We’re going to need a bigger thread.
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I always felt with the external factors around the team in 2013 it solidified the group. The wins against WC, Freo, Carlton reflected this. We still couldn’t compete with Geelong and Hawthorn that year, that I think is more telling that we weren’t a contender than the Norf EF loss a year later
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I nominate the 2017 game against a weak Brisbane side where we capitulated after being about four goals up early in the last. That was the game where X had to apologise for criticising the precious players after the game.
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That game resulted in one of Blitz’s greatest ever rants. @wimmera1 in one of the finest posting performances that I ever saw on here.
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Surely this would be the worst of all time? I’m beyond thankful I was too young to witness it.
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Ooh, this is gonna be fun. Embrace the agony folks (there’s more coming).
I attended most of our home games in the 2009-2019 period, there’s gonna be some stiff competition for spots on this list.
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Have now updated the original post which will keep a running list of each loss (with links to the relevant thread post).
Shiel kicked the first goal of the game too within the first minute of the game. Then Tippa broke the drought late in the final quarter. What a disaster that game was!
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Another category where we are spoilt for choice.
On a personal level, this one rates pretty high:
- My first live Essendon game since 1990 and we were insipid.
- It was freezing ■■■■■■■ cold and drizzly.
- The Adelaide fans where I was sitting felt sorry for me and offered condolences which somehow made things worse.
- I talked my then GF out of betting on us to lose by >100 points which was paying high odds. She reminded me of the money I cost her constantly for the rest of our trip.
- I nearly got into a punch up on the tram back to the city as I was stuck next to the only other Bomber supporter who was very abusive about the Crows and Adelaide in general, and people thought we were mates.
So yeah, good times!
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How do we narrow down (mostly) 25 years of misery to 50 games? I need to start with the worst loss each season…
R21 2000 - ESS 81 def. by WB 92
Only one to choose from. The loss we needed to have.
R3 2001 - CARL 93 def. ESS 76
Some people would understandably have put the Grand Final here, but I am hesitant after what the BL achieved in that period. After the fairytale of the year before for us, this was the night the first chinks in the armour appeared against a depleted Carlton side.
R4 2002 - COLL 66 def. ESS 33
A few to choose from in this particular season but kicking 4 goals in the rain on ANZAC Day takes the cake for me.
R7 2003 - RICH 84 def. ESS 42
We’ve lost by bigger margins but this is very underrated in terms of horrendous Essendon performances.
R19 2004 - ESS 57 def. by CARL 74
Coming off a massive win against bogey team and eventual premier (Port) the previous week, expectations were high leading into this one against cellar dweller Blues. Then the rain started…
R2 2005 - CARL 110 def. ESS 106
28 points up at Three Quarter Time on a Friday night against our biggest rival and eventual wooden spooner…
R10 2006 - ADE 188 def. ESS 50
There was no other option, right?
R21 2007 - ESS 92 def. by RICH 119
Home game. Packed house. MCG. Saying goodbye to the coach and one of our finest players. Playing bottom team Richmond. Surely the boys will lift? Nah.
R22 2008 - ESS 39 def. by STK 147
This season provided a host of options for this thread but I reckon we saved our best until last.
R17 2009 - ESS 96 def. by RICH 101
A huge chance of consolidating a top 8 position with a win over the cellar dweller Tigers. Don’t be fooled by the closeness of the scores … a few junktime goals at the end flattered us.
R16 2010 - ESS 100 def. by WCE 132
Le Cras kicks 12 as bottom placed WCE come to Melbourne and record a rare win.
R11 2011 - ESS 68 def. by MELB 101
Melbourne feature prominently in this period of time against us. A weak insipid rabble coming into this game needing a win. They played the perfect opponent.
R10 2012 - ESS 52 def. by MELB 58
Read the description for 2011 and it’s a copy and paste job for this game.
R20 2013 - ESS 67 def. by WCE 120
Maybe not a popular choice but the Eagles were out of finals contention by this stage of the season and about to say goodbye to Worsfold. They had been in terrible form leading into this game (and proved it again afterwards). They made us look insipid.
R5 2014 - ESS 65 def. by STK 81
We were very short priced favourites and St Kilda were an absolute rabble. Some would say the North Melbourne final or 1 point loss to Melbourne would overtake this game but it deserves to be on this list.
