50 Best Essendon Wins since 2000 (countdown)

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Best Win Since 2000 No. 20

Round 22 2013 vs Carlton

Carlton 3.9.27 5.10.40 9.18.72 9.22.76
Essendon 4.2.26 6.7.43 8.7.55 12.10.82

Context

  • Essendon were awaiting their punishment to be handed down by the AFL as a result of the supplements saga. The charges had been announced a couple of weeks prior. It was heavily rumoured/accepted that the Bombers wouldn’t be allowed to play finals.

  • Carlton needed to win their last 2 matches to guarantee a spot in the top 8.

Why it’s on the list / key moments

  • AKA “The Zaharakis against Carlton game”.

  • Carlton led Essendon by 19 points early in the 4th quarter. It was only inaccuracy on the Blues’ part which had kept the scores relatively close.

  • The Bombers kicked 6 of the last 7 goals of the game to break the Blues’ hearts.

  • 2013 was Jake Melksham’s best year in red-and-black. His long swerving pass to find Michael Hurley in the goalsquare in the 1st quarter was a thing of beauty.

  • Jobe Watson put aside what had become customary boos for his every disposal to kick 2 goals, pick up 27 disposals, and earn himself 2 Brownlow votes for the night.

  • With a leaking head wound, Paddy Ryder took a fantastic leaping mark with half a quarter to go to put Essendon in front by a point.

  • A Bryce Gibbs behind for Carlton had levelled the scores with a few minutes remaining. The Bombers surged forward with a bomb inside 50 with 40 seconds on the clock. Carlton’s Andrew McInnes tried to punch the ball away but missed entirely. McInnes was then overzealous in making up for his mistake, as he then pole-axed his own teammate (and Carlton’s best player on the night), Kade Simpson, who had just taken possession of the football. Simpson understandably gave up the footy in a haze, which allowed Jackson Merrett to dish the ball out to David Zaharakis, who guided his shot through for a goal on a tough angle. Scenes.

  • Carlton had one last chance to take something from the game when Daniel Menzel kicked inside 50 for the Blues with 8 seconds to go. Star small forward Eddie Betts used Essendon 2nd-gamer, Lauchlan Dalgleish, as a stepladder, but was put off by contact from David Myers, resulting in a decisive clearance. The siren sounded and the Bomber fans went nuts.

  • Click here for the Essendon goals/highlights.

Extra notes

  • Stewart Crameri kicked 2.0 for Essendon, his last ever goals for the club before being traded to the Western Bulldogs.

What happened next?

  • Essendon were officially kicked out of the finals only days later. They lost to 5th-placed Richmond by 39 points to end their nightmare of a season, all things considered. Unfortunately, it was only the beginning.

  • Carlton were gifted a place in the finals and hilariously beat Richmond in the Elimination Final, leading to an avalanche of Ninthmond memes all over social media. Sydney ensured that Carlton’s run didn’t last too long in a Semi Final at the SCG.

Click here to go to best win #19.

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302

Absolutely love this game. The ■■■■ i was dishing out to the FC fans was venomous

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After going to the final Essendon game and hearing what some of the absolutely feral Richmond fans were saying, them getting rolled in the elimination final was great.

Like, I know all clubs have feral supporters, but geez…Richmond feral is a different level of feral.

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304

What a game. Have a great photo with my brother, my sons and my nephews taken after the siren sitting proudly in the house.

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305

Damm, that’s some feat those Tiger fans achieved.

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Outside of list discussions but this is another great FC result.

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307

Best Win Since 2000 No. 19

Round 11 2013 vs Carlton

Essendon 2.1.13 3.4.22 6.7.43 11.11.77
Carlton 1.4.10 6.5.41 8.9.57 10.12.72

Context

  • Essendon had dropped to 5th after what was a very strong start to the season. It seemed that the “us against the world” feeling of the supplements scandal was losing its effect on the field.

  • Carlton had won 3 matches in a row and sat in 6th, 1 win behind the Bombers.

Why it’s on the list / key moments

  • 82,639 attended the game during the Friday night prime time slot.

