Simon Madden was just 17 years old and ten games into his career when he got his first taste of the Essendon and Carlton rivalry.
He’d heard the stories of how Harry Caspar cost John Coleman and the Bombers the premiership in 1951 and he’d even played against the Blues a year earlier in his debut season.
But this game was different.
It was Anzac Day 1975.
Essendon and Carlton were undefeated.
More than 77,000 people crammed into Waverley to see the rivals go at it.
Madden remembers his Captain-Coach Des Tuddenham taking out an opponent.
“He ran from about ten metres and I thought he was dead… I thought ‘he’s killed someone’,” Madden told Bomber Radio.
“As a youngster you’re thinking is this what league football is about?
“There was just this natural rivalry.
“It doesn’t matter where you are on the ladder or what part of the season it is there is just this feeling of ‘hey, we want to beat them’.”
The rivalry was only enhanced when Kevin Sheedy was appointed Essendon Coach.
As a Richmond player, he’d been a part of many memorable clashes with the Blues.
“He would use anything to get you fired up against them,” Madden said.
“He’d be playing class wars, he’d be playing mind games.
“Those inner suburban clubs all out of that tribal Victorian Football League had a real 'us and them' mentality.
“Within the realms of modern football, just to have a little bit of that in your mind is a good part of your arsenal.”
Carlton hold a slight edge (122-115, six draws) overall and this season got past the Dons by 15 points in their round six encounter.
In February, the two teams met in a NAB Challenge match at Princes Park.
Madden said returning to a suburban venue to take on an old rival brought back a lot of memories.
“It was just a blast from the past, I think they opened the gates in the end,” he said.
“To hear the crowd roaring in that small area… the noise, it was just fantastic.”
Essendon and Carlton are familiar with playing in front of big crowds and Madden said the fans play a key part in the rivalry.
“When you’re a player and you’re in the centre of the ground you can actually hear that,” he said.
“You can feel the presence of the crowd.
“Sometimes the crowd forgets how much influence they have on not necessarily the outcome, but the feeling of the players.
“You kick a goal and there is a big roar, there is almost a feeling of ‘hey, we can do this again’.
“I love the rivalry and I love the crowd turning up and being a part of that rivalry.”
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