Playing without centre Mark Bradtke, Melbourne rallied from 13 points adrift to edge crosstown rival South East Melbourne in the teams' first contact since meeting in last year's finals. First year imported centre Jarvis Lang posted 26 points, eight boards and seven turnovers for Melbourne, while Lanard Copeland added 24 points, including a pair of free throws with eight seconds left in overtime that propelled the Tigers to the win. Said Melbourne coach Lindsay Gaze of the episode arising from Bradtke's clearance problem: "It was a disappointment and a bit of a distraction."
South East Melbourne: Dorge 23, Anstey 16, Mackinnon 16, Ronaldson 14, Tolbert 13, Kelly 12, Drmic 2.
Melbourne: Lang 26, Copeland 24, Gaze 22, Smith 12, Gordon 11, Egan 2.
