improved Melbourne side from the week before.
*Melbourne appeared to have fallen back to their hapless style of play from Round 1 as Adelaide restricted them to a single first half goal and opened up a 25 point lead early in the third quarter. However Melbourne eventually re-found their spark they showed against Collingwood and conceded only 2 more behinds for the entire game.
*Melbourne would pile on the final 6 goals of the game in a scrappy affair causing a 38 point turnaround and their fist victory for the season.

Sylvia 2, Trengove 2, Petterd 2, Davey 2, Jamar, Green, McKenzie, Jones, Bate, McDonald, Scully
Petterd 4, Green 3, Dunn 2, Bennell, Newton, Bail
Bate 2, Bennell, Green, Jones, McDonald, Trengove
Johnson 3, Pavlich 3, Ballantyne 2, Headland 2, Mayne, Pearce, Sandilands
Ryder 3, Davey 2, Stanton 2, Lonergan 2, Watson 2, Monfries, Hille, Williams, McVeigh, Welsh, Winderlich, Hocking
Riewoldt 3, Astbury 3, Tambling, Morton, Tuck, Nason, Taylor

imprisonment with pro-democracy "Group of Four"

Spencer replaced in selected side by Bartram

Dal Santo, Goddard, Hayes, Gilbert, Koschitzke 1

Shadow Secretary of State for Local Government Affairs and Communities

Thomas, Swan, Johnson, O'Brien, Jolly, Goldsack 1

Shadow Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions

*After a disastrous pre-season with no wins, Dean Bailey's role as senior-coach was put immediately under scrutiny when Melbourne were unable to stop the hard tackling midfield offence from Hawthorn . They managed to score only one goal in the first half to Hawthorn's ten.
* Late in the third quarter when Hawthorn had a 78-point lead , they relaxed and allowed Melbourne to move the ball more freely. Eventually Melbourne earned some respectability back on the score board by kicking the last 5 out of 7 goals for the match.