They lost twice in the finals to a Collingwood team who were pretty clearly not as talented as them.
Hirdys last game. In a corporate box surrounded by other teams supporters and received plenty of suggestions. What a debacle!
Steinberg on Brown
Add in a particularly embarrassing home finals performance against the Swans in 2003.
Worst Loss Since 2000 No. 36
Round 13 2014
| Essendon | 2.4.16 | 5.12.42 | 8.12.60 | 10.17.77 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Melbourne | 0.3.3 | 3.3.21 | 7.6.48 | 12.6.78 |
Notes
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Melbourne finished 17th while Essendon finished 7th (on the ladder).
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Essendon held a 33 pt lead 4 minutes into the 3rd QTR.
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David Zaharakis kicked 2 goals in two minutes to put Essendon in front with a few minutes to go, only for Christian Salem to goal and win the game for Melbourne.
Click here to go to worst loss #35.
4 Likes
Oh that one sucked.
A team that we’d beaten by 148 points the year before. It was losses like this and elim final that make me question whether this squad really had the ticker to be a true contender.
And while he had a mixed career overall, if you needed somebody to kick a goal on the run in the last few minutes of a game, David Zaharakis was one of the best at it.
2 Likes
Yes, agreed. It was losses like these that cemented my belief that the 2011–2015 list wasn’t good enough to take the next step and genuinely contend. I think 2014 was the high-water mark for that team and even then we couldn’t get past North in the EF.
2014…we lost h&a games we really should have won against Hawthorn (round 2), Melbourne (round 13) and Geelong (round 15). And then we also lost a final we never should have lost.
A collective 10 minutes of smart, composed football across those four games and that season would look a lot different. I think that team underachieved, but the players were obviously carrying a lot of off-field baggage. It’s a pretty hard one to judge.
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The draw against the Blues was a missed opportunity too.
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One of the weirdest games I’ve ever been to. Both teams led by 30 points at one stage. We could have blown them away, but our blokes only played a quarter and a bit of good footy. I was quite relieved to get away with the draw in the end.
1 Like
Hurley trying to kick the ball off the ground, missed.
Worst Loss Since 2000 No. 35
Round 3 2017
| Carlton | 1.5.11 | 3.10.28 | 5.14.44 | 7.15.57 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essendon | 3.1.19 | 4.3.27 | 6.4.40 | 6.6.42 |
Notes
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Wet weather footy.
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Essendon had started the year 2-0, including an impressive win against Hawthorn in Round 1 which was the first game back for the players banned during the 2016 season.
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Carlton eventually finished 16th, while Essendon finished 7th (on the ladder).
Click here to go to worst loss #34.
3 Likes
Essendon have saved alot of their most abysmal performances over the years against poor Melbourne and Carlton teams.
2 Likes
Where else other than the ladder would we be 7th?
You could we argue came 8th according to the order that impacts the draft, thanks to being demolished by Sydney in the Elim final.
Worst Loss Since 2000 No. 34
Round 15 2012
| St Kilda | 4.3.27 | 9.5.59 | 15.6.96 | 21.7.133 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essendon | 3.5.23 | 5.6.36 | 7.8.50 | 8.14.62 |
Notes
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Essendon were coming off an 84 pt win against the Western Bulldogs and were sitting in 4th position. STK were 9th at the time.
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Marked the start of the 2012 injury/form collapse.
Click here to go to worst loss #33.
4 Likes
That was a genuine wtf is going on! Game. They couldn’t do a thing wrong.
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Kyle Reimers last game for Essendon.
Looking at some of the names playing for St. Kilda, my word is this an Essington game. Beau Maister, Ahmed Saad, Tom Simpkin, Arryn Sipposs.
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I was at that game - was in Melbourne with the future Mrs Azza for my birthday.
Only highlight was chatting to the random Bombers supporter sitting in a roped-off corporate area who provided me with free beers all game. Wish I could remember his name. If you’re on this site - thanks again!
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So frustrating with the attempted dry weather game style that just didn’t suit. The worst part about this one was I seem to recall a lot of Blitzers saw it coming in the lead-up.
1 Like