Comfortably the loudest crowd I’ve ever been a part of.
The slow Essendon chant as we kicked away in the last reached a deafening crescendo when Jobe kicked that goal.
It felt at the time like we were becoming an ascendant power, combined with the Saga frustrations, taking Collingwood’s place in the top four for the foreseeable future.
Of course this was not to be, and we’ve become so pathetic that mere feelings of optimism illicit fond nostalgia.
Sadly I was working so missed out on going in person, but that’s great insight into just how loud the crowd was.
I felt very similarly, albeit with far less experience following the club, that if we could get through the pesky scandal relatively unscathed, we’d be a top side for at least a few years. That feeling evaporated very quickly.
Click here to go to best win #24.
I’d have this one a fair bit higher. It was probably my high point for optimism in the past 20 years. I really thought at this point the saga stuff would result in a slap on the wrist and that we were becoming a genuine contender. Humiliatingly wrong on both counts unfortunately.
I’m still catching up watching each one.
I’m up to 38.
The order is okay, but some I’d push higher or lower. It wouldn’t be by much. Maybe 3 or 4 spots at the most (we do have some decent watchable wins).
I’d put the 2003 West Coast win higher.
That is a very good game to watch even now. And I definitely remember the Cupido goal at the end to seal the victory. When he was on, it was a great watch. Pity he couldn’t be on for longer.
I think the 2023 Richmond win is underrated.
They weren’t great but they were still good enough to beat an average team. And we hadn’t beaten them for so long. The crowd and the atmosphere made the game better. And obviously, the ending as well as the Merrett tackle that led to Redman leaking out the other side of the ground was great.
I have to say the 2008 Collingwood game doesn’t age quite as well.
I was there on the day and loved it. But for some reason, it was a bit of a struggle to watch in full. I’d probably push that down a bit.
The 2014 Collingwood win should probably be pushed down too.
I remember the earlier game in the season and the later Carlton game, but not this one. And the re-watch didn’t really do much for me.
I didn’t go to this game and I don’t even think I listened to it.
The 2021 Bulldogs win probably could be pushed up a bit more.
It is a tough watch because there was no crowd, but if you can find a way to ignore that, the game was a good watch. And seeing 2MP slot through goals post height from 50 is always a thing of beauty.
I should be able to catch up to your list by next weekend.
Incredible effort - thanks for sharing your thoughts on each of those games. Sometimes as I’m writing the recaps of the games, I realise I’ve probably over/under-placed a game, so to be mostly within 5 spots is good to hear.
For a brief moment ‘Gumby2Jerrett’ was shaping as the next trending Blitz-handle.
And geez Winderlich, man we were robbed of a great career with that fella.
Would have been interesting if Ryder, Hibberd and Crameri stuck with us too. Very good footballers.
Yeah, that 2013 side whilst not a top 4 contender was as good we’ve been in the last 25 years.
Peak Watson and Goddard, Heppell, Ryder, Winderlich, Hibberd, Crameri, Hurley, Hooker and some decent role players around them.
Decent football team.
| Essendon | 4.4.28 | 5.8.38 | 12.12.84 | 17.14.116 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hawthorn | 2.3.15 | 6.10.46 | 10.14.74 | 12.19.91 |
Essendon were playing their first match with a full squad in over a year, as the banned 34 players from the supplements scandal were now free to play.
Hawthorn had finished 3rd on the ladder in 2016 but lost both of their finals.
The joy of being able to watch an Essendon side take it up to a top team after so long. Well… we thought they’d be a top team at the time.
Only one season had passed since Hawthorn completed their threepeat. In 2016, the Hawks had beaten the Bombers by 108 points. Beating them felt pretty good.
Aside from the opening 10 minutes, the Hawks had the better of the first half and led at the main break. The Bombers made up for it in the second half, with 12 goals to Hawthorn’s 6.
Orazio Fantasia had a night to remember, kicking 4.1 and collecting 2 Brownlow votes. His 2nd and 3rd goals were difficult snaps that any small forward would be proud of.
Shaun McKernan kicked a fantastic goal from just outside 50 on a tricky angle to put the Dons ahead by 16 points late in the 3rd quarter.
New skipper Dyson Heppell played one his best ever games, earning 34 disposals, 7 tackles and 3.0. Heppell’s 2 last quarter goals were both superb. The first of which came right at the start of the quarter - a rushed snap on a tight angle from close range. The second came after a tough contested mark surrounded by 3 Hawks, 45m out. Brendan Goddard asked for the hand-off, but Heppell told him to relax, lined up for goal and put it straight through the middle.
Brent Stanton sealed the game after Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti dished the ball off to him around 50m out. Strangely enough, this was the 2nd time for the match that this exact sequence had taken place - the first time took place from almost the exact same position at the other end of the ground during the 3rd quarter.
The following week, Essendon gave up a 42 point lead to Brisbane at the Gabba before steadying with the last 5 goals of the game to be 2-0. Orazio Fantasia briefly looked like he might be All Australian worthy, kicking 5 goals and collecting 2 more Brownlow votes. An embarrassing loss to lowly Carlton in Round 3 reminded everyone why the side wasn’t touted for major success. They’d show signs before eventually bowing out to Sydney in an embarrassing Elimination Final defeat.
Hawthorn finished a mediocre 12th.
Click here to go to best win #23.
