Essendon Football Club
Encyclopedia
The Essendon Football Club, nicknamed The Bombers, is an Australian rules football
club which plays in the Australian Football League
(AFL). Formed in 1871 as a junior club and as a senior club in 1873, it is headquartered
at the Essendon Recreation Reserve (Windy Hill
) in the Melbourne suburb
of Essendon
, Australia
but match day home games are played at Etihad Stadium or the Melbourne Cricket Ground
. Essendon has won 16 VFL/AFL premierships which, along with Carlton
, is the most of any club in the AFL.
Robert McCracken, the owner of several city hotels, was the founder and first President of the Essendon club, and his son, Alex, its secretary. Alexander would later become president of the newly formed VFL. Alex’s cousin, Collier, who had already played with Melbourne
, was the team’s first captain.
The club's first official match was played against Carlton
on 7 June 1873, with Essendon winning by one goal. Essendon played 13 matches in its first season, winning seven, with four draws and losing two.
At first Essendon was regarded as a junior club, and even after the formation of the VFA in 1877 the side was sometimes allowed 'odds' of, for example, twenty-five players as against twenty, when confronted by the leading teams of the time. Essendon finished their first year in the VFA playing 19 games for eight wins and a finish in fourth place.
During its early years in the Association, Essendon played its home matches at Flemington Hill, but moved to the East Melbourne Cricket Ground in 1881. 40 years later the club returned to the Essendon district, playing its home matches at the Essendon Recreation Reserve.
In 1878, Essendon played in the first match on what would be considered by modern standards to be a full-sized field at Flemington Hill. In 1879 Essendon played Melbourne in one of the earliest night matches recorded when the ball was painted white. In 1880 they also became the first metropolitan club to visit Geelong and in 1883 the team played four matches in Adelaide.
In 1891 Essendon won their first VFA premiership, which they repeated in 1892, 1893 and 1894. One of the club's greatest players, Albert Thurgood
played for the club during this period. Essendon was undefeated in the 1893 season.
. Essendon's first VFL game was in 1897 was against Geelong
at Corio Oval in Geelong. Essendon won its first VFL premiership by winning the 1897 VFL finals series
. Essendon again won the premiership in 1901
, defeating Collingwood in the Grand Final
. The club won successive premierships in 1911
and 1912
over Collingwood and South Melbourne
respectively.
) to which this article refers, from the separate and unconnected Essendon VFA side (that played at what was then the Essendon Cricket Ground
), which existed from 1900 to 1921.
Having already moved from its ground at Kent Street, Ascot Vale ("McCracken's Paddock") to Flemington Hill, the club was again forced to move in 1881; and, because the City of Essendon
mayor of the day, James Taylor, considered the Essendon Cricket Ground "to be suitable only for the gentleman's game of cricket", Essendon moved to East Melbourne.
This move away from Essendon, at a time when fans would walk to their local ground, did not go over well with many Essendon people; and, as a consequence, a new team and club was formed in 1900, unconnected with the first (although it played in the same colours), that was based at the Essendon Cricket Ground, and playing in the Victorian Football Association. It was known firstly as Essendon Town
and, after 1905, as Essendon "A" ("A" for association). Known as the "Dreadnoughts" [sic], the team continued to play at the Essendon Cricket Ground until the expansion of the Jolimont Railway Yards
into the East Melbourne Cricket Ground in 1922 meant that the "Same Olds" were looking for a new home.
Having played at the East Melbourne Cricket Ground
from 1882 to 1921, and having won four VFA premierships (1891–1894) and four VFL premierships (1897
, 1901
, 1911
, (1912
) whilst there, Essendon were looking for a new home, and were offered grounds at the current Royal Melbourne Showgrounds
, at Victoria Park
, at Arden St, North Melbourne
, and the Essendon Cricket Ground. The Essendon City Council, offered the (VFL) team the Essendon Cricket Ground, announcing that it would be prepared to spend over ₤12,000 on improvements, including a new grandstand, scoreboard and re-fencing of the oval. The Essendon VFL club returned to Essendon, and the Essendon VFA club disbanded, with most of its players moving over to (then VFA club) North Melbourne.
In the absence of the VFA team, there was no need for the "Same Olds" distinction and, by 1922, the other nicknames "Sash Wearers" and "Essendonians" that had been variously used from time to time were also abandoned. The team became universally known as "The Dons" (from EssenDON); it was not until much later, during the War years of the early 1940s, that they became known as "The Bombers" — due to Windy Hill’s proximity to the Essendon Aerodrome
.
In the 1922 season
, back at Essendon at last, they reached the final four for the first time since 1912, finishing in third place.
In the 1923 season
the Dons topped the ladder with 13 wins from 16 games. After a 17 point second semi final loss to South Melbourne defeated Fitzroy (who had beaten South Melbourne) in the challenge final: Essendon 8.15 (63) to Fitzroy 6.10 (46). Amongst Essendon’s best players were half forward flanker George "Tich" Shorten
, center half forward Justin McCarthy
, centre half back Tom Fitzmaurice
, rover Frank Maher
and wingman Jack Garden
.
This was one of Essendon's most famous sides, dubbed the "Mosquito Fleet", due to the number of small, very fast players in the side. Six players were 5'6" (167 cm) or smaller.
The 1924 season
proved to be arguably the strangest year in Essendon's entire history. For the first time since 1897 there was no ultimate match — either “challenge final” or “grand final” — to determine the premiers. Instead, the top 4 clubs after the home and away season played a round-robin
to determine the premiers. Essendon, having previously defeated both Fitzroy (by 40 points) and South Melbourne (by 33 points), clinched the premiership by means of a 20-point loss to Richmond. With the Tigers having already lost a match to Fitzroy by a substantial margin the Dons were declared premiers by virtue of their superior percentage. Ultimately, Essendon again managed to win successive premierships. But the low crowds for the finals meant this was never attempted again, resulting in Essendon having the unique record of winning the only two premierships without a grand final.
Prominent contributors to Essendon's 1924 Premiership success included back pocket Clyde Donaldson
, follower Norm Beckton
, half back flanker Roy Laing
, follower Charlie May
and rover Charlie Hardy
.
The 1924 season was not without controversy, with rumours of numerous players accepting bribes. Regardless of the accuracy of these allegations, the club's image was tarnished, and the side experienced its lowest period during the decade that followed, with poor results on the field and decreased support off it.
There was worse to follow, with various Essendon players publicly blaming each other for the poor performance against Richmond, and then, with dissension still rife in the ranks, the side plummeted to an embarrassing 28 point loss to VFA premiers Footscray Football Club
in a special charity match played a week later in front of 46,100 people, in aid of Dame Nellie Melba's Disabled Soldiers' Fund, purportedly (but not officially) for the championship of Victoria.
While it is always difficult to assess the damage caused by events such as these, the club's fortunes dipped alarmingly, and persistently. Indeed, after finishing third in the 1926 season
, it was to be 14 years before Essendon would even contest a finals series.
, was probably the start of the Essendon revival, seeing the debut of the player regarded as one of Essendon's greatest players Dick Reynolds
. His impact was immediate. He won his first Brownlow Medal aged 19. His record of three Brownlow victories (1934, 1937, 1938), equalled Haydn Bunton, Sr (1931, 1932, 1935), and later equalled by Bob Skilton
(1959, 1963, 1968), and Ian Stewart
(1965, 1966, 1971).
Reynolds went on to arguably even greater achievements as a coach, a position to which he was first appointed, jointly with Harry Hunter, in 1939 (this was while Reynolds was still a player). A year later he took the reins on a solo basis and was rewarded with immediate success (at least in terms of expectations at the time which, after so long in the wilderness, were somewhat modest). He was regarded as having a sound tactical knowledge of the game and being an inspirational leader, as he led the side into the finals in 1940 for the first time since 1926, when the side finished 3rd. Melbourne, which defeated Essendon by just 5 points in the preliminary final, later went on to trounce Richmond by 39 points in the grand final.
1941 brought Essendon's first grand final appearance since 1923, but the side again lowered its colours to Melbourne. A year later war broke out and the competition was considerably weakened, with Geelong being forced to pull out of the competition due to travel restrictions as a result of petrol rationing. Attendances at games also declined dramatically, whilst some clubs had to move from their normal grounds due to them being used for military purposes. Many players were lost to football due to their military service. Nevertheless, Essendon went on to win the 1942 Premiership with Western Australian Wally Buttsworth
in irrepressible form at centre half back. Finally, the long awaited premiership was Essendon's after comprehensively outclassing Richmond in the grand final, 19.18 (132) to 11.13 (79). The match was played at Carlton in front of 49,000 spectators.
In any case, there could be no such reservations about Essendon's next premiership, which came just four years later. Prior to that Essendon lost a hard fought grand final to Richmond in 1943 by 5 points, finished 3rd in 1944, and dropped to 8th in 1945.
After WWII, Esssendon enjoyed great success. In the five years immediately after the war, Essendon won 3 premierships (1946, 1949, 1950) and were runners up twice (1947, 1948). In 1946, Essendon were clearly the VFL's supreme force, topping the ladder after the roster games and surviving a drawn second semi final against Collingwood to win through to the grand final a week later with a 10.16 (76) to 8.9 (57). Then, in the grand final against Melbourne, Essendon set a grand final record score of 22.18 (150) to Melbourne 13.9 (87), with 7 goal centre half forward Gordon Lane
. Rover Bill Hutchinson, and defenders Wally Buttsworth, Cec Ruddell and Harold Lambert among the best players.
The 1947 Grand Final has to go down in the ledger as 'one of the ones that got away', Essendon losing to Carlton by a single point despite managing 30 scoring shots to 21. As if to prove that lightning does occasionally strike twice, the second of the 'ones that got away' came just a year later, the Dons finishing with a lamentable 7.27 (of which full forward Bill Brittingham contributed 2.12) to tie with Melbourne (who managed 10.9) in the 1948 grand final. A week later Essendon waved the premiership good-bye, as Melbourne raced to a 13.11 (89) to 7.8 (50) triumph. The club's Annual Report made an assessment that was at once restrained and, as was soon to emerge, tacitly and uncannily prophetic:
The 1949 season heralded the arrival on the VFL scene of John Coleman, arguably the greatest player in Essendon's history, and, in the view of some, the finest player the game has known. In his first ever appearance for the Dons, against Hawthorn
in Round 1 1949, he booted 12 of his side's 18 goals to create an opening round record which was to endure for forty five years. More importantly, however, he went on to maintain the same high level of performance throughout the season, kicking precisely 100 goals for the year to become the first player to top the ton since Richmond's Jack Titus in 1940.
The Coleman factor was just what Essendon needed to enable them to take that vital final step to premiership glory, but even so it was not until the business end of the season that this became clear. Essendon struggled to make the finals in 4th place, but once there they suddenly ignited to put in one of the most consistently devastating September performances in VFL history.
Collingwood succumbed first as the Dons powered their way to an 82 point first semi final victory, and a fortnight later it was the turn of the North Melbourne Football Club
as Essendon won the preliminary final a good deal more comfortably than the ultimate margin of 17 points suggested. In the grand final, Essendon were pitted against Carlton and in a match that was a total travesty as a contest they overwhelmed the Blues to the tune of 73 points, 18.17 (125) to 6.16 (52). Best for the Dons included pacy aboriginal half back flanker Norm McDonald, ruckman Bob McLure, and rovers Bill Hutchinson and Ron McEwin. John Coleman also did well, registering 6 majors.
A year later Essendon were if anything even more dominant, defeating the North Melbourne Football Club
in both the second semi final and the grand final to secure consecutive VFL premierships for the third time. Best afield in the grand final in what was officially his swansong as a player was captain-coach Dick Reynolds, who received sterling support from the likes of Norm McDonald, ruckman/back pocket Wally May, back pocket Les Gardiner, and big Bob McLure.
With 'King Richard' still holding court as coach in 1951, albeit now in a non-playing capacity, Essendon seemed on course for a third consecutive flag but a controversial four week suspension dished out to John Coleman on the eve of the finals effectively put paid to their chances. Coleman was reported for retaliation after twice being struck by his Carlton opponent, Harry Caspar, and without him the Dons were rated a 4 goals poorer team. Nevertheless, they still managed to battle their way to a 6th successive grand final with wins over Footscray by 8 points in the first semi final and Collingwood by 2 points in the preliminary final.
The Dons sustained numerous injuries in the preliminary final and the selectors sprang a surprise on grand final day by naming the officially retired Dick Reynolds as 20th man. 'King Richard' was powerless to prevent the inevitable, although leading at half time, the Geelong kicked five goals to three points in the third quarter to set up victory by 11 points.
Essendon slumped to 8th in 1952 but John Coleman was in irrepressible form managing 103 goals for the year. Hugh Buggy noted in The Argus: "It was the wettest season for twenty two years and Coleman showed that since the war he was without peer in the art of goal kicking."
Two seasons later Coleman's career was tragically ended after he dislocated a knee during the Round 8 clash with the North Melbourne Football Club
at Essendon. Aged just twenty five, he had kicked 537 goals in only 98 VFL games in what was generally a fairly low scoring period for the game. His meteoric rise and fall were clearly the stuff of legend, and few if any players, either before or since, have had such an immense impact over so brief a period.
According to Alf Brown, football writer for The Herald:
(Coleman) had all football's gifts. He was courageous, a long, straight kick, he had a shrewd football brain and, above all, he was a spectacular, thrilling mark.
Somewhat more colourful, R.S. Whittington suggested,
"Had he been a trapeze artist in a strolling circus, Coleman could have dispensed with the trapeze."
Without Coleman, Essendon's fortunes plummeted, and there were to be no further premierships in the 1950s. The nearest miss came in 1957 when the Bombers (as they were popularly known by this time) earned premiership favouritism after a superb 16 point second semi final defeat of Melbourne, only to lose by over 10 goals against the same side a fortnight later.
1959 saw another grand final loss to Melbourne, this time by 37 points, but the fact that the average age of the Essendon side was only 22 was seen as providing considerable cause for optimism. However, it was to take another three years, and a change of coach, before the team's obvious potential was translated into tangible success.
era at the club. In the same year Essendon finished the season mid table and supporters were not expecting too much for the following season. However, the club blitzed the opposition in this year, losing only two matches and finishing top of the table. Both losses were to the previous year's grand finalists. The finals posed no problems for the resurgent Dons, easily accounting for Carlton in the season's climax, winning the 1962 Premiership. This was a remarkable result for Coleman who in his second season of coaching pulled off the ultimate prize in Australian football. As so often is the case after a flag, the following two years were below standard. A further premiership in 1965 (won from 4th position on the ladder), was also unexpected due to periods of poor form during the season. The Bombers were a different club when the finals came around, but some of the credit for the improvement was given to the influence of Brian Sampson
and Ted Fordham
during the finals. Coleman's time as coach turned out to be much like his playing career: highly successful but cut short when he had to stand down due to health problems in 1967. Only six years later, on the eve of the 1973 season, he would be dead of a heart-attack at just 44 years of age.
Following Coleman's retirement, the club experienced tough times on and off the field. Finals appearances were rare for the side, which was often in contention for the wooden spoon
. Essendon did manage to make the 1968 VFL Grand Final
, but lost a heartbreaker to Carlton by just three points and would not make it back to the big stage for a decade-and-a-half.
