One of the female commentators went over the top with her claim that Adam Kennedy touched the McKernan kick. Absolutely zero evidence other than Kennedy’s claim. If he got more than a pinky on it, you’d have thought it wouldn’t have gone as straight and true as it did.
I’m not really in favour of distance kicks at source being declared touched.
I was struggling to place this game until Alessio was mentioned.
I can’t pretend to remember most of the game but the finish was more than memorable. I still recall the faces of the Sydney supporters in front of me after the siren (they were given a rousing send-off after some choice comments during the game).
Bit surprised this one wasn’t higher, but I certainly don’t disagree. As others have said, about 80-90% of this game was dog ■■■■ and has no rewatchability outside of the last 10 minutes.
| Essendon | 5.2.32 | 9.5.59 | 10.11.71 | 12.12.84 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Geelong | 2.2.14 | 2.3.15 | 3.5.23 | 7.8.50 |
Essendon were 2-6 and had just lost to previously winless Carlton. Mark Neeld had just left his post as game performance coach.
Geelong were 3rd on the ladder.
The Bombers blew Geelong away early, escaping to a 32-2 lead, before Geelong kicked 2 of their own to conclude the 1st quarter.
Zach Merrett laid a crunching tackle on Gary Ablett Jnr right on the QT siren to prevent a last-second shot on goal.
The Cats never looked threatening all afternoon. The Dons looked like a completely different team than the one from the first 8 weeks, attacking the football with intent and looking to move the ball quickly. The Dons won the 2nd quarter by 26 points and were totally dominant.
Dyson Heppell caught Geelong star Joel Selwood with a ferocious tackle halfway through the 2nd quarter and was awarded a free kick for his efforts.
Conor McKenna kicked a fantastic goal on the run from outside 50 to make the margin 54 points with just over 7 minutes of game time remaining. For once, it was the Cats kicking junk time goals that didn’t reflect the course of the match.
Matt Guelfi kicked his 1st goal for Essendon.
Jordan Ridley and Dylan Clarke’s debuts for Essendon.
Essendon were much improved from this point onwards, but their poor start proved costly as they finished 11th.
Geelong scraped into the 8 despite their 131.6%. They were easily accounted for by a reborn Melbourne side in an Elimination Final.
Click here to go to best win #30.
I’m not really disagreeing, but it’s a genuine indictment on the last 25 years that this game ranks so high.
Rewatched the Round 17, 2000 match against Richmond, we won by a gazzillion. So? Noticable was the slick delivery from stoppage / congestion, 1,2 and 3 with the 3rd bloke (gender specific i know) clear of the congestion and able to get the ball out to another 4th, off to the races. Magnificent, with every player committed and knowing what they needed to do. Perhaps players were smarter back then or really gave a tish.
We had a shot after the siren of each of the first 3 quarters. Think we missed them all.
I was sitting in the Richmond fans sections that day (FP of northern stand), man did they go off when Mercury stopped in the goal square and waited before kicking the goal.
| Essendon | 2.4.16 | 8.5.53 | 14.9.93 | 21.10.136 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carlton | 2.3.15 | 7.7.49 | 8.9.57 | 9.13.67 |
Essendon was clinging on to a spot on the 8 on percentage.
Carlton were tied for wins but held a significant percentage advantage over the Dons to sit 7th on the ladder.
AKA “The game where Tayte Pears toweled up Brendan Fevola”.
A convincing prime time win against our arch rivals in front of a huge 83,407 crowd when a tough game was expected prior to the first bounce.
Essendon went up 53-49 at HT before a near perfect half of football (83-18) saw the Bombers romp away.
19-year-old Tayte Pears earned a Rising Star nomination for his efforts in keeping Carlton forward Brendan Fevola to 2.2. Fevola Kicked 89.57 in the 2009 season.
Thanks to Fevola’s lacking defensive work, Pears was allowed to take 5 bounces up the wing in the lead-up to a goal to Hayden Skipworth early in the 3rd quarter.
Brent Stanton goaled from 50m out on a tough angle midway through the 3rd quarter after a poor Carlton turnover to blow the metaphorical roof off the MCG. Nathan Lovett-Murray later took a one-hander before setting up Lloyd for his 3rd goal just before 3QT.
Andrew Lovett took an even better mark early in the 4th quarter. Minutes later, he smothered Blue Michael Jamieson’s kick and inexplicably earned himself a free-kick in the pocket. Lovett then goaled from the resulting snap. Another minute later, Lovett fumbled a crumbed ball before kicking the ball out of mid-air for yet another Bomber goal. It really was one of those incredible nights where nothing could go wrong.
Essendon lost their return game against Collingwood the following week in meek fashion before a strong win at the SCG against Sydney. It was impossible to predict Matthew Knights’s Bombers. They stuttered their way to 8th on the ladder before being demolished by Adelaide at Football Park.
Carlton finished 7th before famously giving up a 30 point 4th quarter lead against Brisbane at the Gabba to bow out of the finals.
Click here to go to best win #29.
Taste looked so good that night. Such a shame he was cruelled by injuries.
