While comparing teams from one year to another is difficult and subjective, as are any debates seeking to decide the greats of each sport, they are indeed interesting subjects for sports fans whether it be boxing, running, horse racing, football or any other sport.
In the case of the AFL, I have a number of reasons why I choose Essendon’s 2000 AFL premiership team with regard to the champion teams I have observed either live or via television.
While it can be argued that Essendon fell short of expectations in terms of sustained success when compared to other teams, winning just one premiership after finishing on top of the ladder after the home-and-away season in 1999 and 2001, the single-season performance in 2000 was formidable.
I argue this despite barracking for Essendon since I was a kid.
First, the 2000 Essendon team – like any premiership team – had many star players, including four All Australians that year (Damien Hardwick, Dustin Fletcher, James Hird and Matthew Lloyd).
Many Roar readers would be familiar with the players of the 2000 grand final side.
B: Mark Johnson, Dustin Fletcher, Sean Wellman
HB: Damien Hardwick, Dean Wallis, Dean Solomon
C: Chris Heffernan, Joe Misiti, Blake Caracella
HF: Mark Mercuri, Scott Lucas, James Hird (c)
F: Adam Ramanauskas, Matthew Lloyd, Michael Long
Foll: John Barnes, Justin Blumfield, Jason Johnson
Int: Darren Bewick, Paul Barnard, Steven Alessio, Gary Moorcroft
Essendon’s forward line was aided by having many prolific goal scorers: Matthew Lloyd (109), Lucas (57), Hird (36), Caracella (35), Mercuri (32), Blumfield (27), Alessio (24) and Gary Moorcroft (23).
(Photo by Hamish Blair/Getty Images)
The team dominated the 2000 home-and-away season, losing one of 22 home-and-away games to the Western Bulldogs in Round 21 at Docklands. This is five wins more than the second best team that year (Carlton).
With Essendon achieving a high percentage for the home-and-away season (159.1 per cent) – as they both easily outscored all opposition (+139 points) for the season and had the least points kicked against their defence (-229 points) – the club’s season included some massive wins.
For myself, having witnessed many big matches where Richmond often beat Essendon over the years, none were more rewarding to watch than Round 17 when Essendon destroyed Richmond by 101 points before 73,465 spectators. The score was 24.23 (167) to 10.6 (66).
But it was the finals that left a lasting impression on me.
After all, many great home-and-away teams have fallen down when it counts. For example, while Geelong lost just one of 22 home-and-away matches during the 2008 AFL season (to Collingwood by 86 points), they were defeated by Hawthorn in the grand final by 26 points after earlier defeating Hawthorn in Round 17 by 11 points.
But the Essendon team of the 2000 finals easily out-performed their home-and-away dominance in the finals.
They would beat the teams they played in the finals much easier than during the home-and-away games.
In the first week of the finals, Essendon kicked the highest ever finals score of 31.12 (198) when defeating the 1999 premiers the Kangaroos by 125 points. During Round 13, Essendon 17.17 (119) had defeated the Kangaroos 11.4 (70).
(Photo by Mark Dadswell/Getty Images)
In the preliminary final, Essendon 18.17 (125) beat Carlton 12.8 (80). In Round 5, Essendon 18.15 (123) defeated Carlton 15.9 (99), and again in Round 20, by a score of 16.13 (109) to Carlton’s 12.11 (83).
In the 2000 AFL grand final, Essendon 19.21 (135) thrashed Melbourne 11.9 (75) after beating Melbourne in Round 9 by a score of 15.16. (106) to 13.15 (93).
Essendon not only dominated the 2000 season, but had peaked for the finals like few other teams to raise their game to an even higher level to destroy the other top 2000 teams.
While their single loss in a season merely matched the records of Carlton in 1908 (19-1), South Melbourne in 1918 (15-1) and Collingwood in 1929 (19-1), their 24 victories in 2000 were won by an average of 51 points, kicking 131 points per game with only 80 against.
AdamDilligafThompson
Roar Rookie
All good man, 100% they use to be awesome and that 2004 gf was brutal. Its a shame we stuffed up those few years previously and didn't get to face Brisbane in at least one more gf if not 2. 7 days till kick off, whoa hooooo.lol.
Chris Lewis
Roar Guru
Madden was a great ruckman.
