Last Saturday night was as sweet as any of those ""last kick"" wins. With the sides’ back-to-wall, captain James Hird stood tall collecting 15 possessions and snapping a brilliant goal in the final 30 seconds of the game to secure victory. The 33,000-plus Bomber fans were delirious with delight.
The last time Essendon produced a goal in the dying moments of a match to secure victory also came at The Dome. It was Round 19, 2001 and the Bombers were struggling to shake off a determined Sydney. So much so, they were trailing with less than a minute to play. But one final foray up forward was rewarded when Steve Alessio marked and kicked truly from 35m out. Essendon won by two points.
Other memorable ""last kick"" wins under Sheedy came in 1981 when Neale Daniher did the job for the Bombers against Carlton. Paul Salmon was a tower of strength for the Bombers, slotting the winner on three occasions, including the Bombers memorable ""jacket waving"" victory over West Coast in 1993. Simon Madden also iced a game for the Bombers against Fitzroy in the late 1980s.
Of all the last gasp goals kicked, very few were on the run as was Hird’s last weekend. Another came via the boot of Darren Bewick in 1998 against St Kilda.
None of these games do the heart much good but they have all provided fans with some wonderful memories.