The 2nd half was soooooooo much fun
| Essendon | 3.4.22 | 6.6.42 | 11.7.73 | 17.9.111 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Coast | 2.2.14 | 6.6.42 | 9.8.62 | 11.12.78 |
Essendon’s plan to exact revenge for their disappointing 2001 Grand Final loss had not gone as expected, finishing 5th with only 12 wins and 1 draw. 3 of those wins had come in the final 3 rounds of the Home and Away season.
The Bombers had become accustomed to playing without their two superstars, James Hird and Matthew Lloyd, thanks to both sustaining injuries that saw them miss 7 games throughout the season. Hird was ruled out pre-game, but Lloyd was knocked out late in the 1st quarter by Eagle Adam Hunter to really put Essendon’s depth to the test.
A rejuvenated West Coast had shot up the ladder under new coach John Worsfold after a dismal 2001 season. They had held on to 8th spot thanks to an epic 143-127 victory over fellow Elimination Finalists, the Kangaroos, at Manuka Oval in Round 22.
AKA “The game where Dustin Fletcher tripped Chris Judd and missed a final because of it”.
A gritty finals win under difficult circumstances.
West Coast led by 7 points early in the 3rd quarter.
Scott Lucas played a hero’s game for the Bombers, kicking 3 goals in the 3rd quarter after being swung forward by Kevin Sheedy, steering the game back in the Dons’ favour. His 3rd goal in 7 minutes, a 50m bouncing snap, restored the Bombers’ lead which they’d never relinquish. Lucas had 29 disposals, 10 marks, 3.2 and 10 inside 50s to play a pivotal role at both ends of the ground.
To ease 4th quarter nerves, Blake Caracella kicked his 2nd last goal in an Essendon jumper, a classic feint and snap on his wrong foot to put Essendon 15 points up.
A minute later, Jason Johnson showed his trademark grit to win the contested ball before kicking truly on his left foot.
Paul Salmon, in his 2nd last game of AFL football, kicked the Bombers’ 5th goal in 13 minutes to put the result beyond doubt. The Big Fish immediately went down with cramp while celebrating.
Andrew Welsh kicked his first goal for Essendon.
Paul Salmon had 33 hitouts for Essendon, his highest tally for the season (and ever in an Essendon jumper).
Sam Hunt played his 3rd of 7 career games for Essendon. He retired with a perfect 1/1 finals winning record.
Click here to go to best win #28.
I just can not imagine Andrew Welsh and Paul Salmon playing in the same game.
Which was the game where Lovett is streaming through the middle with Carrazzo attempting to chase him and Lovett kicks truly from 50? You zee Carrazzo in the background, absolutely spent trying to chase Lovett and Lovett barely breaking a sweat.
That was definitely a Knights one. Maybe this one.
Edit: Look at the absolute dog turd of a team FC sent out
Nah, wasn’t that one. Was a night game
That game there, if Gibbs kicks that goal and doesn’t hit the post, they probably go on and win that.
It might have been Round 3 2008? That or Round 3 2009. I get the two mixed up.
Fletch deserved his one-week suspension and was very lucky not to get more.
It was more a kick than a trip. A full-blooded lash with the boot.
The consensus was if they said it was a kick, we would have argued that a kick was above the knee and if it was a trip we would argue that a trip is below the knee. So they charged him with misconduct.
Was also the week King died and they wouldn’t let us to a minute silence because of short notice.
What a ■■■■ demetiou was, can’t wait for the fat ■■■■ to cark it
I was trying to think who King was, and thought it may help if you’d written King Richard.
It was a kick in my book, and like father, like son. Ken was a bit of a slipper merchant. Still remember him opening up Billy Barrot’s face at the MCG one day.
Absolutely concur re Fat Andy.
| West Coast | 0.1.1 | 1.6.12 | 2.12.24 | 6.16.52 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essendon | 6.2.38 | 8.4.52 | 9.7.61 | 12.8.80 |
Essendon were having a disappointing season after making the finals in 2017. They came back from their bye in 13th on the ladder with a 5-7 W/L record.
West Coast were 2nd on the ladder but were missing their key forward duo, Josh Kennedy and Jack Darling.
Essendon couldn’t do a thing wrong to start the game. The Bombers won the 1st quarter 38-1 thanks to their daring run through the corridor off half back from the likes of Adam Saad and Conor McKenna. Saad was awarded the 3 Brownlow votes.
Devon Smith snapped a terrific goal on the run from a tight angle just before the QT siren.
As if that wasn’t good enough, Smith converted well from a set shot to kick off the 2nd quarter. Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti then burst away from a stoppage in the right-forward pocket and bent the ball through the middle to make the scores an unbelievable 50-1.
The Eagles started to pepper away at the goals with 21 of the remaining 31 scoring shots, but they saved their accuracy until it was too late to impact the result.
Devon Smith kicked his 3rd goal by roving the pack and squeezing a dribbler through a small gap, midway through the 4th quarter.
Essendon won the disposal count 392-319.
West Coast won the free kick count 33-17.
Essendon improved their season’s fortunes but couldn’t get over the line in spirited performances against the top 6 sides, which cost them a spot in the finals.
West Coast finished 2nd on the ladder and won all 3 of their finals to become premiers, including the famous win against Collingwood on Grand Final day where Dom Sheed threaded the needle to put the Eagles in front late on.
Click here to go to best win #27.