Best Win Since 2000 No. 1
Qualifying Final 2000 vs Kangaroos
| Essendon | 9.1.55 | 15.6.96 | 25.9.159 | 31.12.198 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kangaroos | 4.2.26 | 6.3.39 | 9.4.58 | 11.7.73 |
Context
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Essendon came into the game in shaky form having lost infamously to the Western Bulldogs in Round 21 and won in uninspiring fashion against bottom-four Collingwood in Round 22.
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The Kangaroos were the reigning premiers, though Essendon had won their last 3 meetings - 4 if you include the 2000 Ansett Cup final. The Roos were also in scratchy form, with just 2 wins from their last 4 matches.
Why it’s on the list / key moments
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4 quarters of unbelievably high quality football during a Qualifying Final. Essendon were better in basically all areas of the game.
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Again, there are too many highlights to mention. Thankfully you can see all the goals on YouTube (as of Feb 2026).
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Joe Misiti had 41 disposals, 5 tackles, 11 clearances, 10 inside 50s and kicked 4.0, playing one of the best ever games by an Essendon midfielder.
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James Hird returned from a minor injury to kick 5 goals in the 1st half.
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Adam Ramanauskas, in his 24th game of AFL football, looked like a star of the future. The youngster took several courageous/acrobatic marks and effortlessly brought the ball out of defense, an example of which came in the 3rd quarter when he sidestepped Shannon Motlop and escaped the fingertips of Wayne Carey.
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By late in the 3rd quarter, it started to look truly embarrassing for the Kangaroos. They trailed by 82 points and were leaving a paddock for Essendon to stroll through as they pleased. Michael Long handballed over an oncoming Roo to Chris Heffernan, who then repeated the dose and handballed over the top of his opponent to Gary Moorcroft. Moorcroft chipped short to Blake Caracella 20m out. With Essendon teammates on either side of him and under absolutely no pressure, Caracella jogged into 12m out and kicked the goal over the heads of Matthew Lloyd and Mick Martyn.
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Minutes later, Moorcroft found John Barnes in the goalsquare, who marked and immediately handballed to Misiti, who was roughly 4m out from goal. Misiti blasted the ball into the stands off one casual step.
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Matthew Lloyd kicked his 100th goal of the season during the 4th quarter, kicking his 6th goal of the game on Mick Martyn with the contest long over. Fans streamed onto the MCG and play had to be paused for some time. The ball had been delivered to him by Long, who played his last great game with 31 disposals, a goal and an abundance of creativity. Party time.
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Sheedy tried to share around the goals in the 4th quarter with Damien Hardwick, Dean Wallis and Ramanauskas all spotted up forward. Wallis provided an assist for Moorcroft, while Ramanauskas took a brilliant leaping one-hander against Kangaroo Peter Bell. Bell’s expression of disbelief told the story.
Extra notes
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Essendon won the disposals 408-258, including more than doubling the Kangaroos in uncontested possessions. It was a training drill for the Bombers.
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David King kicked 7.0 and had 22 disposals for the Kangas. His windmill celebration after kicking the opening goal was as good as it got for North.
What happened next?
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Essendon cruised through to their 16th premiership over the following 3 weeks.
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The Kangaroos recovered to win a close Semi-Final against Hawthorn, but they were blown away by Melbourne in the Preliminary Final. The 50-point loss was flattering to the Roos.