After watching the 2000 season DVD the thing that stood out most strongly to me was Blake Caracella's elusiveness. Either the bloke had the worst body odour in history or an invisibility cloak, because I lost count of the number of times he would pop-up unattended within goal range.
But yeah, what a side, what a season.
wow. mootsy started this thread? well i never.
The sheer perfection of that side skills, week in week out,
was what stood out to me with that team. They were on a completely different plane from all the other clubs that year.
Never forget one piece of play early in the season involving Hirdy and Rama against the Dockers at Subi.
Ball coming out of the back line into the center circle kicked to Hird who meets it at full pace at his feet. Hird plucks it off the turf and in one smooth motion turns onto his right foot, kicks it about 35-40mtrs in front of Rama who by this time has sprinted down the wing into the forward 50 and without breaking stride, marks, continues on and slots the goal on the run from about 30 mtrs directly in front.
Have replayed that passage countless times since.Was even better watching it live though.
Opens a Pepsi max…csssshhhhhh…!!! lol…strap yourself in folks…
Qualifying final 2000
Part 1
[youtube]https://youtube.com/watch?v=O3SF-AlI_qc[/youtube]
Part 2
[youtube]https://youtube.com/watch?v=xuBfsMy3Gi4[/youtube]
The weird thing is that I remember the overarching feeling of the 2000 home and away season was one of boredom. So many of the matches were over at quarter time, or at least on their way to being over, meaning there were so many dead-rubber second halves that year where there was no crowd atmosphere whatsoever and all you were really barracking for was ‘no injuries’. And then the whole final series was just this huge pressure to finally deliver and not choke, that the feeling of winning the grand final was really just relief more than anything. Had
'99 not ended in disaster, it would probably have been my favourite season, just for the excitement of being on the rise and becoming a legitimate contender rather than being an odds-on favourite. Every game to the latter half of that season was just so exciting, full of adrenalin and hope. In 2000, everyone was a bit wary and still hurting from the prelim, that there was more business-like expectation about everything.
I was living overseas in 2000, so missed everything. Mate of mine, also a Bomber tragic, unknown to me, got one of the Herald Sun premiership posters and then spent the next six months effectively stalking training sessions and Essendon milk-bars and coffee shops. When I came back to Oz in 2002 my mate gave me the poster, fully signed by the entire team. And Sheeds had even written a personalised message to me! Straight to the pool room. And what a mate!
The weird thing is that I remember the overarching feeling of the 2000 home and away season was one of boredom. So many of the matches were over at quarter time, or at least on their way to being over, meaning there were so many dead-rubber second halves that year where there was no crowd atmosphere whatsoever and all you were really barracking for was 'no injuries'. And then the whole final series was just this huge pressure to finally deliver and not choke, that the feeling of winning the grand final was really just relief more than anything. Had '99 not ended in disaster, it would probably have been my favourite season, just for the excitement of being on the rise and becoming a legitimate contender rather than being an odds-on favourite. Every game to the latter half of that season was just so exciting, full of adrenalin and hope. In 2000, everyone was a bit wary and still hurting from the prelim, that there was more business-like expectation about everything.
I know exactly what you mean. We were so much better than every other team that the only concern was that we might fark things up and give a game to the opposition; there was never any thought that the opposition might be better than us.
My favourite grand final has always been 1993. That was a bunch of incredibly gifted kids who were just enjoying playing the best football they could, and they won the flag because they could play better than anyone else.
I think the year 2000 was great, and I’m not as convinced as others seem to be that we would have beaten North if we’d made the 1999 grand final. After the 2000 we threw it all away, and I lay the blame for that squarely on the shoulders of Kevin Sheedy, who let the premiership go to his head and assumed that the next few premierships would come to us as of right.
The weird thing is that I remember the overarching feeling of the 2000 home and away season was one of boredom. So many of the matches were over at quarter time, or at least on their way to being over, meaning there were so many dead-rubber second halves that year where there was no crowd atmosphere whatsoever and all you were really barracking for was 'no injuries'. And then the whole final series was just this huge pressure to finally deliver and not choke, that the feeling of winning the grand final was really just relief more than anything. Had '99 not ended in disaster, it would probably have been my favourite season, just for the excitement of being on the rise and becoming a legitimate contender rather than being an odds-on favourite. Every game to the latter half of that season was just so exciting, full of adrenalin and hope. In 2000, everyone was a bit wary and still hurting from the prelim, that there was more business-like expectation about everything.I know exactly what you mean. We were so much better than every other team that the only concern was that we might fark things up and give a game to the opposition; there was never any thought that the opposition might be better than us.
My favourite grand final has always been 1993. That was a bunch of incredibly gifted kids who were just enjoying playing the best football they could, and they won the flag because they could play better than anyone else.
I think the year 2000 was great, and I’m not as convinced as others seem to be that we would have beaten North if we’d made the 1999 grand final. After the 2000 we threw it all away, and I lay the blame for that squarely on the shoulders of Kevin Sheedy, who let the premiership go to his head and assumed that the next few premierships would come to us as of right.
If we hadn’t had injuries at the end of 2001 we would’ve won that flag too. After that we offloaded the core of our side due to salary cap pressure. How is that Sheeds fault?
From our era onwards a string of interstate sides won the flag, with at least Brisbane and Sydney given the biggest leg up by the AFL. Geelong came along after watching us and realised the playing group would have to sacrifice pay to stay together and create a dynasty and the Hawks have followed suit.
Putting this here.
Because it doesn’t seem to go anywhere else, and I thought there might be some who’d like to reminisce
The greatest season ever:
http://www.footyjumpers.com/2000Ess.htm
Bar freo, that’s gotta be the peak for jumper design you’d think
Thanks Mero. Scrolling through and scoring the games off as massive win, big win, good win, close win, … so many big and massive wins. Such a dominant year. But with 1999 still burning deep you (at least I) didn’t think it was really ours until finals and then that grand final win was ours.
I was worried about Carlton (because of 1999) right up until JJ jumped into Kouta in R21.
From there on I don’t think I’d have believed it if we didn’t win it all.
Kidz these days won’t believe how big 2000 round 20 was. I was in Sydney and while most games saw a dozen or so people turn up to watch at the Drummoyne Spirts Club, that game was literally hundreds. I was a bit late arriving so watched the first quarter from outdoors through a window.
(Round 21 was the infamous Footscray flooding game. About ten turned up, including one Dog.)
We didn’t score <100 until round 14?
And that was because it was wet & windy.
Very scrappy and they reduced us to their level.
Then Hird came out after 3/4 time and won the game on his own.
It was such a remarkable season - obviously. I’d roll up to the game with the arrogant attitude of, if we don’t flog this mob today by 6+ goals, we’re slacking off. And more often than not, the team exceeded expectations. Power, intensity, pure class. Oh for a taste of that again!
I think 1999 is the best jumper we ever had.
I’m not going to stand by it too much against the biggest jumperer ever, but…that year it just seemed so…slick.
Almost like oil (have you got any blacker?).
Deep and dark and shiny and ominous and very friggin’ intimidating.
Just going back through that 2000 season - man we posted some huge scores.
I also remember being so angry at losing to the Bulldogs in that round 21 game. Talk about spoiled!
Then round 22 we put in a pretty lackluster performance against Collingwood and I though, we’ve stuffed the season up.
Then the QF final against the Roos. Wow! Best game I’ve been to. We seriously flogged them. Lloyd 100 goals and running out on the field with my bro and best mate. Misit 40 touches 4 goals. Hird 5 goals at half time, then we just rested him.
They were even giving away Doritos outside the ground.