During the period from 1968 until 1980, five different coaches were tried, with none lasting longer than four years. Off the field the club went through troubled times as well. In 1970 five players went on strike before the season even began, demanding higher payments. Essendon did make the finals in 1972 and 1973 under the autocratic direction of Des Tuddenham
(Collingwood) but they were beaten badly in successive elimination finals by St. Kilda and would not taste finals action again until the very end of the decade. The 70s Essendon sides were involved in many rough and tough encounters under Tuddenham, who himself came to logger heads with Ron Barassi at a quarter time huddle where both coaches exchanged heated words. Essendon had tough, but talented players with the likes of "Rotten Ronnie" Ron Andrews
and experienced players such as Barry Davis
, Ken Fletcher
, Geoff Blethyn
, Neville Fields
and West Australian import Graham Moss
. In May 1974, a controversial half time all-in-brawl with Richmond at Windy Hill and a 1975 encounter with Carlton were testimony of the era. Following the Carlton match, the 'Herald' described Windy Hill as "Boot Hill", because of the extent of the fights and the high number of reported players (eight in all – four from Carlton and four from Essendon). The peak of these incidents would occur in 1980 with new recruit Phil Carman
making headlines for head-butting an umpire. The tribunal suspended him for sixteen weeks, and although most people thought this was a fair (or even lenient) sentence, he took his case to the supreme court, gathering even more unwanted publicity for the club. Despite this, the club had recruited many talented young players in the late 70s who would emerge as club greats. Three of those young players were Simon Madden
, Tim Watson
and Paul Van Der Haar
. Terry Daniher
and his brother Neale
would come via a trade with South Melbourne, and Roger Merrett
joined soon afterwards to form the nucleus of what would become the formidable Essendon sides of the 1980s. This raw but talented group of youngsters took Essendon to an elimination final in 1979 under Barry Davis but were again thrashed in an Elimination Final, this time at the hands of Fitzroy. Davis resigned at the end of the 1980 season after missing out on a finals appearance.
One of the few highlights for Essendon supporters during this time was when Graham Moss won the 1976 Brownlow Medal
; he was the only Bomber to do so in a 40-year span from 1953–1993. Even that was bittersweet as he quit VFL football to move back to his native Western Australia, where Moss finished out his career as a player and coach at Claremont Football Club
. In many ways, Moss' career reflects Essendon's mixed fortunes during the decade.
Essendon appointed former Richmond
player Kevin Sheedy as head coach in October 1980. Sheedy played a key role in Richmond's premiership sides of the mid-70s. Having retired as a player in 1979, he had no VFL coaching experience and was regarded as something of a risk, although he had coached in the Australian Army whilst on national service.
Essendon won just one of its first six games in 1981 and Sheedy threatened to come out of retirement and show his players "how it was done" if their performance didn't improve. The team responded by winning 15 successive games. The team made the finals, but lost to Fitzroy in the elimination final.
Essendon played in the finals series in 1982, but lost to North Melbourne
. In 1983, the Bombers moved upwards following a slow start to be second after thirteen rounds, but then suffered a five-match slump before recovering to reach their first grand final for 15 years from fourth place on the ladder. However, a fresher Hawthorn
thrashed them by a then record margin.
In 1984, Essendon won the pre-season competition and completed the regular season on top of the ladder. The club played, and beat, Hawthorn in the 1984 VFL Grand Final
to win their 13th premiership—their first since 1965. The teams met again in the 1985 Grand Final
, which Essendon also won. At the start of 1986
, Essendon were considered unbackable for three successive flags, but a succession of injuries to key players Paul Van der Haar
(only fifteen games from 1986 to 1988), Tim Watson
, Darren Williams
, Roger Merrett
and Simon Madden
led the club to win only eight of its last eighteen games in 1986 and only nine games (plus a draw with Geelong
) in 1987. During this period, the Bombers suffered a humiliation at the hands of Sydney
who became the only team ever to kick two hundred points in three quarters.
In 1988, Essendon made a rebound to sixth place with twelve wins, including a 140-point thrashing of Brisbane where they had a record sixteen individual goalkickers. In 1989, they rebounded further to second on the ladder with only five losses and thrashed Geelong in the Qualifying Final. However, after a fiery encounter with Hawthorn ended in a convincing defeat, the Bombers were no match for Geelong next week.
was a blow from which they never recovered. The Magpies comprehensively thrashed them in both the second semi final and the grand final.
Following the 1991 season, Essendon moved from its traditional home ground at Windy Hill
to the larger and newly renovated MCG
. This move generated large increases in game attendance, membership and revenue for the club.
Following the retirement of Tim Watson
and Simon Madden
in the early 1990s, the team was built on new players such as Gavin Wanganeen
, Joe Misiti
, Mark Mercuri
, Michael Long, Dustin Fletcher
(son of Ken) and James Hird
, who was taken at #79 in the 1992 draft. This side became known as the "Baby Bombers", as the core of the side was made up of young players early in their careers.
The team won the 1993 Grand Final
against Carlton and that same year, Gavin Wanganeen won the Brownlow Medal
, the first awarded to an Essendon player since 1976. Three years later, James Hird was jointly awarded the medal with Michael Voss
of Brisbane.
. This was the fourth final lost by just one point under Sheedy.
In 2000, Essendon won 20 consecutive matches before losing to the Western Bulldogs in round 21 and went on to win their 16th premiership, against Melbourne, completing one of the most dominant single seasons in AFL/VFL history.
The side looked set to repeat their success the following year. Early on, it appeared Essendon would once again dominate the competition, opening their 2001, but lost key matches to Carlton and the Brisbane Lions. In Round 16 Essendon produced the greatest comeback in AFL/VFL history, winning by 12 points after trailing North Melbourne by as much as 69 points during the second quarter. The team made it to the grand final, but were beaten by Brisbane.
In 2004 Mark Mercuri
, Sean Wellman
and Joe Misiti
retired. Essendon lost the second semi-final to Geelong. At the end of the season, Sheedy signed a new three-year contract, by the end of which he was the second on the list of most VFL/AFL games coached behind Collingwood's
Jock McHale
.
The 2005 season
saw Essendon miss the finals for the first time since 1997, finishing with their second-worst result to that time under Sheedy's coaching, 13th position with 8 wins and 14 losses. With the Bombers looking towards a new era, it was announced on 27 September that Matthew Lloyd
would replace James Hird as Essendon captain for the 2006 season
, marking the end of Hird's reign since he took over the captaincy in 1998.
As it turned out, 2006 would prove to be the worst season for Essendon under Sheedy, and its worst in over 70 years, with a multitude of injuries and poor form affecting the team, none more so than the serious hamstring injury suffered by newly appointed captain Lloyd. Lloyd suffered the serious hamstring injury against the Western Bulldogs
in round three, marking Essendon's first loss against them since the Bulldogs inflicted Essendon's only loss for their dominant 2000 season. Hird was temporarily appointed captain for the two matches which followed Lloyd's season-ending injury, before David Hille
assumed the role from round 6 onwards. Essendon would win only three matches and draw one (against wooden spoon contenders Carlton) for the entire season, but one of those was against finals-bound rivals and arch-enemy Collingwood in round 19 in a win that would ultimately cost the Magpies a top four berth that season. The other two wins were against eventual runners-up Sydney
(in a match where Matthew Lloyd
flaunted with the Sydney defence, kicking eight goals (six of which came in the opening quarter) and being awarded best-on-ground in a game Essendon rightfully deserved to win) and against the team that denied them the 2001 Premiership, the Brisbane Lions
(who also were in a rebuilding phrase). Essendon's other win in the 2006 season was against bitter-rivals ; but this win was significant as it denied Collingwood a top-four finish at the end of the season.
Most notably, in Round 15 against , the Bombers jumped the Saints early by kicking the first 16 points of the match and led for the majority of the match, only to lose the lead by halfway through the final quarter, and ultimately the match by just three points. Despite losing this match, Essendon's performance was good enough for its players to be awarded Brownlow Medal
votes – best-on-ground was Brent Stanton
(3 votes), followed by Jason Johnson (2 votes) and Andrew Lovett
(1 vote).
Just three players – Mark Johnson, Brent Stanton and Scott Lucas played all 22 matches that season, the latter winning Essendon's best and fairest award, as well as being Essendon's leading goalkicker that season.
2007 was a much better season for Essendon, in which, despite significant wins over Adelaide (twice), Fremantle, St Kilda, Sydney (by one point in Sydney), the previous year's premiers West Coast (their second successive win by a solitary point) and Carlton, they missed the finals for the third year running. The season was soured by three 63-point defeats, two to Hawthorn and another by Fremantle at Subiaco Oval
(this occurring after the second of those hidings by Hawthorn) plus a 50 point hiding from eventual premiers Geelong
(for which captain Matthew Lloyd
was suspended). As well as this, Essendon were the last team to lose to the Western Bulldogs
in round 15, and back-to-back defeats to Richmond and West Coast in rounds 21 and 22 respectively ended what was otherwise an improvement from the previous season.
In July 2007 and with six rounds remaining in the home and away season, Essendon was placed just outside the top Eight and on the brink of making the finals once again when it was announced that Kevin Sheedy's contract would not be renewed after 27 years. The move was considered somewhat rushed and mis-handled by many members of the media. Not surprisingly Essendon then lost four of the remaining six matches, including to wooden spooners Richmond to tumble out of contention.
Essendon finished the 2009 season in 8th place, thereby qualifying for the finals series. On 4 September, Essendon were assigned with a tough away trip against Adelaide at AAMI Stadium
with a depleted squad. Although the Bombers were competitive during the first quarter, the Crows dominated from that point on, winning 26.10 (166) to 10.10 (70), handing the Bombers their worst finals defeat and ending their 2009 campaign.
After a largely unsuccessful year in 2010 at Essendon, Knights was dismissed as coach on 29 August 2010, just 12 hours after Essendon's final round defeat to the Western Bulldogs
.
was named as Essendon's new coach from 2011 on a four-year deal. Former dual premiership winning coach and Essendon triple-premiership winning player Mark Thompson later joined Hird on the coaching panel. As coach he has led Essendon to a win and a draw in the shortened NAB Cup format and 2 wins in the full length game, as well as into Essendons first pre-season Grand Final since 2000. Essendon was defeated by Collingwood in the final, losing 0.13.8 (86) to 1.15.9 (108).
Essendon's first match under coach James Hird resulted in a 55-point hammering of the Western Bulldogs
, which was, coincidentally, the same margin previous coach Matthew Knights won in his first game as Essendon coach, which was against North Melbourne
.
Essendon's next match, against the Sydney Swans
on Sunday, 3 April at Stadium Australia in Sydney was lost by just five points. Essendon had led by five goals halfway through the second quarter, only to see their lead disappear by the final siren. Round 3 saw a comfortable Essendon victory against by 52 points, in the process ruining the celebrations of their captain Nick Riewoldt
who was playing his 200th AFL game. But their inconsistent start to the season continued with a thrilling 11.13 (79) draw against bitter rivals . A 30-point loss in the annual Anzac Day clash against followed.
In Round 6 Essendon defeated the Gold Coast Suns 31.11 (197) to 8.10 (58) to win by 139 points, with Kyle Reimers
kicking eight goals. Essendon kicked a record breaking 15.4 (94) to 0.1 (1) in the first quarter, the highest first quarter score ever and the second highest quarter of any sort in VFL/AFL history. Their quarter-time lead of 93 points is also a record. Amidst all this, Essendon surprisingly lost the second quarter but continued their domination smashing the hopeless Suns by a further 60 points in the second half.
Essendon then suffered a mid-season slump, losing five games in succession, culminating in a 65-point thrashing by , to fall out of the top eight by the end of Round 14.
In Round 15, Essendon scored the boilover of the season beating the previously undefeated by four points. It was the first time that assistant coach Mark Thompson was coaching against his old side, whom he led to two premierships in eleven years at the club, and it was their first win over the Cats in almost six years, but only their second win against them since 2003. This was followed with a huge come-from-behind win over at the MCG
. It was their first win at the ground since Round 9 last year. Another come-from-behind win followed, the Bombers beating by 11 points after at one stage being down by as much as six goals. It was their first win in Adelaide since 2007.
Essendon then suffered its worst defeat this season when it lost to by 74 points at the MCG
in Round 18. The Bombers were on course to cause the biggest boilover of the season against in Round 19, when, at one stage they led by as much as 30 points. But the Bombers capitulated in the second half to lose by 74 points.
Round 20 saw Essendon home to Sydney for the first time since Round 1, 2006. In one of the games of the year, the Bombers snuck home by one point after a set shot after the siren from 's Adam Goodes
drifted to the left, giving Essendon only its' fifth win over Sydney since 2002. Round 23 saw Essendon qualify for the finals when it defeated Port Adelaide by 7 points at Etihad Stadium, the first time since Round 18, 2004 that Essendon had beaten the side.
Week one of the finals saw Essendon face off against in the elimination final, the first time since 2000 that these two sides had met in a final. Essendon lost by 62 points, but coach James Hird
was praised for developing the side into what will soon become a premiership force in the years to come.
Essendon has long been associated with the colours red and black. Essendon Rowing Club claim they first sported the colours, borrowed from racing silks. The football club says, with no documentation, that Essendon wore red and black striped guernseys
until 1875, when the red sash was adopted.
It is recorded that Essendon has always had black and red in its strip. It is understood that the black and red stripes mentioned as the official colours refer only to the socks. When the club was formed in 1873 uniforms were not available, and most players wore Navy Blue work guernseys. To avoid clashing with other teams, Essendon adopted a red sash in 1875, and is recorded in magazines of the day as wearing Blue with Red sash up until about 1889. At this time, uniforms were ordered in the club colours, black with a red sash, and have been worn in every game from 1890 to today.
Two designs were suggested for the Clash Jumper – a Red Jumper with black EFC writing and a jumper with an extra thick sash. At a Members Information Meeting at Moonee Valley Racecourse, Essendon members agreed on the second option; however, club officials assured members there was no desire to wear the clash jumper and everything possible would be done to avoid ever wearing the alternate design, to widespread support from the majority of club members. The club wore the design coupled with red shorts for their Round 4 clash with St Kilda in 2007. They wore it again in the Round 9 clash against Richmond but that time, they wore white shorts rather than red shorts. In 2008, they were not forced to wear the clash jumper against St Kilda, but wore it against Richmond in Round 16, again with white shorts.
' personal battle with cancer, a 'Clash for Cancer' match against Melbourne was launched in 2006. This was a joint venture between Essendon and the Cancer Council of Victoria to raise funds for the organisation. Despite a formal request to the AFL being denied, players wore yellow armbands for the match which resulted in the club being fined $20,000. In 2007, the AFL agreed to allow yellow armbands to be incorporated into the left sleeve of the jumper, the only ever variation to the jumper's design. The 'Clash for Cancer' match against Melbourne has become an annual event, repeated in 2008 and 2009. In 2009, the jumpers were auctioned along with yellow boots worn by some players during the match.
's 1929 song "Keep Your Sunny Side Up" at an increased tempo. The official version of the song was recorded in 1972 by the Fable Singers and is still used today.
The lyrics are as follows:
See the Bombers fly up, up!
To win the premiership flag.
Our boys who play this grand old game,
Are always striving for glory and fame!
See the Bombers fly up, up,
The other teams they don't fear,
They all try their best,
But they can't get near,
As the Bombers fly up,!
(Repeats Once)
The song, as with all other AFL clubs, is played prior to every match and at the conclusion of matches where the team is victorious.
Songwriter Mike Brady
, of "Up There Cazaly
" fame, penned an updated version of the song in 1999 complete with a new verse arrangement, but it was not well received. However, this version is occasionally played at club functions.
The current Chairman is David Evans, appointed at the club's Annual General Meeting on 21 December 2009. He succeeds Ray Horsburgh (Chairman since 2006) who will remain as a board member for the remainder of his term. David is the son of former club chairman Ron Evans (1988–1992).
, the late Steve Irwin
and former treasurer Peter Costello
.
The following table shows membership numbers since 1998:
was announced as major sponsor of the Essendon Football Club in a three-year deal touted as the biggest individual annual club sponsorship in AFL history. The deal included Samsung having naming rights on the front and back of the club jumper and signage. Although the amount was only confirmed by the club as a very significant lift from where 3 were, it was estimated to be worth around $7 million in total.
