Is this the @westozziebomber beer over the head game?
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Exceptional stat!
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The first 40 minutes of this game was the most surprised Iâve ever been with an Essendon scoreline (in a positive way).
There are countless examples of negativeâŚ
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IIRC, at one point in the third quarter the Eagles free-kick count was higher than their score
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Didnât Lloyd get knocked out in this game and miss the Port final the week after?
We effectively went into the Port final without our bookends and half the team hobbled.
Yep. No Lloyd or Fletch, and Hird was lacking match fitness.
There was a game at Telstra Dome one night against West coast where we kicked the first 8 as well (may have been the Hird game?)
I remember seeing a meme later that night that showed the score and the heading was âodds of Essendon kicking the first 8 goalsâ
Think in the last quarter, an Eagles junkie had a shot from about 50m, Hooker touched it (still about 35m from goal) and it rolled to the goal line. Lycett was there to kick it off the ground for a goal, only to totally miss it. He tried to claim it but Bellchambers is there waving his finger telling him he didnt kick it (and laughing)
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Yes, that is correct. Think they were 2.8 and had 22 Free Kicks.
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That was the one.
So friggen annoying that the ONE year that we finished strong was the year where we 12 wins and >100% DIDNâT let us stumble into the finals.
We would have otherwise played a final in red hot form.
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My standout recollection about this match is it was the first day of GST.
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Let me guess. Some of umpire Margettsâ best work?
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Well, he was on the field.
Best Win Since 2000 No. 27
Round 10 2007 vs Sydney
| Sydney | 3.2.20 | 7.4.46 | 8.4.52 | 11.7.73 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essendon | 5.1.31 | 7.2.44 | 7.7.49 | 11.8.74 |
Context
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Essendon were proving hard to predict, sitting 9th on the ladder. Theyâd won two games in a row, albeit against a mediocre Brisbane and hapless Richmond. The victory against the Tigers had required a late surge of Essendon goals and a controversial goal-denying umpiring decision against their star forward Matthew Richardson.
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Sydney had played in the previous 2 Grand Finals but were only 1 place above Essendon, displaying similar inconsistent form.
Why itâs on the list / key moments
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4th quarter drama. Another game which is remembered almost entirely for its closing stages than anything that preceded it.
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Essendon battled hard after catching the Swans napping early. The Dons kicked 4 goals to nil in the first 10 minutes of play, but the Swans were well on top by HT, taking a 2 point lead into the main break.
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Trailing by 3 points at 3QT, Essendon found a second wind, kicking the first 3 goals of the 4th quarter to lead by 16 points. The 3rd of these goals was kickstarted by a bomb from halfback by Dustin Fletcher, who made the SCG look like an Under 9s field. The ball eventually fell to Mark Bolton, who kicked an uncharacteristic snap around the body which bounced through the big sticks. His opponent, Adam Goodes, could only watch on, who himself was kept to only 12 touches on the night.
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Nick Davis reduced the margin to 8 points with 10 minutes to go, but Essendonâs Mark McVeigh then kicked a controversial goal which led to a chorus of boos from the home fans. In the build-up, Adam McPhee appeared to have taken the ball out of bounds as he dropped the ball to his boot before delivering a chip pass inside 50. McVeighâs improvised finish from the pocket was fantastic nonetheless, bouncing the ball through under intense pressure while running towards the boundary line.
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Sydney kicked 2 in a row to trail by only 2 points. The launched one final attack which gave Amon Buchanon a chance to win the game with a snap from only 25m out. The crowd thought it had bounced through for a goal, but Buchanon and the goal umpire both knew that the ball had hit the post. The replay showed that the goal padding had come to Essendonâs rescue.
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More boos rang out at the final siren, as the home fans felt that they had been robbed. Little did they know how many fortunate results would fall their way in the very same fixture in the years to come.
Extra notes
- The last time Mark Bolton and Adam Goodes played in the same game. Bolton played his last game for Essendon in Round 22 of the same season.
What happened next?
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Essendon followed up with another 1 point win against reigning premiers West Coast, which remarkably put them in the top 4. Their luck eventually ran out as Sheedyâs final season ended disappointingly with a 12th placed finish.
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Sydney did enough to finish 7th but fell at the first hurdle to Collingwood.
Click here to go to best win #26.
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If I remember correctly there was discussion during that game about how tall the goal post padding was, and the ball hit right at the top!
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Think it was around how fat the padding was and tbf it was pretty fat.
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I saw the last 5 minutes of that West Coast game today.
last 4 minutes on Youtube.
McVeigh outmarked Judd 40 out. Didnât score.
