Best Win Since 2000 No. 9
Round 5 2003 vs Collingwood
| Essendon | 4.2.26 | 10.4.64 | 15.7.97 | 23.9.147 |
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| Collingwood | 2.3.15 | 6.3.39 | 11.6.72 | 12.9.81 |
Context
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Essendon were a hard read at 2-2. This included a disastrous loss to salary cap-punished Carlton and a topsy-turvy win against eventual wooden-spooner, the Western Bulldogs, the previous week.
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Collingwood were a worthy Grand Finalist in 2002 and looked primed for another shot at the premiership with a 3-1 start - their only loss being a 14-point loss to Brisbane at the Gabba.
Why it’s on the list / key moments
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Perhaps James Hird and Essendon’s best 4-quarter performance this side of the 2000 premiership.
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Hird won the ANZAC medal with an incredible 27 disposals, 5 fantastic goals, 2 goal assists and 5 clearances.
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The Bombers gave up the first 2 goals of the match before kicking 23 of the remaining 33.
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Damian Cupido played one of his best games, kicking 5.2 and claiming 1 Brownlow vote ahead of the likes of Matthew Lloyd, who kicked 6 straight. Cupido’s tackle of Collingwood’s James Clement in the 1st quarter before following up to paddle the ball in front of himself and kick a goal off the ground indicated he was dialed in.
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Early in the 2nd quarter, Steven McKee gifted Essendon a free kick for deliberate out-of-bounds about 35m out. Hird retrieved the football, but soon exchanged places with teammate Jordan Bannister. Bannister immediately handballed to Hird, who with a few degrees of angle to work with, immediately shot at goal and split the middle.
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Lloyd looked as good as he had for 12 months, marking strongly and kicking accurately from every set shot. He had 4 goals to his name by HT.
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A 3-goal burst from the Pies had brought the margin back to just a goal with 5 minutes remaining in the 3rd quarter. A Bombers attack through the corridor led to Paul Barnard bombing long inside 50 to Cupido and Lloyd. Cupido recovered quickest from the touched ball to swing around on to his left foot and snap a brilliant goal above post height.
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2 minutes later, it was Hird time. He started by intercepting a clearing kick from Collingwood’s Shane O’Bree 50m out. Hird immediately played on, took one look at the laces of the football, and let fly for another Essendon goal. Rioli kicked another goal not even a minute later to bring the house down all before 3QT.
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Essendon’s first foray inside 50 in the 4th quarter gave Hird the chance to pick up a bouncing ball 40m out. This time Hird didn’t even look up as he kicked a fantastic goal off balance and under pressure.
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Hird soon delivered a perfect chip to Lloyd who kicked his 5th goal from outside 50 to make the margin 37 points.
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The 4th quarter turned into party time very quickly. Joe Misit had the ball bumped out of his hands which naturally fell into Hird’s lap, who snapped high, long and straight over the goal umpire’s hat for goal number 4. 2 minutes later, Hird roved the tap from Steven Alessio to snap his 5th.
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The Pies were broken. Dean Soloman marked 75m out from goal, turned around, had time to mis-bounce the ball, collect it, and still comfortably get his kick away from 50m. Like most shots at goal that day, it sailed through for another goal. The Bombers won by 66.
Extra notes
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Essendon were dominant in the air, winning the contested marks 19-8.
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Sheedy didn’t appear to trust his depth. Jordan Bannister played 37% of the game for 5 disposals. Shane Harvey played 37% of the game for 2 disposals. Ted Richards played 24% of the game for 0 disposals. By comparison, Collingwood’s lowest time on ground % player was Leon Davis, with 45%.
What happened next?
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You could almost set your clock to it, but Essendon lost to Fremantle at Subiaco by 31 points the following week, and that was in large part to junk time goals from the Bombers. The sensational performance against the Pies seemed like it took part in another universe when Essendon had their score doubled by Richmond one week later. The Bombers re-found their form late in the season to make and win an Elimination Final against Fremantle.
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Collingwood lost 2 of their next 3 matches, including home losses against Sydney and West Coast. Despite being only 8th after Round 13, the Pies defeated almost all comers from then on - Brisbane being the exception. A Qualifying Final win against the Lions and a convincing victory against Home & Away standouts, Port Adelaide, gave the Pies confidence ahead of their Grand Final rematch. Thankfully, Brisbane were far too good on the day.
Click here to go to best win #8.