50 Best Essendon Wins since 2000 (countdown)

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Best Win Since 2000 No. 25

Round 5 2013 vs Collingwood

Essendon 2.3.15 6.4.40 12.8.80 18.13.121
Collingwood 1.5.11 4.12.36 7.14.56 10.15.75

Context

  • Essendon were top(!) of the ladder after 4 rounds. The Bombers were channeling any anxiety and anger regarding the recent supplements controversy into some of the best footy the club had produced in the last decade.

  • Collingwood had started the season in decent form. Their only loss was to Hawthorn who would go on to be premiers.

Why it’s on the list / key moments

  • The Bombers didn’t look like certainties at HT. They led 40-36 but had relied on Collingwood’s inaccurate 4.12 for that to be the case.

  • After half-time was a different story, with Essendon kicking 6 goals to 3 in each of the remaining 2 quarters to comfortably win on ANZAC Day for only the 2nd time in 8 years.

  • David Zaharakis played arguably the best game of his career with 34 disposals and 4 goals. He won the ANZAC Day medal.

  • The most iconic moment of the match by a mile was Jobe Watson’s goal late in the game. As Pies fans started to leave the ground, Watson broke from a stoppage just inside 50, shrugged off a tackle, then finished off his work with a goal from a tight angle. There are few Essendon fist pumps as iconic as Jobe’s in front of the Essendon crowd.

  • Jason Winderlich played an important role in Essendon’s second half, kicking 3 goals. He’d played just 6 games in the previous 2 seasons.

  • On-field, everything was looking up. Even Scott Gumbleton chimed in with 2 goals.

  • Click here for the Essendon goals/highlights.

Extra notes

  • Essendon won the hitouts 50-21 but only edged the clearances 32-30.

What happened next?

  • Essendon’s form dropped off over the next few weeks, with a dull victory against an underdeveloped GWS side, followed by a convincing loss to Geelong and an embarrassing loss to Brisbane. The Bombers worked their way back to 2nd on the ladder before collapsing to 7th once news of the club being banned from finals started to spread.

  • Collingwood finished 6th but were beaten unexpectedly by a resurgent Port Adelaide.

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