Cox picked out McPhee with a shocking miskick. McPhee dithered in true McPhee-style then kicked out of bounds to Lloyd in the wrong pocket. Horrible, horrible kick. Have we ever had a worse football brain than McPhee? Could mark, could kick, but shocking decision marker.
That was the one that ended with the Fletcher punch to the boundary.
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Best Win Since 2000 No. 26
Round 11 2007 vs West Coast
| Essendon | 1.0.6 | 6.2.38 | 12.4.76 | 15.5.95 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Coast | 5.5.35 | 10.8.68 | 13.9.87 | 14.10.94 |
Context
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Essendon found themselves 1 win inside the 8 after a dramatic win against Sydney (see previous post).
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West Coast were the reigning premiers and top of the ladder going into the match.
Why itâs on the list / key moments
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A packed Docklands stadium created one of the best atmospheres the ground had seen. 48,913 witnessed the Bombers come back from what looked to be a heavy defeat and somehow take the points.
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The margin was 36 points to the Eagles at the 6 minute mark of the 2nd quarter. Scott Camporeale was given a free kick directly in front of goal, which he converted, and from here the tone of the game began to change.
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Midway through the 2nd quarter, Essendonâs Alwyn Davey roved the pack brilliantly and put a drop punt straight through the middle to keep the Dons in touching distance. The Eagles were nonplussed, kicking the last 2 goals of the quarter to restore their lead to 30 points at HT.
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Early in the 3rd quarter, Matthew Lloyd took a strong one-hander in the goalsquare while holding off All-Australian fullback Darren Glass before cutting the margin to 12 points.
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Promising ruckman Jason Laycock converted a set shot to again put pressure on the Eagles. The Bombers soon had a blatant HTB decision not paid, 40m out from goal. The restlessness of the crowd was soon converted to rapturous cheers as the ball found its way to Scott Lucas, who sidestepped his opponent before drilling the goal. 2 minutes later, youngster Angus Monfries kicked a tumbling checkside to again get the crowd off their feet. The margin was now 4 points.
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Early in the 4th quarter, Henry Slattery marked on the 50m arc and made the right decision by handballing to Lucas, who let fly from 55 and goaled. The roars just kept getting louder. It wasnât long before Lucas kicked his 5th, shrugging off a Brent Staker tackle before running into an open goal.
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Daniel Kerr found himself 40m out on the run with scores level and decided to chip short instead of taking a relatively simple shot at goal to put West Coast in front. Dustin Fletcher spoiled the mark and the Eagles failed to score. A missed set shot to Bomber ruckman David Hille left the scores at 95-94 with 2 minutes remaining.
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With 5 seconds on the clock, Dustin Fletcher punched the ball clear from the pack and somehow found the right side of the behind post for a boundary throw-in. The ball was thrown in, bobbled off hands right in front of the West Coast goal, and the siren finally sounded. The noise of the stadium at that moment has rarely been beaten since.
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James Hird was outstanding for the Bombers in one of his last games for the club.
Extra notes
- N/A
What happened next?
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Essendon lost to the seasonâs eventual Grand Finalists, Port Adelaide and Geelong, in successive weeks. Hird picked up an injury against the Cats and wouldnât return until Round 20, with the season hanging by a thread. Sheedyâs final season ended disappointingly with a 12th placed finish.
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West Coast missed out on a home Qualifying Final on percentage thanks to an 8-goal last quarter from Essendon in Round 22 - Sheedy and Hirdâs farewell game at Subiaco. It cost them dearly. They lost to Port Adelaide by 3 points at Football Park in a Qualifying Final, and followed up with an extra time loss at home to Collingwood in the Semi Final.
Click here to go to best win #25.
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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
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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.
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Collingwood had started the season in decent form. Their only loss was to Hawthorn who would go on to be premiers.
Why itâs on the list / key moments
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The Bombers didnât look like certainties at HT. They led 40-36 but had relied on Collingwoodâs inaccurate 4.12 for that to be the case.
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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.
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David Zaharakis played arguably the best game of his career with 34 disposals and 4 goals. He won the ANZAC Day medal.
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The most iconic moment of the match by a mile was Jobe Watsonâs 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 Jobeâs in front of the Essendon crowd.
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Jason Winderlich played an important role in Essendonâs second half, kicking 3 goals. Heâd played just 6 games in the previous 2 seasons.
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On-field, everything was looking up. Even Scott Gumbleton chimed in with 2 goals.
Extra notes
- Essendon won the hitouts 50-21 but only edged the clearances 32-30.
What happened next?
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Essendonâs 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.
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Collingwood finished 6th but were beaten unexpectedly by a resurgent Port Adelaide.
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