, 1901
, 1911
, 1912
, 1923
, 1924
, 1942
, 1946
, 1949
, 1950
, 1962
, 1965
, 1984
, 1985
, 1993
, 2000
, 1902
, 1908
, 1941
, 1943
, 1947
, 1948
, 1951
, 1957
, 1959
, 1968
, 1983
, 1990
, 2001
1951, 1953, 1957, 1968, 1990 (tied), 1993, 1999, 2000, 2001.
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
club which plays in the Australian Football League
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
(AFL). Formed in 1871 as a junior club and as a senior club in 1873, it is headquartered
Headquarters
Headquarters denotes the location where most, if not all, of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. In the United States, the corporate headquarters represents the entity at the center or the top of a corporation taking full responsibility managing all business activities...
at the Essendon Recreation Reserve (Windy Hill
Windy Hill, Essendon
Windy Hill is an Australian rules football ground located in Essendon, a northwestern suburb of the Melbourne metropolitan area....
) in the Melbourne suburb
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
of Essendon
Essendon, Victoria
Essendon is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 10 km north-west from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Moonee Valley...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
but match day home games are played at Etihad Stadium or the Melbourne Cricket Ground
Melbourne Cricket Ground
The Melbourne Cricket Ground is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne and is home to the Melbourne Cricket Club. It is the tenth largest stadium in the world, the largest in Australia, the largest stadium for playing cricket, and holds the world record for the highest light...
. Essendon has won 16 VFL/AFL premierships which, along with Carlton
Carlton Football Club
The Carlton Football Club is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria. The club competes in the Australian Football League, and was one of the eight founding members of that competition in 1897...
, is the most of any club in the AFL.
Formation and early years in VFA
The Essendon Football Club was formed sometime between 1871 and 1873. It was held at a meeting at the home of a well-known brewery family, the McCrackens, whose Ascot Vale property hosted a team of local junior players.Robert McCracken, the owner of several city hotels, was the founder and first President of the Essendon club, and his son, Alex, its secretary. Alexander would later become president of the newly formed VFL. Alex’s cousin, Collier, who had already played with Melbourne
Melbourne Football Club
The Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Demons, is an Australian rules football club playing in the Australian Football League , based in Melbourne, Victoria....
, was the team’s first captain.
The club's first official match was played against Carlton
Carlton Football Club
The Carlton Football Club is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria. The club competes in the Australian Football League, and was one of the eight founding members of that competition in 1897...
on 7 June 1873, with Essendon winning by one goal. Essendon played 13 matches in its first season, winning seven, with four draws and losing two.
At first Essendon was regarded as a junior club, and even after the formation of the VFA in 1877 the side was sometimes allowed 'odds' of, for example, twenty-five players as against twenty, when confronted by the leading teams of the time. Essendon finished their first year in the VFA playing 19 games for eight wins and a finish in fourth place.
During its early years in the Association, Essendon played its home matches at Flemington Hill, but moved to the East Melbourne Cricket Ground in 1881. 40 years later the club returned to the Essendon district, playing its home matches at the Essendon Recreation Reserve.
In 1878, Essendon played in the first match on what would be considered by modern standards to be a full-sized field at Flemington Hill. In 1879 Essendon played Melbourne in one of the earliest night matches recorded when the ball was painted white. In 1880 they also became the first metropolitan club to visit Geelong and in 1883 the team played four matches in Adelaide.
In 1891 Essendon won their first VFA premiership, which they repeated in 1892, 1893 and 1894. One of the club's greatest players, Albert Thurgood
Albert Thurgood
Albert John "The Great" Thurgood was an Australian rules footballer in the Victorian Football Association , Victorian Football League and the Western Australian Football Association ....
played for the club during this period. Essendon was undefeated in the 1893 season.
From the formation of the VFL until World War I (1897–1915)
At the end of the 1896 season Essendon along with seven other clubs formed the Victorian Football LeagueAustralian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
. Essendon's first VFL game was in 1897 was against Geelong
Geelong Football Club
The Geelong Football Club, nicknamed The Cats, is a professional Australian rules football club, named after and based in the city of Geelong, playing in the Australian Football League . The club has been the VFL/AFL premiers nine times, with a record equalling 3 in the AFL era. Geelong has also...
at Corio Oval in Geelong. Essendon won its first VFL premiership by winning the 1897 VFL finals series
1897 VFL finals series
The Victorian Football League's 1897 finals series determined the top four final positions of the 1897 VFL season. It began on the weekend of August 21, 1897 and ended on the weekend of September 3, 1897...
. Essendon again won the premiership in 1901
1901 VFL season
Results and statistics for the Victorian Football League season of 1901.-Premiership season:In 1901, the VFL competition consisted of eight teams of 18 on-the-field players each, with no "reserves", although any of the 18 players who had left the playing field for any reason could later resume...
, defeating Collingwood in the Grand Final
1901 VFL Grand Final
The 1901 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Essendon Football Club and Collingwood Football Club, held at the Lake Oval in Melbourne on 7 September 1901. It was the 4th annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League, staged to determine the premiers for...
. The club won successive premierships in 1911
1911 VFL season
Results and statistics for the Victorian Football League season of 1911.-Premiership season:In 1911, the VFL competition consisted of ten teams of 18 on-the-field players each, with no "reserves", although any of the 18 players who had left the playing field for any reason could later resume their...
and 1912
1912 VFL season
Results and statistics for the Victorian Football League season of 1912.-Premiership season:In 1912, the VFL competition consisted of ten teams of 18 on-the-field players each, with no "reserves", although any of the 18 players who had left the playing field for any reason could later resume their...
over Collingwood and South Melbourne
Sydney Swans
The Sydney Swans Football Club is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in Sydney, New South Wales. The club, founded in 1874, was known as the South Melbourne Football Club until it relocated to Sydney in 1982 to become the Sydney...
respectively.
"Same Olds"
Essendon were known as the "Same Olds" (as in "the same old Essendon") in order to distinguish the Essendon VFL side (that played at the East Melbourne Cricket GroundEast Melbourne Cricket Ground
The East Melbourne Cricket Ground was a sports venue located at the corner of Wellington Parade and Jolimont Parade, in East Melbourne, Victoria, Australia...
) to which this article refers, from the separate and unconnected Essendon VFA side (that played at what was then the Essendon Cricket Ground
Windy Hill, Essendon
Windy Hill is an Australian rules football ground located in Essendon, a northwestern suburb of the Melbourne metropolitan area....
), which existed from 1900 to 1921.
Having already moved from its ground at Kent Street, Ascot Vale ("McCracken's Paddock") to Flemington Hill, the club was again forced to move in 1881; and, because the City of Essendon
City of Essendon
The City of Essendon was a Local Government Area located about northwest of Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria, Australia. The city covered an area of , and existed from 1861 until 1994.-History:...
mayor of the day, James Taylor, considered the Essendon Cricket Ground "to be suitable only for the gentleman's game of cricket", Essendon moved to East Melbourne.
This move away from Essendon, at a time when fans would walk to their local ground, did not go over well with many Essendon people; and, as a consequence, a new team and club was formed in 1900, unconnected with the first (although it played in the same colours), that was based at the Essendon Cricket Ground, and playing in the Victorian Football Association. It was known firstly as Essendon Town
Essendon Association Football Club
Essendon Association Football Club was an Australian rules football club which played in the Victorian Football Association from 1900 until 1921. The 'Dreadnoughts', who wore black and red, played their home games at the Essendon Recreation Reserve...
and, after 1905, as Essendon "A" ("A" for association). Known as the "Dreadnoughts" [sic], the team continued to play at the Essendon Cricket Ground until the expansion of the Jolimont Railway Yards
Jolimont Yard
Jolimont Yard was an array of railway lines and carriage sidings on the edge of the central business district of Melbourne, Australia. Located between Flinders Street Station, Richmond Junction, the Yarra River and Flinders Street they were often criticised for cutting off the city from the river,...
into the East Melbourne Cricket Ground in 1922 meant that the "Same Olds" were looking for a new home.
Returning home
East Melbourne Cricket Ground
The East Melbourne Cricket Ground was a sports venue located at the corner of Wellington Parade and Jolimont Parade, in East Melbourne, Victoria, Australia...
from 1882 to 1921, and having won four VFA premierships (1891–1894) and four VFL premierships (1897
1897 VFL season
Results and statistics for the Victorian Football League season of 1897, the inaugural season of the VFL.-Premiership season:In 1897, the VFL competition consisted of eight teams of 20 on-the-field players each, with no "reserves" Results and statistics for the Victorian Football League season of...
, 1901
1901 VFL season
Results and statistics for the Victorian Football League season of 1901.-Premiership season:In 1901, the VFL competition consisted of eight teams of 18 on-the-field players each, with no "reserves", although any of the 18 players who had left the playing field for any reason could later resume...
, 1911
1911 VFL season
Results and statistics for the Victorian Football League season of 1911.-Premiership season:In 1911, the VFL competition consisted of ten teams of 18 on-the-field players each, with no "reserves", although any of the 18 players who had left the playing field for any reason could later resume their...
, (1912
1912 VFL season
Results and statistics for the Victorian Football League season of 1912.-Premiership season:In 1912, the VFL competition consisted of ten teams of 18 on-the-field players each, with no "reserves", although any of the 18 players who had left the playing field for any reason could later resume their...
) whilst there, Essendon were looking for a new home, and were offered grounds at the current Royal Melbourne Showgrounds
Royal Melbourne Showgrounds
The Melbourne Showgrounds is located in the inner north-western suburb of Ascot Vale, Victoria, Australia, next door to Flemington Racecourse. Is the home of the annual Royal Melbourne Show, as well as major exhibitions, trade shows, and music concerts....
, at Victoria Park
Victoria Park, Melbourne
Victoria Park is a sports venue in Abbotsford a suburb of Melbourne in Victoria, Australia. Built for the purpose of both Australian rules football and cricket, the stadium is oval shaped....
, at Arden St, North Melbourne
Arden Street Oval
Arden Street Oval is a sports oval based in Arden Street, North Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is currently the training base of Australian rules team North Melbourne Football Club and up to the end of the 1985 season it was used for elite-level VFL/AFL matches.-History:The North Melbourne...
, and the Essendon Cricket Ground. The Essendon City Council, offered the (VFL) team the Essendon Cricket Ground, announcing that it would be prepared to spend over ₤12,000 on improvements, including a new grandstand, scoreboard and re-fencing of the oval. The Essendon VFL club returned to Essendon, and the Essendon VFA club disbanded, with most of its players moving over to (then VFA club) North Melbourne.
In the absence of the VFA team, there was no need for the "Same Olds" distinction and, by 1922, the other nicknames "Sash Wearers" and "Essendonians" that had been variously used from time to time were also abandoned. The team became universally known as "The Dons" (from EssenDON); it was not until much later, during the War years of the early 1940s, that they became known as "The Bombers" — due to Windy Hill’s proximity to the Essendon Aerodrome
Essendon Airport
Essendon Airport is located at Essendon, in Melbourne's northern suburbs, Victoria, Australia. It is located next to the Tullamarine Freeway on , from the Melbourne Central Business District and from Melbourne Airport.-History:...
.
In the 1922 season
1922 VFL season
Results and statistics for the Victorian Football League season of 1922.-Premiership season:In 1922, the VFL competition consisted of nine teams of 18 on-the-field players each, with no "reserves", although any of the 18 players who had left the playing field for any reason could later resume their...
, back at Essendon at last, they reached the final four for the first time since 1912, finishing in third place.
In the 1923 season
1923 VFL season
Results and statistics for the Victorian Football League season of 1923.-Premiership season:In 1923, the VFL competition had nine teams of 18 on-the-field players each, with no "reserves", although any of the 18 players who had left the playing field for any reason could later resume their place on...
the Dons topped the ladder with 13 wins from 16 games. After a 17 point second semi final loss to South Melbourne defeated Fitzroy (who had beaten South Melbourne) in the challenge final: Essendon 8.15 (63) to Fitzroy 6.10 (46). Amongst Essendon’s best players were half forward flanker George "Tich" Shorten
George Shorten
George 'Tich' Shorten was an Australian rules footballer who played for Essendon in the VFL during the 1920s....
, center half forward Justin McCarthy
Justin McCarthy (footballer)
Justin McCarthy was an Australian rules footballer who played for Essendon in the VFL before and after the First World War....
, centre half back Tom Fitzmaurice
Tom Fitzmaurice
Tom Fitzmaurice was an Australian rules footballer in the Victorian Football League .A brilliant centre halfback, he commenced his career with Essendon Football Club 1918. Transferred to Sydney in 1921 with his employment, Fitzmaurice played the next two seasons in the local competition and...
, rover Frank Maher
Frank Maher (footballer)
Frank H. Maher , is a former Australian footballer, and coach in the Victorian Football League.He served in the army in World War I from 1916 to 1919, and was awarded the Military Medal for gallantry for his actions in France on 19 May 1918.He only began playing football when serving overseas with...
and wingman Jack Garden
Jack Garden
Jack Garden was an Australian rules footballer who played with Essendon in the VFL.A wingman, Garden debuted for Essendon in 1915 but didn't play again 1920 due to war service. He won the Essendon Best and Fairest award in his first year back and the following season made his first appearance for...
.
This was one of Essendon's most famous sides, dubbed the "Mosquito Fleet", due to the number of small, very fast players in the side. Six players were 5'6" (167 cm) or smaller.
The 1924 season
1924 VFL season
Results and statistics for the Victorian Football League season of 1924.-Premiership season:In 1924, the VFL competition consisted of nine teams of 18 on-the-field players each, with no "reserves", although any of the 18 players who had left the playing field for any reason could later resume their...
proved to be arguably the strangest year in Essendon's entire history. For the first time since 1897 there was no ultimate match — either “challenge final” or “grand final” — to determine the premiers. Instead, the top 4 clubs after the home and away season played a round-robin
Round-robin tournament
A round-robin tournament is a competition "in which each contestant meets all other contestants in turn".-Terminology:...
to determine the premiers. Essendon, having previously defeated both Fitzroy (by 40 points) and South Melbourne (by 33 points), clinched the premiership by means of a 20-point loss to Richmond. With the Tigers having already lost a match to Fitzroy by a substantial margin the Dons were declared premiers by virtue of their superior percentage. Ultimately, Essendon again managed to win successive premierships. But the low crowds for the finals meant this was never attempted again, resulting in Essendon having the unique record of winning the only two premierships without a grand final.
Prominent contributors to Essendon's 1924 Premiership success included back pocket Clyde Donaldson
Clyde Donaldson
Clyde Donaldson was an Australian rules footballer who played for Essendon in the VFL.After two seasons playing with Essendon, Donaldson's career was interrupted by World War I when he spent fours years overseas with the Australian Expeditionary Force...
, follower Norm Beckton
Norm Beckton
Norm Beckton was an Australian rules footballer who played with Essendon in the VFL during the 1920s.Beckton played as a ruckman and won Essendon's best and fairest in 1928. A premiership player in 1923 and 1924, Beckton also represented Victoria during his career. He captained Essendon in 1929...
, half back flanker Roy Laing
Roy Laing
Roy Laing was an Australian rules footballer who played for Essendon in the Victorian Football League before and after the First World War....
, follower Charlie May
Charlie May (footballer)
Charlie "Chooka" May was an Australian rules footballer who played with and coached Essendon in the Victorian Football League . He was the father of double Essendon premiership player Wally May....
and rover Charlie Hardy
Charlie Hardy
Charlie Hardy was an Australian rules footballer who played for North Melbourne in the VFA during the 1910s and Essendon in the VFL during the early 1920s.-VFA:...
.
The 1924 season was not without controversy, with rumours of numerous players accepting bribes. Regardless of the accuracy of these allegations, the club's image was tarnished, and the side experienced its lowest period during the decade that followed, with poor results on the field and decreased support off it.