  • Carlton led 55-24 halfway through the 3rd quarter after a goal before the Bombers finally found some run. A lucky bounce in the goalsquare after a long-range snap by Stewart Crameri gave the Bombers their 2nd goal in over an hour of football.

  • Dyson Heppell took a wonderful courageous mark minutes later before offloading to Michael Hibberd. His short kick found Jake Melksham, who strolled through the corridor before kicking a 60m bomb to give the Dons momentum.

  • Ben Howlett took a speccy early in the 4th quarter before converting the set shot to reduce the margin to 13 points.

  • From the next centre bounce, Heppell cleared high to just inside 50 where the bouncing ball was collected by Jake Carlisle, who pushed away a would-be tackler with one arm before kicking the goal. The red-and-black in the crowd were definitely up and about if they weren’t already.

  • David Myers found himself in acres of space after a mixup by the Blues at halfback. He awkwardly strolled in to goal before the briefest feigning of a handpass before finally putting the ball through the big sticks himself. Scores level.

  • Jake Carlisle stamped his impact on the game by taking a contested mark against his opponent, Lachie Henderson, before wheeling around and drilling a perfectly weighted pass to Melksham, who blasted the ball through from point-blank range to put Essendon in front.

  • Carlton’s Jarrad Waite had had the night of his career, kicking his 7th goal of the game to give the Blues back the lead. It set up an exciting finish. With just under 3 minutes of play remaining, the two teams would go close to re-enacting Essendon’s winning goal in the classic 1998 match between the two teams, where Stephen Silvagni had saved a goal only to gift the ball straight back to Scott Lucas who kicked the goal straight back over Silvagni’s head. On this occasion it was Brent Stanton who kicked a scuffed drop punt from 55m. Lachie Henderson won the foot race to the ball, but opted to keep the ball in play rather than rush a behind and sacrifice Carlton’s slender 1 point lead. Under pressure from Carlisle, Henderson spotted a teammate at halfback, but it was instead Bomber, Jason Winderlich, who forced his way in front of his opponent, Chris Yarran, to intercept. Winderlich chipped short to Melksham who marked 40m out. Melksham kicked the goal to put the Bombers in front by 5 points with 99 seconds on the clock.

  • Carlton had one last inside 50, but Jake Carlisle took a towering mark to all but lock in the win for the Dons. The Essendon crowd on the siren and throughout the last quarter were fantastic.

  • Click here for the Essendon goals/highlights.

Extra notes

  • Joe Daniher’s debut for Essendon.

What happened next?

  • Essendon won their next 5 games to set up a 1st vs 2nd clash with Hawthorn at Docklands stadium - sound familiar? Unfortunately, it kickstarted a sad end to a difficult season, with the Bombers going down by 56 points.

  • Carlton reverted to mediocrity but were gifted a spot in the finals after finishing 9th. They hilariously beat Richmond in the Elimination Final, leading to an avalanche of Ninthmond memes all over social media. Sydney ensured that Carlton’s run didn’t last too long in a Semi Final at the SCG.

Click here to go to best win #18.

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308

Best Win Since 2000 No. 18

Elimination Final 2003 vs Fremantle

Fremantle 2.2.14 3.4.22 4.6.30 8.9.57
Essendon 3.3.21 7.6.48 11.8.74 15.11.101

Context

  • Essendon came into the finals in solid form, winning 6 of their last 7 Home & Away season matches, including a brilliant win against Brisbane at Docklands. The Bombers’ one loss was to eventual runner-up Collingwood by 17 points, which was partly attributable to poor conversion.

  • Fremantle had made their percentage count, picking up 14 wins and 8 losses with a mere 103.1%. The Dockers had won 4 of their last 5 Home & Away season matches, however, their one loss was a whopping 60 point loss to Essendon at Docklands.

Why it’s on the list / key moments

  • Essendon won convincingly at Subiaco after coming into the match with 3 consecutive losses at the venue.

