The 1996 Preliminary Final still burns brightly in the memories of all who were at the SCG that night. Essendon and Sydney were battling for a Grand Final berth - for the Swans it would be their first since shifting to Sydney, for the Bombers it was to be the next step in establishing themselves as a power side in the AFL. It was a magnificent game of football and the two teams were separated by a Tony Lockett kick after the final siren. Shattered Essendon players slumped to the ground, jubilant Swans swamped Lockett. It was a game that established a firm rivalry between these two clubs.

One of the current Essendon players on the ground that night was ruckman Steven Alessio. The big fellow worked tirelessly that night and was clearly the Bombers best player. He vividly remembers the match and those agonising final seconds.

""It was not your typical free-flowing, high scoring SCG match. It was very tight all night and it showed on the scoreboard - it was a low-scoring game,"" Alessio recalled. ""The match was a sell-out and as you would expect they were very parochial and spurred Sydney on.""

""I knew it was late in the final quarter when we turned the ball over. The Swans went forward and Tony Lockett marked outside 50m. The final siren sounded and I ran straight to the goal-square in case his kick dropped short,"" Alessio said.

""I remember him coming in to kick and thinking how good a kick he was and that he would really need to make a mess of it not to score. The second he kicked it I knew it was through and our season was over. My most vivid memory was looking at our captain Gary O'Donnell - he was down on his haunches with his head in his hands. I walked over to try and console him - it was a devastating way to go out.""

The scores in this famous Preliminary Final were:

Essendon 4.4 4.6 8.6 10.9 (69)

Sydney 1.3 6.6 8.7 10.10 (70)

Goalkickers: Essendon - James Hird 3, Steven Alessio 2, Justin Blumfield, Che Cockatoo-Collins, Gary O'Donnell, Dean Wallis, Michael Symons. Sydney - Daryn Creswell, Dale Lewis 3, Paul Kelly 2, Troy Luff, Tony Lockett.

Best Players: Essendon - Steven Alessio, Damien Hardwick, James Hird, Gary O'Donnell, Barry Young. Sydney - Wade Chapman, Andrew Dunkley, Paul kelly, Dale Lewis, Tony Lockett, Michael O'Loughlin.

It was a gallant effort by the Bombers who finished the game with just 15 fit players. The Bomber led by 12-points with four minutes to go and appeared set for victory but the match was cruelly snatched in the dying seconds. The game had added spice to the modern-day rivalry between the two clubs.

The Essendon team that night was:

Backs: Wanganeen Wallis Wellman

Half Backs: Young Harvey Hardwick

Centres: Doolan O'Donnell Blumfield

Half Forwards: Mercuri Fletcher Hird

Forwards: Cockatoo-Collins Alessio Lloyd

Rucks: Somerville Denham Bewick

Bench: Misiti Olarenshaw Symons.

The last time Essendon played Sydney was in round 14 last season and it proved to be one of the Bombers most hard-fought victories of the season. The scores were:

Essendon: 3.2 7.6 7.10 12.17 (89)

Sydney: 3.3 5.6 9.10 11.10 (76)

Goalkickers: Essendon - Matthew Lloyd 4, James Hird 3, Scott Lucas 2, Steven Alessio, Blake Caracella, Adam Ramanauskas 1; Sydney -Matthew Nicks, Michael O'Loughlin 3, Wayne Schwass 2, Jude Bolton, Simon Feast, Nic Fosdike.

Best Players: Essendon - Blake Caracella, Dustin Fletcher, James Hird, Michael Long, Scott Lucas, Joe Misiti. Sydney - Daryn Creswell, Nic Fosdike, Matthew Nicks, Michael O'Loughlin, Andrew Schauble, Wayne Schwass.

Brownlow Medal: 3 - Jude Bolton, 2 - Daryn Cresswell, 1 - Scott Lucas.