There was worse to follow, with various Essendon players publicly blaming each other for the poor performance against Richmond, and then, with dissension still rife in the ranks, the side plummeted to an embarrassing 28 point loss to VFA premiers Footscray Football Club
Western Bulldogs
The Western Bulldogs are an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based at the Whitten Oval in West Footscray, an inner-western suburb of Melbourne...
in a special charity match played a week later in front of 46,100 people, in aid of Dame Nellie Melba's Disabled Soldiers' Fund, purportedly (but not officially) for the championship of Victoria.
While it is always difficult to assess the damage caused by events such as these, the club's fortunes dipped alarmingly, and persistently. Indeed, after finishing third in the 1926 season
1926 VFL season
Results and statistics for the Victorian Football League season of 1926.-Premiership season:In 1926, the VFL competition consisted of twelve teams of 18 on-the-field players each, with no "reserves", although any of the 18 players who had left the playing field for any reason could later resume...
, it was to be 14 years before Essendon would even contest a finals series.
Dick Reynolds years (1933–1960)
The 1933 season1933 VFL season
Results and statistics for the Victorian Football League season of 1933.-Premiership season:In 1933, the VFL competition consisted of twelve teams of 18 on-the-field players each, plus one substitute player, known as the 19th man...
, was probably the start of the Essendon revival, seeing the debut of the player regarded as one of Essendon's greatest players Dick Reynolds
Dick Reynolds
Richard Sylvannus 'Dick' Reynolds was an Australian rules footballer and coach who represented Essendon and Victoria with great distinction....
. His impact was immediate. He won his first Brownlow Medal aged 19. His record of three Brownlow victories (1934, 1937, 1938), equalled Haydn Bunton, Sr (1931, 1932, 1935), and later equalled by Bob Skilton
Bob Skilton
Robert John "Bob" Skilton was an Australian rules football player who played as a rover for South Melbourne and Victoria between 1956 and 1971....
(1959, 1963, 1968), and Ian Stewart
Ian Stewart (Australian rules footballer)
Ian Harlow Stewart , son of Aldo Liberale Cervi and Anita Cervi who separated three years after his birth, is a former Australian rules footballer with Hobart in the Tasmanian Football League , and in the Victorian Football League with St Kilda and Richmond...
(1965, 1966, 1971).
1941 brought Essendon's first grand final appearance since 1923, but the side again lowered its colours to Melbourne. A year later war broke out and the competition was considerably weakened, with Geelong being forced to pull out of the competition due to travel restrictions as a result of petrol rationing. Attendances at games also declined dramatically, whilst some clubs had to move from their normal grounds due to them being used for military purposes. Many players were lost to football due to their military service. Nevertheless, Essendon went on to win the 1942 Premiership with Western Australian Wally Buttsworth
Wally Buttsworth
Wallace 'Wally' Buttsworth was an Australian rules footballer who played for the Essendon Bombers during the 1940s...
in irrepressible form at centre half back. Finally, the long awaited premiership was Essendon's after comprehensively outclassing Richmond in the grand final, 19.18 (132) to 11.13 (79). The match was played at Carlton in front of 49,000 spectators.
In any case, there could be no such reservations about Essendon's next premiership, which came just four years later. Prior to that Essendon lost a hard fought grand final to Richmond in 1943 by 5 points, finished 3rd in 1944, and dropped to 8th in 1945.
After WWII, Esssendon enjoyed great success. In the five years immediately after the war, Essendon won 3 premierships (1946, 1949, 1950) and were runners up twice (1947, 1948). In 1946, Essendon were clearly the VFL's supreme force, topping the ladder after the roster games and surviving a drawn second semi final against Collingwood to win through to the grand final a week later with a 10.16 (76) to 8.9 (57). Then, in the grand final against Melbourne, Essendon set a grand final record score of 22.18 (150) to Melbourne 13.9 (87), with 7 goal centre half forward Gordon Lane
Gordon Lane
Gordon 'Whopper' Lane is a former Australian rules footballer who represented the Essendon and South Melbourne in the VFL. He played as a forward with a strong overhead mark and was rated by Jack Dyer in 1946 as 'the best centre half forward in the game'.He is best remembered for his performances...
. Rover Bill Hutchinson, and defenders Wally Buttsworth, Cec Ruddell and Harold Lambert among the best players.
The 1947 Grand Final has to go down in the ledger as 'one of the ones that got away', Essendon losing to Carlton by a single point despite managing 30 scoring shots to 21. As if to prove that lightning does occasionally strike twice, the second of the 'ones that got away' came just a year later, the Dons finishing with a lamentable 7.27 (of which full forward Bill Brittingham contributed 2.12) to tie with Melbourne (who managed 10.9) in the 1948 grand final. A week later Essendon waved the premiership good-bye, as Melbourne raced to a 13.11 (89) to 7.8 (50) triumph. The club's Annual Report made an assessment that was at once restrained and, as was soon to emerge, tacitly and uncannily prophetic:
It is very apparent that no team is complete without a spearhead and your committee has high hopes of rectifying that fault this coming season.
The 1949 season heralded the arrival on the VFL scene of John Coleman, arguably the greatest player in Essendon's history, and, in the view of some, the finest player the game has known. In his first ever appearance for the Dons, against Hawthorn
Hawthorn Football Club
The Hawthorn Football Club, nicknamed the Hawks, is a professional Australian rules football club in the Australian Football League . The club, founded in 1902, is the youngest of the Victorian-based teams in the AFL. The team play in Brown & Gold vertically striped guernseys...
in Round 1 1949, he booted 12 of his side's 18 goals to create an opening round record which was to endure for forty five years. More importantly, however, he went on to maintain the same high level of performance throughout the season, kicking precisely 100 goals for the year to become the first player to top the ton since Richmond's Jack Titus in 1940.
The Coleman factor was just what Essendon needed to enable them to take that vital final step to premiership glory, but even so it was not until the business end of the season that this became clear. Essendon struggled to make the finals in 4th place, but once there they suddenly ignited to put in one of the most consistently devastating September performances in VFL history.
Collingwood succumbed first as the Dons powered their way to an 82 point first semi final victory, and a fortnight later it was the turn of the North Melbourne Football Club
North Melbourne Football Club
The North Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Kangaroos, is the fourth oldest Australian rules football club in the Australian Football League and is one of the oldest sporting clubs in Australia and the world...
as Essendon won the preliminary final a good deal more comfortably than the ultimate margin of 17 points suggested. In the grand final, Essendon were pitted against Carlton and in a match that was a total travesty as a contest they overwhelmed the Blues to the tune of 73 points, 18.17 (125) to 6.16 (52). Best for the Dons included pacy aboriginal half back flanker Norm McDonald, ruckman Bob McLure, and rovers Bill Hutchinson and Ron McEwin. John Coleman also did well, registering 6 majors.
A year later Essendon were if anything even more dominant, defeating the North Melbourne Football Club
North Melbourne Football Club
The North Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Kangaroos, is the fourth oldest Australian rules football club in the Australian Football League and is one of the oldest sporting clubs in Australia and the world...
in both the second semi final and the grand final to secure consecutive VFL premierships for the third time. Best afield in the grand final in what was officially his swansong as a player was captain-coach Dick Reynolds, who received sterling support from the likes of Norm McDonald, ruckman/back pocket Wally May, back pocket Les Gardiner, and big Bob McLure.
With 'King Richard' still holding court as coach in 1951, albeit now in a non-playing capacity, Essendon seemed on course for a third consecutive flag but a controversial four week suspension dished out to John Coleman on the eve of the finals effectively put paid to their chances. Coleman was reported for retaliation after twice being struck by his Carlton opponent, Harry Caspar, and without him the Dons were rated a 4 goals poorer team. Nevertheless, they still managed to battle their way to a 6th successive grand final with wins over Footscray by 8 points in the first semi final and Collingwood by 2 points in the preliminary final.
The Dons sustained numerous injuries in the preliminary final and the selectors sprang a surprise on grand final day by naming the officially retired Dick Reynolds as 20th man. 'King Richard' was powerless to prevent the inevitable, although leading at half time, the Geelong kicked five goals to three points in the third quarter to set up victory by 11 points.
Essendon slumped to 8th in 1952 but John Coleman was in irrepressible form managing 103 goals for the year. Hugh Buggy noted in The Argus: "It was the wettest season for twenty two years and Coleman showed that since the war he was without peer in the art of goal kicking."
Two seasons later Coleman's career was tragically ended after he dislocated a knee during the Round 8 clash with the North Melbourne Football Club
North Melbourne Football Club
The North Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Kangaroos, is the fourth oldest Australian rules football club in the Australian Football League and is one of the oldest sporting clubs in Australia and the world...
at Essendon. Aged just twenty five, he had kicked 537 goals in only 98 VFL games in what was generally a fairly low scoring period for the game. His meteoric rise and fall were clearly the stuff of legend, and few if any players, either before or since, have had such an immense impact over so brief a period.
According to Alf Brown, football writer for The Herald:
(Coleman) had all football's gifts. He was courageous, a long, straight kick, he had a shrewd football brain and, above all, he was a spectacular, thrilling mark.
Somewhat more colourful, R.S. Whittington suggested,
"Had he been a trapeze artist in a strolling circus, Coleman could have dispensed with the trapeze."
Without Coleman, Essendon's fortunes plummeted, and there were to be no further premierships in the 1950s. The nearest miss came in 1957 when the Bombers (as they were popularly known by this time) earned premiership favouritism after a superb 16 point second semi final defeat of Melbourne, only to lose by over 10 goals against the same side a fortnight later.
1959 saw another grand final loss to Melbourne, this time by 37 points, but the fact that the average age of the Essendon side was only 22 was seen as providing considerable cause for optimism. However, it was to take another three years, and a change of coach, before the team's obvious potential was translated into tangible success.
Post Reynolds era and the "Slugging' Seventies" (1961–1980)
John Coleman started his coaching career at Essendon in 1961, thus ending the Dick ReynoldsDick Reynolds
Richard Sylvannus 'Dick' Reynolds was an Australian rules footballer and coach who represented Essendon and Victoria with great distinction....
era at the club. In the same year Essendon finished the season mid table and supporters were not expecting too much for the following season. However, the club blitzed the opposition in this year, losing only two matches and finishing top of the table. Both losses were to the previous year's grand finalists. The finals posed no problems for the resurgent Dons, easily accounting for Carlton in the season's climax, winning the 1962 Premiership. This was a remarkable result for Coleman who in his second season of coaching pulled off the ultimate prize in Australian football. As so often is the case after a flag, the following two years were below standard. A further premiership in 1965 (won from 4th position on the ladder), was also unexpected due to periods of poor form during the season. The Bombers were a different club when the finals came around, but some of the credit for the improvement was given to the influence of Brian Sampson
Brian Sampson (footballer)
Brian Sampson is a former Australian rules footballer who played for Essendon in the VFL.Sampson played in many positions during his time at Essendon and was particularly strong in the air. He debuted in 1959 and finished the year in their losing Grand Final side...
and Ted Fordham
Ted Fordham
Ted Fordham is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Essendon Bombers in the Victorian Football League . He was the VFLs leading goalkicker of the 1966 season....
during the finals. Coleman's time as coach turned out to be much like his playing career: highly successful but cut short when he had to stand down due to health problems in 1967. Only six years later, on the eve of the 1973 season, he would be dead of a heart-attack at just 44 years of age.
Following Coleman's retirement, the club experienced tough times on and off the field. Finals appearances were rare for the side, which was often in contention for the wooden spoon
Wooden spoon (award)
A wooden spoon is a mock or real award, usually given to an individual or team which has come last in a competition, but sometimes also to runners-up. Examples range from the academic to sporting and more frivolous events...
. Essendon did manage to make the 1968 VFL Grand Final
1968 VFL Grand Final
The 1968 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Carlton Football Club and Essendon Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 28 September 1968. It was the 72nd annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League, staged to determine...
, but lost a heartbreaker to Carlton by just three points and would not make it back to the big stage for a decade-and-a-half.
During the period from 1968 until 1980, five different coaches were tried, with none lasting longer than four years. Off the field the club went through troubled times as well. In 1970 five players went on strike before the season even began, demanding higher payments. Essendon did make the finals in 1972 and 1973 under the autocratic direction of Des Tuddenham
Des Tuddenham
Desmond Vincent Tuddenham is a former Australian rules footballer who played during the 1960s and 1970s. He was a half forward flanker....
(Collingwood) but they were beaten badly in successive elimination finals by St. Kilda and would not taste finals action again until the very end of the decade. The 70s Essendon sides were involved in many rough and tough encounters under Tuddenham, who himself came to logger heads with Ron Barassi at a quarter time huddle where both coaches exchanged heated words. Essendon had tough, but talented players with the likes of "Rotten Ronnie" Ron Andrews
Ron Andrews
Ron Andrews is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Essendon and Collingwood in the VFL.Andrews was a centre half back and had a reputation throughout his career as being a tough and uncompromising player...
and experienced players such as Barry Davis
Barry Davis
Barry Davis is a former Australian rules footballer who played in the Victorian Football League with Essendon and North Melbourne, before coaching his original team between 1978–1980.- Essendon career :...
, Ken Fletcher
Ken Fletcher (footballer)
Ken Fletcher is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Essendon Bombers. He is the father of Dustin Fletcher who was drafted into the club through the father son rule....
, Geoff Blethyn
Geoff Blethyn
Geoff Blethyn was an Australian rules footballer who played with Essendon in the VFL.A full-forward, Blethyn had a slim frame and was easy to spot on the field because he wore glasses. He kicked 4 goals in their 1968 Grand Final loss to Carlton and had his most prolific game up forward when he...
, Neville Fields
Neville Fields
Neville Fields is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Essendon and South Melbourne in the VFL.Fields was a left footed centreman and won Essendon's 'Most improved player' award in 1971. He was their best and fairest the following season and went on to represent Victoria in...
and West Australian import Graham Moss
Graham Moss
Graham Moss is a former Australian rules footballer and coach, who was highly successful in both the West Australian Football League and the Victorian Football League . He was a Brownlow Medal-winning ruckman and played 343 senior games in the WAFL and VFL.Moss debuted for Claremont Football Club...
. In May 1974, a controversial half time all-in-brawl with Richmond at Windy Hill and a 1975 encounter with Carlton were testimony of the era. Following the Carlton match, the 'Herald' described Windy Hill as "Boot Hill", because of the extent of the fights and the high number of reported players (eight in all – four from Carlton and four from Essendon). The peak of these incidents would occur in 1980 with new recruit Phil Carman
Phil Carman
Phil Carman is a former Australian rules footballer who played in the Victorian Football League .Carman had a difficult time in the VFL, with clearances and submissions being delayed causing controversy. Collingwood had shown plenty of interest in him, but Carman didn't like the football lifestyle...
making headlines for head-butting an umpire. The tribunal suspended him for sixteen weeks, and although most people thought this was a fair (or even lenient) sentence, he took his case to the supreme court, gathering even more unwanted publicity for the club. Despite this, the club had recruited many talented young players in the late 70s who would emerge as club greats. Three of those young players were Simon Madden
Simon Madden
Simon Madden was an Australian rules footballer for the Essendon Football Club from 1974 until 1992. He was also president of the AFL Players Association from 1985 until 1989....
, Tim Watson
Tim Watson
Timothy Michael "Tim" Watson is a former Australian rules footballer and coach, sports journalist and media personality.He is notable for his long career at the Essendon Football Club as a player where he participated in several premiership teams...
and Paul Van Der Haar
Paul Van Der Haar
Paul Vander Haar is a former Australian rules footballer who played 201 games with Essendon in the Victorian Football League . As a boy he attended Whitefriars College in Donvale...