  • This game symbolised the 2002-2004 era for the Bombers. If James Hird and Matthew Lloyd were on song, Essendon were still a good chance against most teams. Hird in particular was fantastic and clearly the best player on the ground.

  • Hird highlights:

    • Q1: Weighted a deep kick inside 50 to set up Matthew Lloyd for a contested mark and goal from the ensuing set shot.

    • Q1: Roved a poor punch from Freo ruckman Justin Longmuir to kick his first goal.

    • Q2: Took a mark in the pocket, under pressure and while going back with the flight of the ball. He then handballed over the top to an open Lloyd who kicked an easy goal.

    • Q2: Recovered quickest from a spoiled mark by his direct opponent, Dion Woods, to collect the loose ball and kick long inside 50. The ball remarkably bounced at all angles before finally dribbling over the goal line.

    • Q4: Halved a marking contest deep in the pocket, dived on the footy ahead of a nearby Docker, then handballed over his head towards the goalsquare towards Lloyd in a 1-on-1. Lloyd won the jostle before spinning and kicking the goal off the ground.

  • Damian Peverill was also excellent for the Dons with 25 touches and a goal on the run from 50m during the 2nd quarter.

  • Bomber Ben Haynes kicked a fortuitous goal of his own late in the 3rd quarter, blasting a kick inside 50 from 60m out. The ball never sat up, somehow escaping the clutches of the Dockers’ Matthew Carr, as it bounced over the line for another goal.

  • Damian Cupido showcased his incredible talent by picking up a ball on the half-volley on the wing before handpassing inboard to Joe Misiti, who found Scott Lucas. Lucas kicked a perfectly weighted long bomb into the path of the leading Matthew Lloyd, who marked on his chest before converting and putting the Bombers 32 points up.

  • From the next centre bounce, Adam McPhee won the clearance and skied the ball inside 50 once again. Cupido roved his own contest and snapped goalward. The ball was “shepherded” through by Lloyd, giving Cupido his first goal.

  • A minute later, Cupido was there again. He capitalised on a fumble by Docker Robert Haddrill before snapping on his other foot to kick Essendon’s 4th goal in 5 minutes. The game suddenly felt like it was over.

  • Click here for the Essendon goals/highlights.

Extra notes

  • Aaron Henneman kicked his 1st goal for Essendon. He’d only kick 5 in his career.

  • Fremantle won the hitouts 56-14 but Essendon won the clearances 51-30.

  • Fremantle won the tackles 55-28 but Essendon won the contested possessions 142-114.

What happened next?

  • Essendon were beaten easily by Port Adelaide at Football Park in a Semi Final for the second year running. Lloyd was kept to 1 goal and Hird only managed 12 disposals.

Click here for best win #17.

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309

Remarkable goal and a remarkable piece of play.

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310

This is another “boy, the last 25 years must have been ■■■■ if this ranks so high” game.

Like, I don’t disagree with the ranking really, it’s just a sad indictment on the club. Like, would any other team (excluding newbies GWS and GC) have such an unremarkable win so high on their lists?

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Best Win Since 2000 No. 17

Round 15 2011 vs Geelong

Essendon 4.3.27 8.4.52 13.5.83 18.7.115
Geelong 3.3.21 5.7.37 9.12.66 16.15.111

Context

  • Essendon were on a 5-match losing streak after what had been a promising start under new coach, James Hird. They had fallen to 10th on the ladder and looked set for an ugly belting. Bomber captain Jobe Watson was out injured - the Bombers had looked a shell of a team without him.

  • Geelong had won 13/13 matches and were two games clear at the top of the ladder. They had well and truly started their period of dominance over the Bombers with 6 wins in a row by an average margin of 10 goals.

Why it’s on the list / key moments

  • One of the most unlikely Essendon wins of this century so far. It had even been reported that someone had bet $1,000,000 for Geelong to win for a possible return of $90,000. After Geelong kicked the first 3 goals of the match, it looked like Essendon had already blown any chance of making the game interesting.

  • The Bombers went on to kick the next 6 goals in a row to make their mark on the game. Angus Monfries’s 1st goal during this passage was one of the best of his career, a brilliant checkside from close to the boundary line.