JamesH
Roar Guru
It's described here: https://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/shannon-grant-cameron-mooney-mark-mercuri-brendan-fevola-afls-most-costly-late-misses-for-goal/news-story/187e21ac342e8a5336729d6c4274282c You can find the last two minutes of the game on YouTube too. I just can't bring myself to go near those videos lol
Seymorebutts
Guest
yes, for me, its Hard to go past that great 80's Hawks sides. Look at the quality of the sides they beat!!. Essendon who produced the best grand final performance of all time in 1985, Hawks beat them twice, Carlton, pre salary cap , who were full of superstars from both South and Western Australia, and finally, the Gary Ablett inspired Cats who were running up cricket scores every week.. Ablett alone was scoring more points of his own boot than opposition sides... yet the Hawks beat them all!!. Even the mighty 1991 Eagles lost to them, and that side had some of the best players of all time to represent the club.. Peter Matera , Dean Kemp Jacovich, Ashley Macintosh, Worsfold, Sumich, heck the whole side was chock full of stars on every line. But we still couldnt beat those guys. Regardless of the era, if you had to pick a ''best of all time side' I think you could make a case for virtually every single Hawthorn player from that period to be in it.
Jorge of Brisvegas
Roar Rookie
I watched them from when they moved from Carrara. Aker was not “Aker the Entertainer” until he became that. He was dropped and down. Vossy and Black were consistent guns. When Brown arrived - wowee. That was worth the wooden spoon to draft him. People forget the AFL changed the rules to draft boundaries in 1999 so the Lions could not draft Nick Riewoldt. Imagine if Nick came on board the year after Browny? That would have been “special”!
Jorge of Brisvegas
Roar Rookie
Sorry mate, Port. I respect the rivalry between Lions and Port. Some really good contests .
Jorge of Brisvegas
Roar Rookie
Both . I agree that 2000 Bombers were beat team in season by the numbers. But I am saying that the better description of that team is a team that underachieved. This team did not perform well on the biggest stage except once. That makes them a good team not a great one. Why fans would choose Lions players over Bombers.
Mr Right
Roar Rookie
Chris LewisAuthor Roar Guru March 8th 2021 @ 11:55am Article is about best ever team for one season, as I point out early.
Mr Right
Roar Rookie
LM, the article is referring to one premiership team in one premiership year. Not a club over club over a 3-4 period. Which Lions premiership year was their best & compare it to the Essendon side of 2000.
Micko
Roar Rookie
Seems silly to be angry. He was one of the major culprits, missing (at least one?) absolute sitter! :shocked: I had the feeling they were going to lose after that. It was like deja vu: a decade before NM were struggling to kick accurately, letting the opponent off the hook, and letting them stay in the game.
Micko
Roar Rookie
Yep, staggering to think that Essendon nearly, and some would say should've, played NM in two GF's in the 90's!
Micko
Roar Rookie
Far enough apart to have a significant difference in personnel though. I might be being harsh though as there were still a lot from 2015 that were there in 2008 from memory.
Micko
Roar Rookie
Mark Harvey played as a forward?
Lukey Miller
Guest
2001, 2002, 2003 were all clearly better than the 2000 Bombers in my opinion. The Bombers had the rails run, while The Lions were never afforded that privilege. I was a neutral at the 2001 GF, but came away knowing I had watched a truly great team - Brisbane.
Maximus Insight
Guest
"I argue this despite barracking for Essendon since I was a kid." Do you know what "despite" means? That team won 1 premiership. 4 teams have won 3 premierships within 5 years since then. Sustained success is the mark of a great team. That Essendon team had a charmed run in one season when there weren't really any serious contenders. The won one flag
Ball Burster
Roar Rookie
A close look at the two sides suggests that the 2000 sides's advantages are Fletcher, Hird and Long, while the 85 side's advantages are Hawker/Foulds, Watson, Madden and Williams. Folks tend to forget how good a player Daisy Williams was, particularly when roving to Madden. And Madden would have won 80%+ of the taps against the Essendon rucks in 2000 (even though I think Alessio was tremendous).
Ball Burster
Roar Rookie
My hypothesis for the 2001 GF is that Essendon was travelling on empty after their comeback from 11+ goals down against North in Round 16. They had won the vast majority of their previous matches comfortably, but after R16 suffered four losses from six. Their reserves - which you need in a GF - had been spent in Round 16.
Mooty
Roar Rookie
Hawks won four
Mooty
Roar Rookie
I went to a sportsman night in 2014 with Cameron Mooney as the guest speaker. He was adamant Geelong was the best team on the day of the 2008 Grand Final. When the MC pointed out that history hasn’t recorded it that way he lost his cool for a while and wouldn’t engage with the audience after that
Chris Lewis
Roar Guru
Great side Essendon had in 1985 grand final. B: 26 Mark Thompson 28 Paul Weston 22 Billy Duckworth HB: 10 Garry Foulds 30 Kevin Walsh 33 Glenn Hawker C: 2 Bryan Wood 32 Tim Watson 8 Neil Clarke HF: 5 Terry Daniher (c) 25 Roger Merrett 38 Mark Harvey F: 4 Leon Baker 3 Paul Salmon 18 Paul Van Der Haar Foll: 27 Simon Madden 13 Darren Williams 14 Tony Elshaug Int: 17 Stephen Carey 15 Alan Ezard