. Terry Daniher
Terry Daniher
Terrence "Terry" John Daniher is a former Australian rules footballer who played with the South Melbourne and Essendon Football Clubs in the Australian Football League . Terry was also an Assistant Coach to the Essendon, Collingwood, St Kilda and Carlton Football Clubs. Terry's brothers, Neale,...
and his brother Neale
Neale Daniher
Neale Francis Daniher is a former Australian rules footballer who played with the Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League . Neale was also an Assistant Coach to the Essendon and Fremantle Football Clubs and the Coach of the Victorian State Team and the Melbourne Football Club...
would come via a trade with South Melbourne, and Roger Merrett
Roger Merrett
Roger Merrett is a former Australian rules footballer who played in two Victorian Football League premiership sides with the Essendon Football Club in the mid-1980s before moving to the fledging Brisbane Bears, later captaining the new club for seven seasons...
joined soon afterwards to form the nucleus of what would become the formidable Essendon sides of the 1980s. This raw but talented group of youngsters took Essendon to an elimination final in 1979 under Barry Davis but were again thrashed in an Elimination Final, this time at the hands of Fitzroy. Davis resigned at the end of the 1980 season after missing out on a finals appearance.
One of the few highlights for Essendon supporters during this time was when Graham Moss won the 1976 Brownlow Medal
Brownlow Medal
The Chas Brownlow Trophy, better known as the Brownlow Medal , is awarded to the "fairest and best" player in the Australian Football League during the regular season as determined by votes cast by the officiating field umpires after each game...
; he was the only Bomber to do so in a 40-year span from 1953–1993. Even that was bittersweet as he quit VFL football to move back to his native Western Australia, where Moss finished out his career as a player and coach at Claremont Football Club
Claremont Football Club
The Claremont Football Club, nicknamed the Tigers, is an Australian rules football club in the West Australian Football League . Its official colours are navy blue and gold....
. In many ways, Moss' career reflects Essendon's mixed fortunes during the decade.
Early Kevin Sheedy era (1981–1989)
Richmond Football Club
The Richmond Football Club, nicknamed The Tigers, is an Australian rules football club which competes in the Australian Football League. Richmond shares healthy rivalries with Carlton, Collingwood and Essendon. After winning five premierships between 1967 and 1980, the club hit the depths in 1990,...
player Kevin Sheedy as head coach in October 1980. Sheedy played a key role in Richmond's premiership sides of the mid-70s. Having retired as a player in 1979, he had no VFL coaching experience and was regarded as something of a risk, although he had coached in the Australian Army whilst on national service.
Essendon won just one of its first six games in 1981 and Sheedy threatened to come out of retirement and show his players "how it was done" if their performance didn't improve. The team responded by winning 15 successive games. The team made the finals, but lost to Fitzroy in the elimination final.
Essendon played in the finals series in 1982, but lost to North Melbourne
North Melbourne Football Club
The North Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Kangaroos, is the fourth oldest Australian rules football club in the Australian Football League and is one of the oldest sporting clubs in Australia and the world...
. In 1983, the Bombers moved upwards following a slow start to be second after thirteen rounds, but then suffered a five-match slump before recovering to reach their first grand final for 15 years from fourth place on the ladder. However, a fresher Hawthorn
Hawthorn Football Club
The Hawthorn Football Club, nicknamed the Hawks, is a professional Australian rules football club in the Australian Football League . The club, founded in 1902, is the youngest of the Victorian-based teams in the AFL. The team play in Brown & Gold vertically striped guernseys...
thrashed them by a then record margin.
In 1984, Essendon won the pre-season competition and completed the regular season on top of the ladder. The club played, and beat, Hawthorn in the 1984 VFL Grand Final
1984 VFL Grand Final
The 1984 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Essendon Football Club and Hawthorn Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 29 September 1984. It was the 88th annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League, staged to determine...
to win their 13th premiership—their first since 1965. The teams met again in the 1985 Grand Final
1985 VFL Grand Final
The 1985 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Essendon Football Club and Hawthorn Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 28 September 1985. It was the 89th annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League, staged to determine...
, which Essendon also won. At the start of 1986
1986 VFL season
Results and statistics for the Victorian Football League season of 1986.- Awards :* The Brownlow Medal was awarded to both Greg Williams of the Sydney Swans and Robert "Dipper" DiPierdomenico of the Hawthorn Hawks...
, Essendon were considered unbackable for three successive flags, but a succession of injuries to key players Paul Van der Haar
Paul Van Der Haar
Paul Vander Haar is a former Australian rules footballer who played 201 games with Essendon in the Victorian Football League . As a boy he attended Whitefriars College in Donvale...
(only fifteen games from 1986 to 1988), Tim Watson
Tim Watson
Timothy Michael "Tim" Watson is a former Australian rules footballer and coach, sports journalist and media personality.He is notable for his long career at the Essendon Football Club as a player where he participated in several premiership teams...
, Darren Williams
Darren Williams
Darren Williams is an English footballer who is player-manager of Whitby Town.Williams began his career at York City, but made his name at Sunderland, for whom he signed in 1996. He moved to Cardiff City in 2004, then on Hartlepool United in 2005...
, Roger Merrett
Roger Merrett
Roger Merrett is a former Australian rules footballer who played in two Victorian Football League premiership sides with the Essendon Football Club in the mid-1980s before moving to the fledging Brisbane Bears, later captaining the new club for seven seasons...
and Simon Madden
Simon Madden
Simon Madden was an Australian rules footballer for the Essendon Football Club from 1974 until 1992. He was also president of the AFL Players Association from 1985 until 1989....
led the club to win only eight of its last eighteen games in 1986 and only nine games (plus a draw with Geelong
Geelong Football Club
The Geelong Football Club, nicknamed The Cats, is a professional Australian rules football club, named after and based in the city of Geelong, playing in the Australian Football League . The club has been the VFL/AFL premiers nine times, with a record equalling 3 in the AFL era. Geelong has also...
) in 1987. During this period, the Bombers suffered a humiliation at the hands of Sydney
Sydney Swans
The Sydney Swans Football Club is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in Sydney, New South Wales. The club, founded in 1874, was known as the South Melbourne Football Club until it relocated to Sydney in 1982 to become the Sydney...
who became the only team ever to kick two hundred points in three quarters.
In 1988, Essendon made a rebound to sixth place with twelve wins, including a 140-point thrashing of Brisbane where they had a record sixteen individual goalkickers. In 1989, they rebounded further to second on the ladder with only five losses and thrashed Geelong in the Qualifying Final. However, after a fiery encounter with Hawthorn ended in a convincing defeat, the Bombers were no match for Geelong next week.
"Baby Bombers" (1991–1998)
In 1990, Essendon were pace-setters almost from the start, but a disruption from the Qualifying Final draw between Collingwood and West CoastWest Coast Eagles
The West Coast Eagles are an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League. The club is based in Perth, Western Australia. The club was founded in 1986 and played its first games in the 1987 season. Its current home ground is Subiaco Oval...
was a blow from which they never recovered. The Magpies comprehensively thrashed them in both the second semi final and the grand final.
Following the 1991 season, Essendon moved from its traditional home ground at Windy Hill
Windy Hill, Essendon
Windy Hill is an Australian rules football ground located in Essendon, a northwestern suburb of the Melbourne metropolitan area....
to the larger and newly renovated MCG
Melbourne Cricket Ground
The Melbourne Cricket Ground is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne and is home to the Melbourne Cricket Club. It is the tenth largest stadium in the world, the largest in Australia, the largest stadium for playing cricket, and holds the world record for the highest light...
. This move generated large increases in game attendance, membership and revenue for the club.
Following the retirement of Tim Watson
Tim Watson
Timothy Michael "Tim" Watson is a former Australian rules footballer and coach, sports journalist and media personality.He is notable for his long career at the Essendon Football Club as a player where he participated in several premiership teams...
and Simon Madden
Simon Madden
Simon Madden was an Australian rules footballer for the Essendon Football Club from 1974 until 1992. He was also president of the AFL Players Association from 1985 until 1989....
in the early 1990s, the team was built on new players such as Gavin Wanganeen
Gavin Wanganeen
Gavin Adrian Wanganeen is a retired Australian rules footballer, playing in two Australian Football League premierships with Essendon and Port Adelaide. Wanganeen is a Brownlow Medallist and is considered one of the finest indigenous players ever...
, Joe Misiti
Joe Misiti
"Smokin" Joe Misiti is a former Australian rules football player of Italian descent who played for the Essendon Football Club. Originally from Keilor Park, he made his Australian Football League debut in 1992 and retired at the end of the 2004 premiership season with 236 games to his credit...
, Mark Mercuri
Mark Mercuri
Mark Mercuri was a professional Australian rules football player for Essendon. He played in the 1993 Grand final winning team which defeated Carlton...
, Michael Long, Dustin Fletcher
Dustin Fletcher
Dustin Fletcher is an Australian rules footballer with the Essendon Football Club. He is renowned as one of the finest defenders in the AFL, and has played at full-back for his team for many years. He is the son of former Bombers captain Ken Fletcher...
(son of Ken) and James Hird
James Hird
James Hird is a former professional Australian rules footballer and the current coach of the Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League....
, who was taken at #79 in the 1992 draft. This side became known as the "Baby Bombers", as the core of the side was made up of young players early in their careers.
The team won the 1993 Grand Final
1993 AFL Grand Final
The 1993 AFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Essendon Football Club and Carlton Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 25 September 1993. It was the 97th annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League/Australian Football...
against Carlton and that same year, Gavin Wanganeen won the Brownlow Medal
Brownlow Medal
The Chas Brownlow Trophy, better known as the Brownlow Medal , is awarded to the "fairest and best" player in the Australian Football League during the regular season as determined by votes cast by the officiating field umpires after each game...
, the first awarded to an Essendon player since 1976. Three years later, James Hird was jointly awarded the medal with Michael Voss
Michael Voss
Michael Voss is the senior coach of the Brisbane Lions Australian Football League team and a former professional Australian rules footballer....
of Brisbane.
"Greatest Team of All" (1999–2001)
Essendon had been somewhat unheralded prior to 1999, but finished on top of the ladder and emerged as prohibitive premiership favourites, having beaten powerful co-contender North Melbourne twice in convincing fashion. They beat Sydney easily in the first week of the finals, but were beaten by Carlton by one point in the preliminary final1999 AFL First Preliminary Final
The 1999 AFL First Preliminary Final was an Australian rules football match contested between the Essendon Bombers and the Carlton Blues at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 18 September 1999...
. This was the fourth final lost by just one point under Sheedy.
In 2000, Essendon won 20 consecutive matches before losing to the Western Bulldogs in round 21 and went on to win their 16th premiership, against Melbourne, completing one of the most dominant single seasons in AFL/VFL history.
The side looked set to repeat their success the following year. Early on, it appeared Essendon would once again dominate the competition, opening their 2001, but lost key matches to Carlton and the Brisbane Lions. In Round 16 Essendon produced the greatest comeback in AFL/VFL history, winning by 12 points after trailing North Melbourne by as much as 69 points during the second quarter. The team made it to the grand final, but were beaten by Brisbane.
Decline and the end of the Sheedy era (2002–2007)
Essendon was less successful after 2001. Lucrative contracts to a number of premiership players had caused serious pressure on the club's salary cap, forcing the club to trade several key players. Blake Caracella, Chris Heffernan (later returned to the club), Justin Blumfield, Gary Moorcroft and Damien Hardwick had all departed by the end of 2002. The club remained competitive, however they could progress no further than the second week of the finals each year for the years of 2002, 2003, and 2004.In 2004 Mark Mercuri
Mark Mercuri
Mark Mercuri was a professional Australian rules football player for Essendon. He played in the 1993 Grand final winning team which defeated Carlton...
, Sean Wellman
Sean Wellman
Sean Wellman is a former Australian rules footballer in the Australian Football League.Wellman was a tall key position player who arrived at the AFL's Adelaide Football Club from North Adelaide. He played 34 games across his first two seasons in 1994 and 1995, before moving to Essendon in 1996...
and Joe Misiti
Joe Misiti
"Smokin" Joe Misiti is a former Australian rules football player of Italian descent who played for the Essendon Football Club. Originally from Keilor Park, he made his Australian Football League debut in 1992 and retired at the end of the 2004 premiership season with 236 games to his credit...
retired. Essendon lost the second semi-final to Geelong. At the end of the season, Sheedy signed a new three-year contract, by the end of which he was the second on the list of most VFL/AFL games coached behind Collingwood's
Collingwood Football Club
The Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed The Magpies, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
Jock McHale
Jock McHale
James Francis "Jock" McHale, was an Australian rules football player and coach for the Collingwood Football Club in the Victorian Football League in a marathon career that extended from 1903 to 1949....
.
The 2005 season
2005 AFL season
Results and statistics for the Australian Football League season of 2005.See List of Australian Football League premiers for a complete list.-National Cup:...
saw Essendon miss the finals for the first time since 1997, finishing with their second-worst result to that time under Sheedy's coaching, 13th position with 8 wins and 14 losses. With the Bombers looking towards a new era, it was announced on 27 September that Matthew Lloyd
Matthew Lloyd
Matthew James Lloyd is a former Australian rules footballer who played for and was the captain of the Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League...
would replace James Hird as Essendon captain for the 2006 season
2006 AFL season
Results and statistics for the Australian Football League season of 2006.-National Cup: 3.10.5 defeated 1.10.15 in the 2006 NAB Cup Final...
, marking the end of Hird's reign since he took over the captaincy in 1998.
2006 season
As it turned out, 2006 would prove to be the worst season for Essendon under Sheedy, and its worst in over 70 years, with a multitude of injuries and poor form affecting the team, none more so than the serious hamstring injury suffered by newly appointed captain Lloyd. Lloyd suffered the serious hamstring injury against the Western Bulldogs
Western Bulldogs
The Western Bulldogs are an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based at the Whitten Oval in West Footscray, an inner-western suburb of Melbourne...
in round three, marking Essendon's first loss against them since the Bulldogs inflicted Essendon's only loss for their dominant 2000 season. Hird was temporarily appointed captain for the two matches which followed Lloyd's season-ending injury, before David Hille
David Hille
David Hille is an Australian rules footballer in the Australian Football League.He debuted in 2001 with the Essendon Football Club and has been a solid ruckman for a number of years....
assumed the role from round 6 onwards. Essendon would win only three matches and draw one (against wooden spoon contenders Carlton) for the entire season, but one of those was against finals-bound rivals and arch-enemy Collingwood in round 19 in a win that would ultimately cost the Magpies a top four berth that season. The other two wins were against eventual runners-up Sydney
Sydney Swans
The Sydney Swans Football Club is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in Sydney, New South Wales. The club, founded in 1874, was known as the South Melbourne Football Club until it relocated to Sydney in 1982 to become the Sydney...
(in a match where Matthew Lloyd
Matthew Lloyd
Matthew James Lloyd is a former Australian rules footballer who played for and was the captain of the Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League...
flaunted with the Sydney defence, kicking eight goals (six of which came in the opening quarter) and being awarded best-on-ground in a game Essendon rightfully deserved to win) and against the team that denied them the 2001 Premiership, the Brisbane Lions
Brisbane Lions
The Brisbane Lions is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in Brisbane, Queensland. The club was formed from the merger of the Brisbane Bears and the Fitzroy Lions in 1996...
(who also were in a rebuilding phrase). Essendon's other win in the 2006 season was against bitter-rivals ; but this win was significant as it denied Collingwood a top-four finish at the end of the season.
Most notably, in Round 15 against , the Bombers jumped the Saints early by kicking the first 16 points of the match and led for the majority of the match, only to lose the lead by halfway through the final quarter, and ultimately the match by just three points. Despite losing this match, Essendon's performance was good enough for its players to be awarded Brownlow Medal
Brownlow Medal
The Chas Brownlow Trophy, better known as the Brownlow Medal , is awarded to the "fairest and best" player in the Australian Football League during the regular season as determined by votes cast by the officiating field umpires after each game...
votes – best-on-ground was Brent Stanton
Brent Stanton
Brent Stanton is an Australian rules footballer, playing for the Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League .- Early life :...