  • Paddy Ryder effortlessly grabbed the ball out of the ruck contest before snapping a goal early in the 3rd quarter to make the margin 27 points. Ben Howlett added another minutes later to make the score 71-38.

  • The Cats managed to stay within touching distance, but with 5 minutes to go, Stewart Crameri ran into an open goal and goaled to give the Bombers what was surely a winning 22-point lead.

  • The late drama immediately began to unfold as Geelong’s Steve Johnson was awarded a free kick in front of goal before the next centre bounce. Johnson had been giving more than he’d been receiving in an off-the-ball tussle with first-year Bomber, Michael Hibberd, before the young Don floored the Cat with a forearm in the back. Johnson converted the set shot.

  • One minute later, Johnson kicked a goal while lying on his back to reduce the margin to only 10 points. Another Geelong goal to Mitch Duncan meant that the Bombers were only holding on 109-105.

  • The Bombers finally answered with one of the most exciting goals we’d seen since 2000. Leroy Jetta took on his man on the half-forward flank before handballing a loopy one to Travis Colyer, who flicked the ball over his head just inside the boundary line to send Essendon inside 50. Crameri, Colyer, Alwyn Davey, Monfries and finally Jake Melsham all combined in a goal that blew the proverbial roof off Docklands stadium.

  • Steve Johnson gave the Bombers one last heart attack with a set shot goal from 45m out, but the Bombers held on for a famous win.

  • Click here for the Essendon goals/highlights.

Extra notes

  • Dyson Heppell kicked his first goal for Essendon.

  • Jake Melksham was awarded 3 Brownlow votes. They were the only Brownlow votes he earned in red and black.

What happened next?

  • Essendon won their next 2 games to put themselves back in the 8 before being demolished by Carlton and Collingwood. The Bombers scraped together enough wins to make the finals but were humiliated in an Elimination Final loss to Carlton.

  • Geelong lost only two more games - both during the Home & Away season. They famously had Collingwood’s number in all 3 meetings throughout 2011, who they defeated in the Grand Final to become premiers for the 3rd time in 5 years.

Click here to go to best win #16.

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312

Wonderful win, should be ranked higher.

It should be mentioned, we were missing Jobe for this game.

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Good point - will add in now.

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Great game to watch. That final goal.. Spine tingling. 4 different broadcasts:

https://youtu.be/ysfHV0BLemM?si=z4QYASbBl8VxiIee

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One of the most enjoyed wins I’ve been too.

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Definitely one of my favourites and would make my top 10. We kicked “the sealer” about three times and those bloody bastards just kept coming.

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Chris Scott’s first loss (and first post-game sook) ever

I recall that he was basically complaining that we played so well. Like hey, no fair, you’ve been trash for 5 weeks and now you play a good game!!

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Best Win Since 2000 No. 16

Round 20 2000 vs Carlton

Carlton 2.3.15 6.5.41 9.7.61 12.11.83
Essendon 4.4.28 6.6.42 9.9.63 16.13.109

Context

  • Essendon had won every game and defeated every club at least once. Their form was about as good as any side’s, with 83, 87 and 101-point victories in their last 3 outings. The Bombers had to deal with the late out of eventual Crichton Medalist, Dustin Fletcher. Jonathan Robran came into the side for his 2nd game of the season.

  • Carlton had recovered well from a 2-3 start to the season, winning 13 matches in a row before losing by 3 points to that pesky Western Bulldogs side of 2000 in Round 19. The Blues were 2nd and 2 wins clear of the Kangaroos in 3rd.

Why it’s on the list / key moments

  • A huge 91,571 crowd attended Friday night football - Carlton’s largest Home & Away season crowd ever (as of January 2026).

  • It was a see-sawing contest, with Carlton providing a tough battle despite losing key midfielders Anthony Koutoufides and Craig Bradley to injuries in the 1st quarter. The Blues led by 10 points during the 3rd quarter before the Bombers finally broke clear in the 4th quarter. It was one of the rare occasions in 2000 where neither Hird, Lloyd, Fletcher (injured) nor Lucas were a major factor in a Bombers’ victory.