I think I attended this match on crutches and had to make my way up the top of the southern stand. Was dripping with sweat by the time I got to my seat.
Got to love the runner blocking space inside 50 for the last stoppage then celebrating. Was it Barnes?
This was the last high quality match win we had I reckon. There was a bit of play early in the last quarter when it was still on involving Dempsey at half back. It was hard tough footy, he won a contest with Bruce commentating ‘how good was all of that’.
The pass from Daniher to Heppel to kick the goal was amazing.
I wonder if ANZAC day 2003 makes the list (unless it’s on here and I missed it?)
You haven’t missed it. I don’t think I’m spoiling too much to say that its time will come.
By the way, the first post in the thread has the list of matches to date in condensed form (and links to each post), if that helps you keep track.
In 2026, the AFL is introducing a playoff round before the “real” finals start, between teams in 7th-10th on the ladder. This match was more-or-less a play-off between 8th and 9th for an Elimination Final spot, though it depended slightly on the result of Port Adelaide (10th prior to the round starting) vs North Melbourne later in the day.
Essendon were doing typical post-2000 Essendon things. In Round 20, they’d beaten undefeated St Kilda to keep their season alive with a dramatic 2-point win. They then travelled to Subiaco and were demolished by a bottom 4 Fremantle side. It was a strange season which meant that a team with fewer wins than losses, like Essendon, were holding on to 8th spot.
Hawthorn were the reigning premiers but had endured one of the more noteworthy premiership hangovers in recent memory. They were easier to predict than Essendon in recent weeks, but still struggled to pick up wins, sitting in 9th, 1 draw behind the Bombers. They also had key players out injured including Lance Franklin and Jarryd Roughead.
AKA “The Sewell bump game” or “The Hurley vs Hawthorn game”.
Essendon trailed by 28 points late in the 2nd quarter before a Nathan Lovett-Murray goal just before HT gave the Dons a sniff.
The 3rd quarter began with one of the most controversial on-field Essendon incidents since the club’s current (as of 2025) finals drought began. The ball was bounced and soon the ball was bouncing in the Bombers’ direction, only for Matthew Lloyd to bump Hawthorn’s Brad Sewell in the head, knocking him out cold. Lloyd was suspended for 4 matches, effectively ending his career. The incident incensed the Hawthorn players and its coach, Alistair Clarkson.
The Bombers kicked the next 3 goals of the game to put the pressure on the Hawks.
First-year player, Michael Hurley, had a 2nd half to remember. He kicked a brilliant set shot on a tight angle to cut the margin to 3 points halfway through the 3rd quarter. Hurley then followed up by gliding across the pack to mark on the behind line before playing on and kicking the goal.
Some classic Knights-era rebounding football brought Essendon’s next goal, early in the 4th quarter. Some risky handballs out of the Bombers’ back half eventually released Tayte Pears who bounced twice before dishing off to Lovett-Murray, who then handballed to Jarrod Atkinson. Atkinson took two bounces before squeezing his kick through the goals under immense pressure to put Essendon in front.
Barely a minute later, Ricky Dyson let fly from 55m out and somehow the ball bounced through despite a number of bodies on either side of it.
Hurley was at it again soon after. This time beating Hawthorn’s Stephen Gilham to a bouncing ball before tripping on the point post. Gilham overran the ball, allowing Hurley the time to recover and handpass to Sam Lonergan, who goaled from close range to make the margin 19 points.
Hurley marked just outside 50 on the half-forward flank before wheeling around on to his wrong (left) foot and kicking a beauty.
To finish off an incredible half, Hurley kicked Essendon’s last goal of the game, with a quick kick towards the goalsquare which Brent Stanton let bounce through for 6 points.
Matthew Lloyd’s last game.
Josh Kennedy (the Sydney one) played his last game for Hawthorn before his 13-season stint at the Swans.
Essendon finished 8th on the ladder before being demolished by Adelaide at Football Park in their Elimination Final.
Hawthorn missed the finals, finishing 9th.
Click here to go to best win #22.
My memory of this year (and the 2008-2011 era in general) was that there was kind of an enormous gap between the top 3-4 and everybody else. This was when GWS and GC were coming into the comp which really exacerbated the gap between the haves and the have nots. It was a very good time to be in your window as the top 4 was very settled for a 3-4 year period (it was pretty much always Geelong, St Kilda, Collingwood and one of Hawthorn / Bulldogs).
A couple of effects of this was some seriously sorry teams down the bottom (expansion Suns, 2011 Power, the tanktastic Demons and a couple of Eagles teams) and some pretty crappy teams sneaking into the finals with 11 wins and percentages at or below 100. A couple of years we were one of those teams and the finals ended up going as expected.
2011 in particular was a batshit year as you had the Hawks finishing in 3rd with an 18-4 record (!?) and a percentage just shy of 145 which was a distant third in the comp behind Collingwood with 167 and Geelong with 157. That’s insane.
Rinse and repeat
When ‘Name A Game’ DVD was all the rage in the early 2000s, that was one of the few games I purchased (still got it somewhere) so I would like to think it ranks quite highly. 
2009-2010 were notable as having the exact same four teams finish in the top four- Geelong, St Kilda, Collingwood and the Western Bulldogs. Expand a year either side and you had six clubs occupying a total of 16 available top four finishes- Hawthorn in 2008 and WCE in 2011.
Also Jeff Kennett went troppo (lol at that umpiring).