(3 votes), followed by Jason Johnson (2 votes) and Andrew Lovett
Andrew Lovett
Andrew Lovett is an Aboriginal Australian rules footballer who played in the Australian Football League for Essendon between 2005 and 2009...
(1 vote).
Just three players – Mark Johnson, Brent Stanton and Scott Lucas played all 22 matches that season, the latter winning Essendon's best and fairest award, as well as being Essendon's leading goalkicker that season.
2007 season
2007 was a much better season for Essendon, in which, despite significant wins over Adelaide (twice), Fremantle, St Kilda, Sydney (by one point in Sydney), the previous year's premiers West Coast (their second successive win by a solitary point) and Carlton, they missed the finals for the third year running. The season was soured by three 63-point defeats, two to Hawthorn and another by Fremantle at Subiaco Oval
Subiaco Oval
Subiaco Oval , known colloquially as Subi, is the highest capacity sports stadium in Perth, Western Australia...
(this occurring after the second of those hidings by Hawthorn) plus a 50 point hiding from eventual premiers Geelong
Geelong Football Club
The Geelong Football Club, nicknamed The Cats, is a professional Australian rules football club, named after and based in the city of Geelong, playing in the Australian Football League . The club has been the VFL/AFL premiers nine times, with a record equalling 3 in the AFL era. Geelong has also...
(for which captain Matthew Lloyd
Matthew Lloyd
Matthew James Lloyd is a former Australian rules footballer who played for and was the captain of the Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League...
was suspended). As well as this, Essendon were the last team to lose to the Western Bulldogs
Western Bulldogs
The Western Bulldogs are an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based at the Whitten Oval in West Footscray, an inner-western suburb of Melbourne...
in round 15, and back-to-back defeats to Richmond and West Coast in rounds 21 and 22 respectively ended what was otherwise an improvement from the previous season.
In July 2007 and with six rounds remaining in the home and away season, Essendon was placed just outside the top Eight and on the brink of making the finals once again when it was announced that Kevin Sheedy's contract would not be renewed after 27 years. The move was considered somewhat rushed and mis-handled by many members of the media. Not surprisingly Essendon then lost four of the remaining six matches, including to wooden spooners Richmond to tumble out of contention.
Matthew Knights era (2008–2010)
Essendon struggled at the start of the 2008 home and away season, winning only two games out of their first 11. Four wins in a row restored some hope for the Bomber faithful, but another series of crippling injuries ravaged the club, leaving them with as little as 24 fit men for selection. Essendon would finish 2008 in 12th position on the AFL ladder with 8 wins and 14 losses.Essendon finished the 2009 season in 8th place, thereby qualifying for the finals series. On 4 September, Essendon were assigned with a tough away trip against Adelaide at AAMI Stadium
AAMI Stadium
Football Park is an Australian rules football stadium located in West Lakes, a western suburb of Adelaide, South Australia...
with a depleted squad. Although the Bombers were competitive during the first quarter, the Crows dominated from that point on, winning 26.10 (166) to 10.10 (70), handing the Bombers their worst finals defeat and ending their 2009 campaign.
After a largely unsuccessful year in 2010 at Essendon, Knights was dismissed as coach on 29 August 2010, just 12 hours after Essendon's final round defeat to the Western Bulldogs
Western Bulldogs
The Western Bulldogs are an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based at the Whitten Oval in West Footscray, an inner-western suburb of Melbourne...
.
James Hird era (2010–present)
On 28 September 2010, former Essendon champion James HirdJames Hird
James Hird is a former professional Australian rules footballer and the current coach of the Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League....
was named as Essendon's new coach from 2011 on a four-year deal. Former dual premiership winning coach and Essendon triple-premiership winning player Mark Thompson later joined Hird on the coaching panel. As coach he has led Essendon to a win and a draw in the shortened NAB Cup format and 2 wins in the full length game, as well as into Essendons first pre-season Grand Final since 2000. Essendon was defeated by Collingwood in the final, losing 0.13.8 (86) to 1.15.9 (108).
Essendon's first match under coach James Hird resulted in a 55-point hammering of the Western Bulldogs
Western Bulldogs
The Western Bulldogs are an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based at the Whitten Oval in West Footscray, an inner-western suburb of Melbourne...
, which was, coincidentally, the same margin previous coach Matthew Knights won in his first game as Essendon coach, which was against North Melbourne
North Melbourne Football Club
The North Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Kangaroos, is the fourth oldest Australian rules football club in the Australian Football League and is one of the oldest sporting clubs in Australia and the world...
.
Essendon's next match, against the Sydney Swans
Sydney Swans
The Sydney Swans Football Club is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in Sydney, New South Wales. The club, founded in 1874, was known as the South Melbourne Football Club until it relocated to Sydney in 1982 to become the Sydney...
on Sunday, 3 April at Stadium Australia in Sydney was lost by just five points. Essendon had led by five goals halfway through the second quarter, only to see their lead disappear by the final siren. Round 3 saw a comfortable Essendon victory against by 52 points, in the process ruining the celebrations of their captain Nick Riewoldt
Nick Riewoldt
Nick Riewoldt is an Australian rules footballer who is the current captain of the St Kilda Football Club in the Australian Football League . He was the first draft selection in the 2000 AFL Draft.-Early life:...
who was playing his 200th AFL game. But their inconsistent start to the season continued with a thrilling 11.13 (79) draw against bitter rivals . A 30-point loss in the annual Anzac Day clash against followed.
In Round 6 Essendon defeated the Gold Coast Suns 31.11 (197) to 8.10 (58) to win by 139 points, with Kyle Reimers
Kyle Reimers
Kyle Reimers is an Australian rules footballer who plays with Essendon in the AFL, debuting in 2007. Reimers was pick number 47 in the 2006 AFL Draft, having played with Peel Thunder...
kicking eight goals. Essendon kicked a record breaking 15.4 (94) to 0.1 (1) in the first quarter, the highest first quarter score ever and the second highest quarter of any sort in VFL/AFL history. Their quarter-time lead of 93 points is also a record. Amidst all this, Essendon surprisingly lost the second quarter but continued their domination smashing the hopeless Suns by a further 60 points in the second half.
Essendon then suffered a mid-season slump, losing five games in succession, culminating in a 65-point thrashing by , to fall out of the top eight by the end of Round 14.
In Round 15, Essendon scored the boilover of the season beating the previously undefeated by four points. It was the first time that assistant coach Mark Thompson was coaching against his old side, whom he led to two premierships in eleven years at the club, and it was their first win over the Cats in almost six years, but only their second win against them since 2003. This was followed with a huge come-from-behind win over at the MCG
Melbourne Cricket Ground
The Melbourne Cricket Ground is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne and is home to the Melbourne Cricket Club. It is the tenth largest stadium in the world, the largest in Australia, the largest stadium for playing cricket, and holds the world record for the highest light...
. It was their first win at the ground since Round 9 last year. Another come-from-behind win followed, the Bombers beating by 11 points after at one stage being down by as much as six goals. It was their first win in Adelaide since 2007.
Essendon then suffered its worst defeat this season when it lost to by 74 points at the MCG
Melbourne Cricket Ground
The Melbourne Cricket Ground is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne and is home to the Melbourne Cricket Club. It is the tenth largest stadium in the world, the largest in Australia, the largest stadium for playing cricket, and holds the world record for the highest light...
in Round 18. The Bombers were on course to cause the biggest boilover of the season against in Round 19, when, at one stage they led by as much as 30 points. But the Bombers capitulated in the second half to lose by 74 points.
Round 20 saw Essendon home to Sydney for the first time since Round 1, 2006. In one of the games of the year, the Bombers snuck home by one point after a set shot after the siren from 's Adam Goodes
Adam Goodes
Adam Goodes is a professional Australian rules football player with the Sydney Swans in the Australian Football League ....
drifted to the left, giving Essendon only its' fifth win over Sydney since 2002. Round 23 saw Essendon qualify for the finals when it defeated Port Adelaide by 7 points at Etihad Stadium, the first time since Round 18, 2004 that Essendon had beaten the side.
Week one of the finals saw Essendon face off against in the elimination final, the first time since 2000 that these two sides had met in a final. Essendon lost by 62 points, but coach James Hird
James Hird
James Hird is a former professional Australian rules footballer and the current coach of the Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League....
was praised for developing the side into what will soon become a premiership force in the years to come.
Guernsey
Guernsey (clothing)
A guernsey, or gansey, is a seaman's knitted woollen sweater, similar to a jersey, which originated in the Channel Island of the same name.-Origins:...
until 1875, when the red sash was adopted.
It is recorded that Essendon has always had black and red in its strip. It is understood that the black and red stripes mentioned as the official colours refer only to the socks. When the club was formed in 1873 uniforms were not available, and most players wore Navy Blue work guernseys. To avoid clashing with other teams, Essendon adopted a red sash in 1875, and is recorded in magazines of the day as wearing Blue with Red sash up until about 1889. At this time, uniforms were ordered in the club colours, black with a red sash, and have been worn in every game from 1890 to today.
Clash jumpers
In 2007, the AFL Commission laid down the requirement that all clubs must produce an alternative jumper for use in matches where jumpers are considered to clash. According to the AFL, Essendon would be required to wear this alternate jumper in designated away games against , and . Many Essendon supporters and traditionalists of the game were bemused by the request, arguing that clubs that "clash" with the Essendon jumper have had many different guernseys of varying designs, consequently moving them closer to the Essendon design. They also argue that in some cases, these clubs had a completely different jumper with different colours and that the AFL was simply bowing down to pressure from television broadcasters.Two designs were suggested for the Clash Jumper – a Red Jumper with black EFC writing and a jumper with an extra thick sash. At a Members Information Meeting at Moonee Valley Racecourse, Essendon members agreed on the second option; however, club officials assured members there was no desire to wear the clash jumper and everything possible would be done to avoid ever wearing the alternate design, to widespread support from the majority of club members. The club wore the design coupled with red shorts for their Round 4 clash with St Kilda in 2007. They wore it again in the Round 9 clash against Richmond but that time, they wore white shorts rather than red shorts. In 2008, they were not forced to wear the clash jumper against St Kilda, but wore it against Richmond in Round 16, again with white shorts.
Yellow armbands
Following Adam RamanauskasAdam Ramanauskas
Adam Ramanauskas is a former Australian rules footballer for the Essendon Football Club.Of Lithuanian descent, Ramanauskas was selected at no. 12 in the 1998 AFL Draft and was mainly a defender or midfielder...
' personal battle with cancer, a 'Clash for Cancer' match against Melbourne was launched in 2006. This was a joint venture between Essendon and the Cancer Council of Victoria to raise funds for the organisation. Despite a formal request to the AFL being denied, players wore yellow armbands for the match which resulted in the club being fined $20,000. In 2007, the AFL agreed to allow yellow armbands to be incorporated into the left sleeve of the jumper, the only ever variation to the jumper's design. The 'Clash for Cancer' match against Melbourne has become an annual event, repeated in 2008 and 2009. In 2009, the jumpers were auctioned along with yellow boots worn by some players during the match.
Song
The club's theme song is called "See the Bombers Fly Up" and is based on the tune of Johnnie HampJohnnie Hamp
Johnnie Hamp is a British television producer, now retired. He is responsible for the early British television appearances of such acts as The Beatles, singer Cilla Black, comedian Woody Allen, and singer Lisa Stansfield as Head of Light Entertainment with Granada Television.-Early life and 1960s...
's 1929 song "Keep Your Sunny Side Up" at an increased tempo. The official version of the song was recorded in 1972 by the Fable Singers and is still used today.
The lyrics are as follows:
See the Bombers fly up, up!
To win the premiership flag.
Our boys who play this grand old game,
Are always striving for glory and fame!
See the Bombers fly up, up,
The other teams they don't fear,
They all try their best,
But they can't get near,
As the Bombers fly up,!
(Repeats Once)
The song, as with all other AFL clubs, is played prior to every match and at the conclusion of matches where the team is victorious.
Songwriter Mike Brady
Mike Brady (musician)
Mike Brady is an Australian musician most commonly associated with the Australian rules football anthems "Up There Cazaly", referring to 1920s and 30s St Kilda player Roy Cazaly and "One Day in September". "Up There Cazaly" topped the Australian singles charts in September 1979 and briefly held...
, of "Up There Cazaly
Up There Cazaly
"Up There Cazaly" is an Australian sporting catchphrase inspired by former St Kilda and South Melbourne great Roy Cazaly...
" fame, penned an updated version of the song in 1999 complete with a new verse arrangement, but it was not well received. However, this version is occasionally played at club functions.
Mascot
The club's mascot is named Skeeta Reynolds, named after Dick Reynolds. He appears as a red mosquito in an Essendon jumper and wears a red and black scarf. He is the mascot for Essendon in AFL mascot manor. His backstory is that he was a bomber pilot and one day he landed at Windy Hill in 1922. He liked it so much that he never left.Chairman
- For the full list, see List of VFL/AFL presidents
The current Chairman is David Evans, appointed at the club's Annual General Meeting on 21 December 2009. He succeeds Ray Horsburgh (Chairman since 2006) who will remain as a board member for the remainder of his term. David is the son of former club chairman Ron Evans (1988–1992).
Supporter base
A strong North West suburban club, Essendon over the last 20 years has become one of the most supported sports clubs in Australia. Notable fans include, amongst others: Seven News Melbourne weekend presenter Jennifer KeyteJennifer Keyte
Jennifer Keyte is an Australian television journalist.Keyte is currently weekend presenter of Seven News in Melbourne. -Career:...
, the late Steve Irwin
Steve Irwin
Stephen Robert "Steve" Irwin , nicknamed "The Crocodile Hunter", was an Australian television personality, wildlife expert, and conservationist. Irwin achieved worldwide fame from the television series The Crocodile Hunter, an internationally broadcast wildlife documentary series which he co-hosted...
and former treasurer Peter Costello
Peter Costello
Peter Howard Costello AC is an Australian politician and lawyer who served as the Treasurer in the Australian government from 1996 to 2007. He is the longest-serving Treasurer in Australian history. Costello was a Member of the Australian House of Representatives from 1990 to 2009, representing...
.
The following table shows membership numbers since 1998:
| Year | Members | Finishing position |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 27,099 | Finals |
| 1999 | 29,858 | Preliminary Finalists |
| 2000 | 34,278 | Premiers |
| 2001 | 36,227 | Runner Up |
| 2002 | 35,219 | Finals |
| 2003 | 31,970 | Finals |
| 2004 | 37,042 | Finals |
| 2005 | 35,398 | 13th |
| 2006 | 32,511 | 15th |
| 2007 | 34,219 | 12th |
| 2008 | 35,158 | 12th |
| 2009 | 40,412 | Finals |
| 2010 | 40,589 | 14th |
| 2011 | 50,123 | Finals |
Major sponsor
On 25 August 2008, SamsungSamsung
The Samsung Group is a South Korean multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Samsung Town, Seoul, South Korea...
was announced as major sponsor of the Essendon Football Club in a three-year deal touted as the biggest individual annual club sponsorship in AFL history. The deal included Samsung having naming rights on the front and back of the club jumper and signage. Although the amount was only confirmed by the club as a very significant lift from where 3 were, it was estimated to be worth around $7 million in total.