R14 2015 - ESS 52 def. by STK 162
Some strong contenders in this particular season but this one is a comfortable standout for me.
R18 2016 - ESS 91 def. by BRIS 128
Copped some justifiably deserved floggings in this particular season, but BL were travelling just as bad as we were and we rolled over in this game.
R15 2017 - ESS 82 def. by BRIS 90
Others would argue the Gary Rohan goal after the siren the previous week was a worse loss. I get it. But I think the sequel the following week (after leading for much of the game) against a cellar dweller Lions side at home was worse.
R8 2018 - CARL 91 def. ESS 78
A lot of promise heading into this particular season and losing to the spooners wasn’t supposed to happen. Our season recovered slightly after this but it proved to be a costly loss.
R21 2019 - ESS 33 def. by WB 137
Another season. Another set of strong contenders for this thread. But can’t go past the Bulldogs kicking 21 goals in a row.
R16 2020 - ESS 42 def. by GEEL 108
10 goals down at Half Time against the Cats in the COVID shortened games. Enough said.
R1 2021 - ESS 91 def. by HAW 92
We got our shocker out the way early this season. 6 goals up against a horribly mediocre Hawks side at the time. Still couldn’t win.
R9 2022 - SYD 105 def. ESS 47
We lost by bigger margins during this season and the game against Port at the end of the season that led to the Rutten sacking was close… but I can’t go past the Heppell 200th game and the scenes before the game.
R23 2023 - GWS 162 def. ESS 36
Look at the scoreboard. Need I say more? Got better post-game when our opponents were taking the ■■■■ out of us. And they had every reason to.
R21 2024 - ST K 108 def. ESS 55
Abysmal performance to finally end of our season.
R19 2025 - RICH 46 def. ESS 37
I doubt we will ever see a worse game of AFL football again.
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I’ll put in a word for the JJ/Rama/Pev farewell game in the final round of 2008. Big crowd in to say goodbye, and we put in a pathetic spiritless performance scoring 5 goals for the game and getting smashed by 100+.
The Hird/Sheedy farewell game in Melbourne was pretty bad too, even though the margin wasn’t so monolithic. The club made a huge deal of it, and then on field we served up a wet fart. And the next week in West Coast was arguably worse, when we only lost by a couple of points after a massive 4th qtr comeback, but we did in on the back of a massive effort by Hird and Lucas, and we’re all looking around gloomily thinking to ourselves that Jim was still our best player by quite a margin and he’s retiring, what the fk is next year going to be like?
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For a person who goes to so few games in person since leaving Melbourne in 2001, I have not chosen well on those I’ve attended.
- The 2012 Melbourne game
- The 2017 Sydney SCG game
- The Neagle Geelong game
- The Hawthorn game at Docklands 2014 (close game that we shouldn’t have coughed up in the dying minutes)
- Plus 3 Anzac day losses
- On the winning side, only the Hawthorn Cale Hooker game and the Fark Carlton booted out of finals game
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Appreciate the effort on this one. You may be surprised that at least a few of those aren’t on my list, but the ones I’ve missed have made me wonder how they missed the cut.
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Oh yeah, that one was a stinker.
Richmond were awful that day and we were just far, far worse. Mark Johnson did take an absolute screamer in the goalsquare, though.
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I left about a minute before the Mark Johnson mark.
Considered moving back? Noticing a correlation here.
Considering that game was only two weeks after such an impressive ANZAC Day win on the ground (against a better opponent) and the weather conditions that day (vs Richmond) were ideal … it was a very poor loss.
I know a majority of teams struggled hugely that season in the week after playing in Perth. We had a six day break and it showed…
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The game against the Dogs at Marvel was the first game I’ve left at halftime, partly because of the score but partly due to me giving the players an absolute serve as they walked off and a few members around me taking offence resulting in a heap of anger and my wife holding me back from throwing a few punches at one bloke in particular. Disappointed he wouldn’t come outside for a “chat”
The GWS game under Brad where everyone took the ■■■■ out of us after the game is right up there too
Definitely the Woosha SCG final too. I left in disgust 10 minutes into the third and went next door and purchased a ticket to the NRL final instead