  • Essendon kicked a picture-perfect rebounding goal halfway through the 1st quarter. Adam Ramanauskas had launched the attack with a fantastic mark at half back before finding Joe Misiti on centre wing. Misiti fed off to Justin Blumfield who ran to 50m out and kicked truly.

  • In the 2nd quarter, Paul Barnard burst clear from deep in Essendon’s defensive 50 before dishing off to Mark Johnson. Johnson attempted a one-two with Michael Long but the return handpass sent him into trouble. Johnson collected the bouncing ball before fending off Carlton’s Ryan Houlihan with disdain. Long provided the one-two option once again, this time tapping the ball over his shoulder back to Johnson who immediately offloaded to Dean Rioli. Rioli gave off to Lloyd who delivered perfectly to a leading Moorcroft. Misiti eventually kicked the goal from Moorcroft’s centred kick to cap off a fantastic piece of play.

  • As the Blues looked to have the momentum in the 3rd quarter, Justin Blumfield kicked long towards the goalsquare. Carlton’s Simon Beaumont looked to have his name written all over the mark, but his fumble allowed James Hird to kick the ball off the ground for a gift of a goal to the Bombers.

  • Essendon went end-to-end early in the 4th quarter. In the Bombers’ left defensive pocket, Mark Mercuri kicked across goal and had the precision to match. Soon Dean Rioli expertly picked up a handball from Dean Soloman which had landed right at his feet before kicking towards full forward. Hird provided a contest and it was, of all people, Steven Alessio who gathered the crumb and dribbled it through for a goal.

  • Again the Bombers attacked from half back as Mark Johnson released Mark Mercuri with a handball. Mercuri took a bounce before kicking inside 50. The ball sat up nicely for a leading Justin Blumfield, who handballed inboard to Jason Johnson, who then straightened himself up before drilling another goal to make the margin 28 points.

  • The Blues looked to be working themselves back into the game, cutting the margin to 15 points, but the Bombers held firm, kicking the last 2 goals of the game. Dean Soloman took a screamer and kicked truly from his set shot to put the icing on the cake.

  • Click here for the Essendon goals/highlights.

Extra notes

  • Carlton won the clearances 39-25.

What happened next?

  • The Bombers played the Western Bulldogs the following week, who had recently broken Carlton’s winning run. “The flood” became the talk of the town, but it was the Dons’ complacency (and injuries) proving to be the real issue, as they coughed up a 21-point lead in the 4th quarter to lose their only game of the season to the Dogs. As we all know, Essendon came out firing once finals arrived and comfortably accounted for all three top 4 sides en route to winning the flag.

  • The Blues ended up without their most important player, Anthony Koutoufides, for the remainder of the season. His absence was arguably costly in their Qualifying Final defeat to Melbourne. The Blues were far less of a challenge against Essendon in their eventual Preliminary Final rematch. It was only the Bombers’ lack of accuracy and taking their foot off the pedal that prevented a margin greater than 45 points.

Click here to go to best win #15.

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I’ve caught up to some of your list.
I’m probably about 4 or 5 days behind.

I struggled watching this game. I thought this was the game where Watson snagged the ball off a thrown and kicked a goal from the boundary. But it was the 2013 Anzac game.
It wouldn’t have made my list of top 50 at all. I barely remember the game.

I have to say this was a tough watch too.
If you didn’t know about the occasion or the circumstances, it wouldn’t be anywhere near here.
But I think it’s about right.
It’s one of those games that is greater being there live than watching on tv or as a replay.

I thought this one was a tad low on the list for me. But we’re getting to a point where the games are just going to better and better, so I think is close enough.
It was actually a decent re-watch.

This was a struggle to watch. Another Geelong win that I barely remember. I wasn’t at the game either. It wouldn’t have been in my top 50 at all.