History
| Years | Seasons | Sponsor | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current | Kia Motors Kia Motors Kia Motors , headquartered in Seoul, is South Korea's second-largest automobile manufacturer, following the Hyundai Motor Company, with sales of over 1.4 million vehicles in 2010... |
Samsung Samsung The Samsung Group is a South Korean multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Samsung Town, Seoul, South Korea... |
|
| 2009–2010 | 2 | Samsung Samsung The Samsung Group is a South Korean multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Samsung Town, Seoul, South Korea... |
|
| 2003–2008 | 6 | Hutchison Telecommunications | "3 mobile Hutchison 3G 3 is a brand name under which several UMTS-based mobile phone networks and Broadband Internet Providers are operated in Australia, Austria, Denmark, Hong Kong, Macau, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, and the United Kingdom... " |
| 2001–2002 | 2 | "Orange" | |
| 1994–2000 | 7 | Transport Accident Commission (TAC) Transport Accident Commission The Transport Accident Commission is the statutory insurer of third-party personal liability for road accidents in the State of Victoria. It was established under the Transport Accident Act 1986.... "Speed Kills" |
|
| 1984–1993 | 10 | Nubrik | |
| 1977–1983 | 7 | Don Smallgoods George Weston Foods George Weston Foods is one of the largest consumer products companies in Australia. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Associated British Foods Plc. Its brands include Tip Top and Top Taste.... |
|
Major rivals
Essendon has a four-way rivalry with , and , being the four biggest and most supported clubs in Victoria. Matches between the clubs are often close regardless of form and ladder positions. If out of the race themselves, all four have the desire to deny the others a finals spot or a premiership. Essendon also has a fierce rivalry with Hawthorn stemming from the 1980s.- Carlton – The rivalry between Essendon and Carlton is considered one of the strongest in the league. With the teams sharing the record of 16 premierships, both sides are keen to become outright leader, or if out of the finals race, at least ensure the other doesn't. In recent years, the rivalry has thickened with Carlton beating the 1999 Minor Premiers and premiership favourites by 1 point in the Preliminary Final1999 AFL First Preliminary FinalThe 1999 AFL First Preliminary Final was an Australian rules football match contested between the Essendon Bombers and the Carlton Blues at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 18 September 1999...
. Other notable meetings between the two clubs include the 19081908 VFL Grand FinalThe 1908 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Carlton Football Club and Essendon Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 26 September 1908. It was the 11th annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League, staged to determine the...
, 19471947 VFL Grand FinalThe 1947 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Carlton Football Club and Essendon Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 27 September 1947. It was the 51st annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League, staged to determine the premiers for...
, 19491949 VFL seasonResults and statistics for the Victorian Football League season of 1949.-Premiership season:In 1949, the VFL competition consisted of twelve teams of 18 on-the-field players each, plus two substitute players, known as the 19th man and the 20th man...
, 19621962 VFL Grand FinalThe 1962 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Essendon Football Club and Carlton Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 29 September 1962. It was the 66th annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League, staged to determine...
and 1968 VFL Grand Final1968 VFL Grand FinalThe 1968 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Carlton Football Club and Essendon Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 28 September 1968. It was the 72nd annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League, staged to determine...
s and 1993 AFL Grand Final1993 AFL Grand FinalThe 1993 AFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Essendon Football Club and Carlton Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 25 September 1993. It was the 97th annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League/Australian Football...
with some decided by small margins. Matches in recent years have often ended with the final margin being under a goal despite a considerable margin favouring one team during the match.
- Collingwood – In the early days of the VFL, this rivalry grew out of several Grand Final meetings – 19011901 VFL seasonResults and statistics for the Victorian Football League season of 1901.-Premiership season:In 1901, the VFL competition consisted of eight teams of 18 on-the-field players each, with no "reserves", although any of the 18 players who had left the playing field for any reason could later resume...
, 19021902 VFL seasonResults and statistics for the Victorian Football League season of 1902.-Premiership season:In 1902, the VFL competition consisted of eight teams of 18 on-the-field players each, with no "reserves", although any of the 18 players who had left the playing field for any reason could later resume...
and 19111911 VFL seasonResults and statistics for the Victorian Football League season of 1911.-Premiership season:In 1911, the VFL competition consisted of ten teams of 18 on-the-field players each, with no "reserves", although any of the 18 players who had left the playing field for any reason could later resume their...
. The teams didn't meet again in a Grand Final until 19901990 AFL Grand FinalThe 1990 AFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Collingwood Football Club and the Essendon Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 6 October 1990. It was the 94th annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League/Australian Football...
when Collingwood won to draw level with the Bombers on 14 premierships and denying the Bombers a chance to join Carlton on 15. Since 1995 the rivalry has been even more fierce with the clubs facing off against each other in the Anzac Day clash, a match which is described as the second biggest of the season, behind only the Grand Final. Being possibly the two biggest football clubs in Victoria, regardless of their position on the ladder, this game always attracts a huge crowd and it is a match both teams have a desire to win even if it's their only win for the season. In 2006, the Magpies were the only Victorian team to drop a match against Essendon (Round 19). In doing so Essendon avoided the wooden spoon and Collingwood's top-four hopes (and premiership hopes) were dashed.
- Richmond – This rivalry stems out of the 1942 Grand Final which Essendon won. In 1974, a half time brawl took place involving trainers, officials and players at Windy Hill and has become infamous as one of the biggest ever. The teams didn't meet in the finals between 1944 and 1995, but there have been many close margins in home and away season matches as a result of each team's "never say die" attitude and ability to come back from significant margins in the dying stages of matches. Having met in the AFL's Rivalry Round in (20062006 AFL seasonResults and statistics for the Australian Football League season of 2006.-National Cup: 3.10.5 defeated 1.10.15 in the 2006 NAB Cup Final...
and 20092009 AFL season-Round 1 :-Round 2:-Round 3 :-Round 4:-Round 5 :-Round 6:-Round 7:-Round 8:-Round 9 :-Round 10:...
) and meeting in the Dreamtime at the 'GDreamtime at the 'GDreamtime at the 'G is an annual Australian rules football match between Australian Football League clubs and .The name of the match comes from Australian Aboriginal mythology The Dreaming or Dreamtime and the Australian, but more specifically Victorian, colloquial reference to the Melbourne...
match since 2005, the rivalry and passion between the clubs and supporters has re-ignited. Both teams want to win
- Hawthorn – The two sides had a number of physical encounters in the mid-1980s when they were the top two sides of the competition. The rivalry was exacerbated when Dermott BreretonDermott BreretonDermott Hugh Brereton is a former Australian rules football player in the Australian Football League, regarded as one of the greatest players of his generation. Of Irish descent , he is known for his aggressive style of play. Brereton kicked 464 goals and played in five Premierships for during...
ran through Essendon's three-quarter time huddle during a match in 1988 and again by an all in brawl during a match in 2004 allegedly instigated by Brereton (now known as the Line in the Sand MatchLine in the Sand MatchLine in the Sand match is the unofficial title of the infamous Round 11, 2004 match between Australian football clubs ' and ' played at the MCG on Saturday, 5 June 2004....
after the direction allegedly given by Brereton for the Hawthorn players to make a physical stand). This was reminiscent of the 1980s when battles with Hawthorn were often hard and uncompromising affairs. During round 22 of the 2009 season Essendon and Hawthorn played for the last finals spot up for grabs. The teams played out an extremely physical game and despite being 22 points down at half time Essendon went on to win by 17 points. The game included a brawl shortly after half time sparked by Essendon's captain Matthew LloydMatthew LloydMatthew James Lloyd is a former Australian rules footballer who played for and was the captain of the Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League...
knocking out Hawthorn midfielder Brad Sewell, which lead Hawthorn's Campbell BrownCampbell Brown (footballer)Campbell Brown is an Australian rules footballer who has previously won a premiership with the Hawthorn Football Club and currently plays for the Gold Coast Football Club in the Australian Football League .-AFL career:...
to label Lloyd a 'sniper', and promised revenge if Lloyd played on in 2010. Results between the two teams were split evenly in 2010 with Essendon scoring an easy win in round six before Hawthorn returned the favour in round 13, but in 2011 Hawthorn won easily in their only meeting for the year, by 65 points in Round 14.
VFL/AFL premierships (16)
18971897 VFL finals series
The Victorian Football League's 1897 finals series determined the top four final positions of the 1897 VFL season. It began on the weekend of August 21, 1897 and ended on the weekend of September 3, 1897...
, 1901
1901 VFL Grand Final
The 1901 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Essendon Football Club and Collingwood Football Club, held at the Lake Oval in Melbourne on 7 September 1901. It was the 4th annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League, staged to determine the premiers for...
, 1911
1911 VFL Grand Final
The 1911 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Essendon Football Club and Collingwood Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 23 September 1911. It was the 14th annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League, staged to determine...
, 1912
1912 VFL Grand Final
The 1912 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the South Melbourne Football Club and Essendon Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 4 October 1912. It was the 15th annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League, staged to...
, 1923
1923 VFL Grand Final
The 1923 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Essendon Football Club and Fitzroy Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 20 October 1923. It was the 26th annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League, staged to determine the...
, 1924
1924 VFL season
Results and statistics for the Victorian Football League season of 1924.-Premiership season:In 1924, the VFL competition consisted of nine teams of 18 on-the-field players each, with no "reserves", although any of the 18 players who had left the playing field for any reason could later resume their...
, 1942
1942 VFL Grand Final
The 1942 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Essendon Football Club and Richmond Football Club, held at the Princes Park in Melbourne on 19 September 1942. It was the 46th annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League, staged to determine the premiers...
, 1946
1946 VFL Grand Final
The 1946 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Essendon Football Club and Melbourne Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 5 October 1946. It was the 50th annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League, staged to determine the premiers for...
, 1949
1949 VFL Grand Final
The 1949 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Carlton Football Club and Essendon Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 24 September 1949. It was the 53rd annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League, staged to determine the premiers for...
, 1950
1950 VFL Grand Final
The 1950 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Essendon Football Club and North Melbourne Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 23 September 1950. It was the 54th annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League, staged to determine the...
, 1962
1962 VFL Grand Final
The 1962 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Essendon Football Club and Carlton Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 29 September 1962. It was the 66th annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League, staged to determine...
, 1965
1965 VFL Grand Final
The 1965 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Essendon Football Club and St Kilda Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 25 September 1965. It was the 69th annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League, staged to determine...
, 1984
1984 VFL Grand Final
The 1984 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Essendon Football Club and Hawthorn Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 29 September 1984. It was the 88th annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League, staged to determine...
, 1985
1985 VFL Grand Final
The 1985 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Essendon Football Club and Hawthorn Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 28 September 1985. It was the 89th annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League, staged to determine...
, 1993
1993 AFL Grand Final
The 1993 AFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Essendon Football Club and Carlton Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 25 September 1993. It was the 97th annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League/Australian Football...
, 2000
2000 AFL Grand Final
The 2000 AFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Essendon Football Club and the Melbourne Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 2 September 2000. It was the 104th annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League/Australian...
VFL/AFL runner-up (14)
18981898 VFL Grand Final
The 1898 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Essendon Football Club and Fitzroy Football Club, held in Melbourne on 24 September 1898...
, 1902
1902 VFL Grand Final
The 1902 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Collingwood Football Club and Essendon Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 20 September 1902. It was the 5th annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League, staged to determine...
, 1908
1908 VFL Grand Final
The 1908 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Carlton Football Club and Essendon Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 26 September 1908. It was the 11th annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League, staged to determine the...
, 1941
1941 VFL Grand Final
The 1941 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Melbourne Football Club and Essendon Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 27 September 1941. It was the 45th annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League, staged to determine...
, 1943
1943 VFL Grand Final
The 1943 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Richmond Football Club and Essendon Football Club, held at the Princes Park in Melbourne on 25 September 1943. It was the 47th annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League, staged to determine the premiers...
, 1947
1947 VFL Grand Final
The 1947 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Carlton Football Club and Essendon Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 27 September 1947. It was the 51st annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League, staged to determine the premiers for...
, 1948
1948 VFL Grand Final
The 1948 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Melbourne Football Club and Essendon Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 2 October 1948. It was the 52nd annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League, staged to determine the premiers for...
, 1951
1951 VFL Grand Final
The 1951 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Geelong Football Club and Essendon Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 29 September 1951. It was the 55th annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League, staged to determine the premiers for...
, 1957
1957 VFL Grand Final
The 1957 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Melbourne Football Club and Essendon Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 21 September 1957. It was the 61st annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League, staged to determine the premiers...
, 1959
1959 VFL Grand Final
The 1959 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Melbourne Football Club and Essendon Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 20 September 1959. It was the 63rd annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League, staged to determine the premiers...
, 1968
1968 VFL Grand Final
The 1968 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Carlton Football Club and Essendon Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 28 September 1968. It was the 72nd annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League, staged to determine...
, 1983
1983 VFL Grand Final
The 1983 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Hawthorn Football Club and Essendon Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 24 September 1983. It was the 87th annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League, staged to determine...
, 1990
1990 AFL Grand Final
The 1990 AFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Collingwood Football Club and the Essendon Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 6 October 1990. It was the 94th annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League/Australian Football...
, 2001
2001 AFL Grand Final
The 2001 AFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Essendon Football Club and the Brisbane Lions, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 29 September 2001. It was the 105th annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League/Australian Football...
VFL/AFL Minor-premierships (17)
1898, 1911, 1923, 1924, 1942, 1946, 1948, 1950, 1962, 1968, 1984, 1985, 1990, 1993, 1999, 2000, 2001.McClelland Trophies (9)
Awarded to Minor Premiers since 19911951, 1953, 1957, 1968, 1990 (tied), 1993, 1999, 2000, 2001.
Team of the Century
To celebrate the 125th anniversary of the club, as well as 100 years of the VFL/AFL, Essendon announced its "Team of the Century" in 1997.Champions of Essendon
In 2002, a club panel chose and ranked the 25 greatest players to have played for Essendon.- Dick ReynoldsDick ReynoldsRichard Sylvannus 'Dick' Reynolds was an Australian rules footballer and coach who represented Essendon and Victoria with great distinction....
- John Coleman
- James HirdJames HirdJames Hird is a former professional Australian rules footballer and the current coach of the Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League....
- Bill Hutchison
- Simon MaddenSimon MaddenSimon Madden was an Australian rules footballer for the Essendon Football Club from 1974 until 1992. He was also president of the AFL Players Association from 1985 until 1989....
- Tim WatsonTim WatsonTimothy Michael "Tim" Watson is a former Australian rules footballer and coach, sports journalist and media personality.He is notable for his long career at the Essendon Football Club as a player where he participated in several premiership teams...
- Ken FraserKen FraserKen Fraser is a former Australian rules footballer in the Victorian Football League .Ken Fraser was an outstanding centre half-forward, Essendon Football Club captain, premiership captain and player, and Victorian representative.In 2001 Fraser was inducted into the Australian Football Hall of...
- Jack ClarkeJack E. ClarkeJack E. Clarke was an Australian rules footballer and coach in the VFL. An Essendon and Victorian champion, Clarke was one of the premier midfielders of the VFL for well over a decade, leading the mighty Dons to the flag in 1962 when captain and also playing in the victorious 1965 side...
- Albert ThurgoodAlbert ThurgoodAlbert John "The Great" Thurgood was an Australian rules footballer in the Victorian Football Association , Victorian Football League and the Western Australian Football Association ....
- Tom FitzmauriceTom FitzmauriceTom Fitzmaurice was an Australian rules footballer in the Victorian Football League .A brilliant centre halfback, he commenced his career with Essendon Football Club 1918. Transferred to Sydney in 1921 with his employment, Fitzmaurice played the next two seasons in the local competition and...
- Terry DaniherTerry DaniherTerrence "Terry" John Daniher is a former Australian rules footballer who played with the South Melbourne and Essendon Football Clubs in the Australian Football League . Terry was also an Assistant Coach to the Essendon, Collingwood, St Kilda and Carlton Football Clubs. Terry's brothers, Neale,...
- Wally ButtsworthWally ButtsworthWallace 'Wally' Buttsworth was an Australian rules footballer who played for the Essendon Bombers during the 1940s...
