Best Win Since 2000 No. 16
Round 20 2000 vs Carlton
| Carlton | 2.3.15 | 6.5.41 | 9.7.61 | 12.11.83 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essendon | 4.4.28 | 6.6.42 | 9.9.63 | 16.13.109 |
Context
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Essendon had won every game and defeated every club at least once. Their form was about as good as any side’s, with 83, 87 and 101-point victories in their last 3 outings. The Bombers had to deal with the late out of eventual Crichton Medalist, Dustin Fletcher. Jonathan Robran came into the side for his 2nd game of the season.
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Carlton had recovered well from a 2-3 start to the season, winning 13 matches in a row before losing by 3 points to that pesky Western Bulldogs side of 2000 in Round 19. The Blues were 2nd and 2 wins clear of the Kangaroos in 3rd.
Why it’s on the list / key moments
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A huge 91,571 crowd attended Friday night football - Carlton’s largest Home & Away season crowd ever (as of January 2026).
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It was a see-sawing contest, with Carlton providing a tough battle despite losing key midfielders Anthony Koutoufides and Craig Bradley to injuries in the 1st quarter. The Blues led by 10 points during the 3rd quarter before the Bombers finally broke clear in the 4th quarter. It was one of the rare occasions in 2000 where neither Hird, Lloyd, Fletcher (injured) nor Lucas were a major factor in a Bombers’ victory.
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Essendon kicked a picture-perfect rebounding goal halfway through the 1st quarter. Adam Ramanauskas had launched the attack with a fantastic mark at half back before finding Joe Misiti on centre wing. Misiti fed off to Justin Blumfield who ran to 50m out and kicked truly.
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In the 2nd quarter, Paul Barnard burst clear from deep in Essendon’s defensive 50 before dishing off to Mark Johnson. Johnson attempted a one-two with Michael Long but the return handpass sent him into trouble. Johnson collected the bouncing ball before fending off Carlton’s Ryan Houlihan with disdain. Long provided the one-two option once again, this time tapping the ball over his shoulder back to Johnson who immediately offloaded to Dean Rioli. Rioli gave off to Lloyd who delivered perfectly to a leading Moorcroft. Misiti eventually kicked the goal from Moorcroft’s centred kick to cap off a fantastic piece of play.
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As the Blues looked to have the momentum in the 3rd quarter, Justin Blumfield kicked long towards the goalsquare. Carlton’s Simon Beaumont looked to have his name written all over the mark, but his fumble allowed James Hird to kick the ball off the ground for a gift of a goal to the Bombers.
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Essendon went end-to-end early in the 4th quarter. In the Bombers’ left defensive pocket, Mark Mercuri kicked across goal and had the precision to match. Soon Dean Rioli expertly picked up a handball from Dean Soloman which had landed right at his feet before kicking towards full forward. Hird provided a contest and it was, of all people, Steven Alessio who gathered the crumb and dribbled it through for a goal.
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Again the Bombers attacked from half back as Mark Johnson released Mark Mercuri with a handball. Mercuri took a bounce before kicking inside 50. The ball sat up nicely for a leading Justin Blumfield, who handballed inboard to Jason Johnson, who then straightened himself up before drilling another goal to make the margin 28 points.
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The Blues looked to be working themselves back into the game, cutting the margin to 15 points, but the Bombers held firm, kicking the last 2 goals of the game. Dean Soloman took a screamer and kicked truly from his set shot to put the icing on the cake.
Extra notes
- Carlton won the clearances 39-25.
What happened next?
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The Bombers played the Western Bulldogs the following week, who had recently broken Carlton’s winning run. “The flood” became the talk of the town, but it was the Dons’ complacency (and injuries) proving to be the real issue, as they coughed up a 21-point lead in the 4th quarter to lose their only game of the season to the Dogs. As we all know, Essendon came out firing once finals arrived and comfortably accounted for all three top 4 sides en route to winning the flag.
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The Blues ended up without their most important player, Anthony Koutoufides, for the remainder of the season. His absence was arguably costly in their Qualifying Final defeat to Melbourne. The Blues were far less of a challenge against Essendon in their eventual Preliminary Final rematch. It was only the Bombers’ lack of accuracy and taking their foot off the pedal that prevented a margin greater than 45 points.
Click here to go to best win #15.