I’d have this one higher. The quality of the game was pretty good.
This was a few weeks after the North comeback and probably contributed to our ‘over confidence’ of being able to win whenever we felt like it. But ignoring that, I thought this was a decent win.

This one is a sleeper for me. I don’t even remember the game. I recall the Geelong win when Melksham runs into an open goal square late to seal the victory, but not this one.
And on the re-watch, the first half dominance was incredibly surprising. I probably wouldn’t have had it in my top 50, but this definitely should be in it and probably should be higher.
Nice pickup on this one.

These were an okay re-watch, but not sure how I rate them. It’s getting tough because there’s other games I value more.
The final should definitely be in the 50, just not sure how high up the list it should be.

These two deserve to be back to back.
Beating both premiers in back to back weeks was impressive.
I’d say the West Coast win was a better quality game than the Sydney game.
As with others, I’d probably have this higher, but not sure how much.

Yep. Definitely around the right spot. I’d probably push them higher, but not sure what to push out at this point in time.

I’d probably push this one up higher into the top twenty somewhere.
The Lloyd bump on Sewell, them getting the jump on us, us wrestling it back, Hurley sealing the game with a kick from 50 on his left.
Definitely, an easy watch.

A decade ago, I’d have this around here. And I still think it’s about right. Totally smashing a team in the first 30 minutes that honestly thought they were at our level is still a great watch.

This was a decent re-watch. I didn’t realise that we started off so slowly. This one is more memorable because of the reactions from the players. Jobe’s goal reaction was awesome.
The 2013 season quite a ride.

This game is where I’m up to. After getting this far in, I do now appreciate Winderlich a lot more than I previously did. Most of our significant wins had him running through lines and delivering the ball pretty well.
It’s a shame we didn’t get more games out of him.

I still struggle to order some of the games now. Basically we’ve gotten this far in and we haven’t seen the wins against Saint Kilda (there have to be 2 or 3 of them), the James Hird specials and we’re starting to get into the 2013 season where there were a lot of emotional wins. There are a lot of games in the 2000 & 2001 that I’d add, mainly because they were so dominant. Even the early season game against the Bulldogs at Docklands is memorable. They kept it close, but we smashed them by the end. But I wouldn’t be surprised if some of them don’t make the list at all.

In a weird way, I think it’s looking to be over saturated with Collingwood wins. Whilst I love beating them and one of my top 5 would be the Hird/Cupido/Lloyd Anzac win, I’m not sure I have this many in here.
I also suspect you’ve got a decent amount of Hawthorn ones in here. Weirdly, the ones in here, I’d want in my top 50 as well and I still think there’s another two or three that could still easily be included. Now looking back, I enjoyed the Hawthorn wins far more than the Collingwood wins.
There’s also a Docklands win over Brisbane that I’d have somewhere in here.
I also distinctly remember a Bulldogs game at Docklands that was pretty high scoring. It was a Sunday game for memory and Winderlich (or maybe it was someone else) kicked a dribble goal from the boundary.

Once we get closer to the last handful on the list, I’ll have a better idea of which wins were missing that I valued.
Obviously, it doesn’t make your list rubbish. It’s a tough exercise and everyone would have their own opinions on how they rate them. And you’ve got a clear set of standards of measure (wins balanced with expectation of winning) whereas I probably lean towards just how enjoyable the day was and whether it’s still enjoyable to watch now.

It’s a good exercise and you’ve helped me choose which games to replace with highlights and which ones to keep in full. So far, I’ve had a handful of games that I want to replace (2018 games against West Coast and Geelong, 2006 & 2014 late season games against Collingwood), but the odds are when I finally grab them, I’ll watch the game again and keep the full game anyway.

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320

The Bulldogs game is really interesting and not just because we lost.

The talk of the game was “the flood”, but the real reason Essendon lost was due to increasing their training loads in preparation for the finals which meant they were playing with tired legs. They were also rubbish the next week, sneaking over the line against 15th placed Collingwood. But it worked as they peaked in the Finals.

Everyone decided that the flood was the real reason they lost however and it was hugely influential on the state of football for the next 5-10 years. It was all based on a lie though.

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