- Reg BurgessReg BurgessReg Burgess is a former Australian rules footballer who played 124 Victorian Football League games for the Essendon Bombers....
- Bill BusbridgeBill BusbridgeBill Busbridge was an Australian rules footballer who played with Essendon in the early days of the VFL. A centre half back and part time ruckman, he was also known by his nickname 'Buzzy'....
- Barry DavisBarry DavisBarry Davis is a former Australian rules footballer who played in the Victorian Football League with Essendon and North Melbourne, before coaching his original team between 1978–1980.- Essendon career :...
- Keith ForbesKeith ForbesKeith Forbes is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Essendon Bombers. A small goalkicking rover, he stood at 171 cm and was runner-up in the 1935 Brownlow Medal. Forbes was twice a best and fairest winner for Essendon.Forbes kicked his 200th VFL goal in 1932 and was the...
- Graham MossGraham MossGraham Moss is a former Australian rules footballer and coach, who was highly successful in both the West Australian Football League and the Victorian Football League . He was a Brownlow Medal-winning ruckman and played 343 senior games in the WAFL and VFL.Moss debuted for Claremont Football Club...
- Mark HarveyMark HarveyMark Harvey is a former Australian rules football player who played for the Essendon Football Club. He played 206 games from 1984 to 1997, kicking 190 goals, and was assistant coach at Essendon from 1998 to 2005...
- Gavin WanganeenGavin WanganeenGavin Adrian Wanganeen is a retired Australian rules footballer, playing in two Australian Football League premierships with Essendon and Port Adelaide. Wanganeen is a Brownlow Medallist and is considered one of the finest indigenous players ever...
- Mark Thompson
- John BirtJohn Birt (footballer)John Birt is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Essendon in the VFL. Birt had an unusual physical characteristic that sometimes reduced his capacity to impose authority in one-on-one situations; whenever he spoke, the tip of his nose would move.Birt was a rover and after being...
- Matthew LloydMatthew LloydMatthew James Lloyd is a former Australian rules footballer who played for and was the captain of the Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League...
- Michael Long
- Fred BaringFred BaringFrederick Albert Baring was an Australian rules footballer who played with Essendon in the Victorian Football League during the early 1900s. In 1997 he was named at fullback in Essendon's official Team of the Century....
- Harold LambertHarold Lambert (footballer)Harold Lambert is a former Australian rules footballer in the Victorian Football League .-External links:*-References:*...
Current coaching staff
- Senior Coach: James HirdJames HirdJames Hird is a former professional Australian rules footballer and the current coach of the Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League....
- Assistant Coaches:
- Mark Thompson (Senior Assistant)
- Sean WellmanSean WellmanSean Wellman is a former Australian rules footballer in the Australian Football League.Wellman was a tall key position player who arrived at the AFL's Adelaide Football Club from North Adelaide. He played 34 games across his first two seasons in 1994 and 1995, before moving to Essendon in 1996...
- Simon GoodwinSimon GoodwinSimon Goodwin is a former Australian rules footballer, who is a dual premiership player with the Adelaide Football Club and is now an assistant coach at the Essendon Football Club.-Early career :...
- Development Coach: Dean WallisDean WallisDean Wallis is a former Australian rules footballer for the Essendon Football Club of the AFL.Originally from Nhill, due to his physical style of play Wallis became known as one of the leagues toughest players...
- Bendigo BombersBendigo BombersThe Bendigo Bombers Football Club is an Australian rules football club based in Bendigo, Victoria, Australia playing in the Victorian Football League .-Brief history:...
(VFL) Coach: Hayden SkipworthHayden SkipworthHayden Skipworth was an Australian rules footballer with the Essendon Football Club of the Australian Football League. After playing 44 games over six years for the Adelaide Crows he was delisted in 2006... - High Performance Coach:
Brownlow Medal winners
- Dick ReynoldsDick ReynoldsRichard Sylvannus 'Dick' Reynolds was an Australian rules footballer and coach who represented Essendon and Victoria with great distinction....
(1934, 1937 & 1938) - Bill Hutchison (1952 & 1953)
- Graham MossGraham MossGraham Moss is a former Australian rules footballer and coach, who was highly successful in both the West Australian Football League and the Victorian Football League . He was a Brownlow Medal-winning ruckman and played 343 senior games in the WAFL and VFL.Moss debuted for Claremont Football Club...
(1976) - Gavin WanganeenGavin WanganeenGavin Adrian Wanganeen is a retired Australian rules footballer, playing in two Australian Football League premierships with Essendon and Port Adelaide. Wanganeen is a Brownlow Medallist and is considered one of the finest indigenous players ever...
(1993) - James HirdJames HirdJames Hird is a former professional Australian rules footballer and the current coach of the Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League....
(1996)
Coleman Medal winners
- Ron Evans (1959, 1960)
- Ted FordhamTed FordhamTed Fordham is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Essendon Bombers in the Victorian Football League . He was the VFLs leading goalkicker of the 1966 season....
(1966) - Matthew LloydMatthew LloydMatthew James Lloyd is a former Australian rules footballer who played for and was the captain of the Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League...
(2000, 2001, 2003)
Norm Smith Medal winners
- Billy DuckworthBilly DuckworthBill Duckworth is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Essendon in the VFL. He is best known for winning the 1984 Norm Smith Medal. His brother John also played league football....
(1984) - Simon MaddenSimon MaddenSimon Madden was an Australian rules footballer for the Essendon Football Club from 1974 until 1992. He was also president of the AFL Players Association from 1985 until 1989....
(1985) - Michael Long (1993)
- James HirdJames HirdJames Hird is a former professional Australian rules footballer and the current coach of the Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League....
(2000)
Michael Tuck Medal winners
- Gavin WanganeenGavin WanganeenGavin Adrian Wanganeen is a retired Australian rules footballer, playing in two Australian Football League premierships with Essendon and Port Adelaide. Wanganeen is a Brownlow Medallist and is considered one of the finest indigenous players ever...
(1993) - Gary O'Donnell (1994)
- Mark MercuriMark MercuriMark Mercuri was a professional Australian rules football player for Essendon. He played in the 1993 Grand final winning team which defeated Carlton...
(2000)
AFL Goal of the Year winners
- Michael Long (1993)
- Matthew LloydMatthew LloydMatthew James Lloyd is a former Australian rules footballer who played for and was the captain of the Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League...
(2007)
All-Australian team representatives
- Anthony DaniherAnthony DaniherAnthony Joseph Daniher is a former Australian rules footballer who played with the South Melbourne/Sydney and Essendon Football Clubs in the Australian Football League . Anthony's brothers, Terry, Neale and Chris, also played for Essendon in the AFL...
(1991) - Gavin WanganeenGavin WanganeenGavin Adrian Wanganeen is a retired Australian rules footballer, playing in two Australian Football League premierships with Essendon and Port Adelaide. Wanganeen is a Brownlow Medallist and is considered one of the finest indigenous players ever...
(1992, 1993, 1995) - Mark HarveyMark HarveyMark Harvey is a former Australian rules football player who played for the Essendon Football Club. He played 206 games from 1984 to 1997, kicking 190 goals, and was assistant coach at Essendon from 1998 to 2005...
(1993) - Michael Long (1995)
- James HirdJames HirdJames Hird is a former professional Australian rules footballer and the current coach of the Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League....
(1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2003) - Sean WellmanSean WellmanSean Wellman is a former Australian rules footballer in the Australian Football League.Wellman was a tall key position player who arrived at the AFL's Adelaide Football Club from North Adelaide. He played 34 games across his first two seasons in 1994 and 1995, before moving to Essendon in 1996...
(1998, 2001) - Matthew LloydMatthew LloydMatthew James Lloyd is a former Australian rules footballer who played for and was the captain of the Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League...
(1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003) - Mark MercuriMark MercuriMark Mercuri was a professional Australian rules football player for Essendon. He played in the 1993 Grand final winning team which defeated Carlton...
(1999) - Dustin FletcherDustin FletcherDustin Fletcher is an Australian rules footballer with the Essendon Football Club. He is renowned as one of the finest defenders in the AFL, and has played at full-back for his team for many years. He is the son of former Bombers captain Ken Fletcher...
(2000, 2007) - Adam McPheeAdam McPheeAdam McPhee is an Australian rules football football player who plays for the Fremantle Football Club and formerly for the Essendon Football Club. He is a versatile player who has played both as a forward and defender, and recently has also moved into a tagging role, with high profile clashes with...
(2004)
All-Australian coach representatives
- Kevin Sheedy (1993, 2000)
Australian international rules football team representatives
- Justin BlumfieldJustin BlumfieldJustin Blumfield is a former Australian rules football player of the Essendon and the Richmond Football Clubs. His career began in 1996 when he debuted for the Essendon Bombers. He was one of Essendon's consistent players in the years 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2002...
(2000) - Chris HeffernanChris HeffernanChris Joel Heffernan is a former Australian rules footballer who played in the Australian Football League .Known affectionately as "The Heff", Chris began his career in 1997 with the Essendon Football Club...
(2000) - James HirdJames HirdJames Hird is a former professional Australian rules footballer and the current coach of the Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League....
(2000, 2004) - Jason JohnsonJason Johnson (Australian rules footballer)Jason Johnson is retired Australian rules footballer who spent his entire professional career with Essendon of the Australian Football League ....
(2001) - Matthew LloydMatthew LloydMatthew James Lloyd is a former Australian rules footballer who played for and was the captain of the Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League...
(2001) - Adam RamanauskasAdam RamanauskasAdam Ramanauskas is a former Australian rules footballer for the Essendon Football Club.Of Lithuanian descent, Ramanauskas was selected at no. 12 in the 1998 AFL Draft and was mainly a defender or midfielder...
(2001) - Adam McPheeAdam McPheeAdam McPhee is an Australian rules football football player who plays for the Fremantle Football Club and formerly for the Essendon Football Club. He is a versatile player who has played both as a forward and defender, and recently has also moved into a tagging role, with high profile clashes with...
(2004) - Mark McVeighMark McVeighMark McVeigh is an Australian rules footballer. He made his debut for Essendon Football Club in 1999 after representing NSW/ACT at Under 18 level...
(2004) - Dustin FletcherDustin FletcherDustin Fletcher is an Australian rules footballer with the Essendon Football Club. He is renowned as one of the finest defenders in the AFL, and has played at full-back for his team for many years. He is the son of former Bombers captain Ken Fletcher...
(2005, 2006, 2007,2010) - Andrew LovettAndrew LovettAndrew Lovett is an Aboriginal Australian rules footballer who played in the Australian Football League for Essendon between 2005 and 2009...
(2005) - Brent StantonBrent StantonBrent Stanton is an Australian rules footballer, playing for the Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League .- Early life :...
(2006) - Angus MonfriesAngus MonfriesAngus Monfries is an Australian rules footballer currently playing for the Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League. Monfries plays forward pocket or half forward.- Early Football Career :...
(2011)
Match records
- Highest score: Essendon 32.16 (208) v Footscray 9.8 (62), Round 22, 1982, Western OvalWhitten OvalWhitten Oval is a stadium in the inner-western suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia located at 417 Barkly Street, West Footscray. It is the training and administrative headquarters of the Western Bulldogs Football Club, which competes in the Australian Football League.Formerly known as the...
- Lowest score: Essendon 0.9 (9) v FitzroyFitzroy Football ClubThe Fitzroy Football Club, formerly nicknamed The Lions, is an Australian rules football club formed in 1883 to represent the inner Melbourne suburb of Fitzroy, Victoria and was a foundation member club of the Victorian Football League on its inception in 1897...
6.11 (47), Round 1, 1899, Brunswick Street OvalBrunswick Street OvalThe Brunswick Street Oval, currently known as WT Peterson Community Oval, also known as the Fitzroy Cricket Ground is a cricket and Australian rules football ground located in Edinburgh Gardens in Fitzroy North, Victoria...
- Lowest score since 1919: Essendon 1.12 (18) v St. KildaSt. Kilda Football ClubThe St Kilda Football Club, nicknamed The Saints, is an Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The club plays in the Australian Football League, the sport's premier league....
5.5 (35), Round 10, 1923, Junction OvalJunction OvalThe Junction Oval is an historic sports ground in the suburb of St Kilda in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Its location near the St Kilda Junction gave rise to its nickname...
- Highest losing score: Essendon 21.13 (139) v CollingwoodCollingwood Football ClubThe Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed The Magpies, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
23.6 (144), Round 22, 1987, M.C.G.Melbourne Cricket GroundThe Melbourne Cricket Ground is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne and is home to the Melbourne Cricket Club. It is the tenth largest stadium in the world, the largest in Australia, the largest stadium for playing cricket, and holds the world record for the highest light...
- Lowest winning score: Essendon 1.8 (14) v MelbourneMelbourne Football ClubThe Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Demons, is an Australian rules football club playing in the Australian Football League , based in Melbourne, Victoria....
0.8 (8), Finals Week 3, 1897, Lake OvalLake OvalThe Lake Oval was an Australian rules football and cricket stadium located in Albert Park, Victoria. It was the home of the South Melbourne Football Club from 1878 until their relocation to Sydney in 1982 , and also of the South Melbourne Cricket Club...
(League record)
- Lowest winning score since 1919: Essendon 3.10 (28) v Footscray 3.5 (23), Round 13, 1989, Windy HillWindy HillWindy Hill may refer to:*Windy Hill, Essendon, an Australian rules football ground in the Melbourne area*Windy Hill Open Space Preserve, a regional park in the San Francisco Bay Area*Windy Hill, Wrexham....
- Greatest winning margin: 165 points – Essendon 28.16 (184) v South MelbourneSydney SwansThe Sydney Swans Football Club is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in Sydney, New South Wales. The club, founded in 1874, was known as the South Melbourne Football Club until it relocated to Sydney in 1982 to become the Sydney...
2.7 (19), Round 18, 1964, Windy HillWindy HillWindy Hill may refer to:*Windy Hill, Essendon, an Australian rules football ground in the Melbourne area*Windy Hill Open Space Preserve, a regional park in the San Francisco Bay Area*Windy Hill, Wrexham....
- Greatest losing margin: 163 points – Essendon 11.7 (73) v Sydney Swans 36.20 (236), Round 17, 1989, S.C.G.Sydney Cricket GroundThe Sydney Cricket Ground is a sports stadium in Sydney in Australia. It is used for Australian football, Test cricket, One Day International cricket, some rugby league and rugby union matches and is the home ground for the New South Wales Blues cricket team and the Sydney Swans of the Australian...
- Record attendance (home and away game): 94,825, 25 April 1995 at MCGMcGJoseph McGinty Nichol , better known as McG, is an American director and producer of film and television, as well as a former record producer....
v Collingwood
- Record attendance (finals match): 116,828, Grand Final, 28 September 1968 v CarltonCarlton Football ClubThe Carlton Football Club is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria. The club competes in the Australian Football League, and was one of the eight founding members of that competition in 1897...
.
See also
- Dreamtime at the 'GDreamtime at the 'GDreamtime at the 'G is an annual Australian rules football match between Australian Football League clubs and .The name of the match comes from Australian Aboriginal mythology The Dreaming or Dreamtime and the Australian, but more specifically Victorian, colloquial reference to the Melbourne...
- Sport in AustraliaSport in AustraliaAustralia has a long sporting history dating back to the mid 1800s. By the 1920s, a number of sports were being played by both men and women, including cricket, badminton, judo, swimming, tennis, netball, lacrosse, golf, hockey and various codes of football....
- Sport in VictoriaSport in VictoriaThe state of Victoria, Australia, is known for its sporting culture. The Victorian capital, Melbourne is often referred to as the sporting capital of the world....
- Wikipedia listing of Essendon Football Club coaches
- Wikipedia listing of Essendon Football Club players
External links
| Essendon Football Club VFL/AFL Premiership Teams |
|---|