1. Essendon vs. Carlton – Round 20, 1981:
Carlton had maintained a steady dominance over the Bombers throughout most of the 1970s winning 21 of their 26 clashes. When Kevin Sheedy came to the helm in 1981, his dislike of Carlton from his playing days at Richmond sat well with an Essendon outfit who were out for retribution against their traditional rivals. This game was somewhat of a see-sawing affair, with the lead changing hands a number of times. However, the game looked all but done when the Blues opened up a 26-point lead at the 20th minute mark of the final quarter. The Bombers did not lay down without a fight. Two quick goals to Roger Merrett and Paul Vander Haar put the team within striking distance as the clock ticked down. A somewhat controversial free kick against Carlton’s Ian Fitzgerald for time wasting, helped the Bombers maintain their momentum. Enter Neale Daniher. Daniher was switched from defence to attack at the end of the third quarter to try and get him involved in the game. Having already kicked a goal early in the fourth, Daniher added two goals in nearly as many minutes to put the Bombers in front by one point in the dying stages of the game. This would be the eventual margin as a finals like feeling erupted around Princes Park as fans streamed onto the ground to celebrate the victory. Daniher would later reflect that the game signified a “coming of age” for the Bombers and signaled the beginning of a successful period under Kevin Sheedy.
2. Essendon vs. Carlton – Round 18, 1951:
It was a fiery affair when these two sides met in the final game of the 1951 season. The Bombers were on track to head into their third successive finals series and were the favourites to win. However, an altercation involving the legendary John Coleman and Blues defender Harry Caspar would arguably change the outcome of the day. Coleman and Caspar had been verbally sparring all day, before Coleman finally cracked and hit Caspar – resulting in a two game suspension. This meant that Essendon would head into the Grand Final against Geelong lacking the most in form forward of the competition, ultimately losing by 11-points. Coleman had averaged four goals a game that season, and even many Geelong officials believed that if he had played, it would have been a completely different outcome.
3. Essendon vs. Richmond – Grand Final, 1942:
The first ever Grand Final played at Princes Park, and one of only eight played away from the MCG, was between Essendon and Richmond in 1942. In the midst of WWII, the MCG was unavailable as it was being used to billet soldiers. The 49,000 fans that turned out to see the Bombers defeat Richmond and claim the Grand Final is the third largest crowd recorded at Princes Park. Bill Hutchison, Gordon Lane, Dick Reynolds and Allan Hird all featured in the team that would claim the Bombers seventh Premiership and the Club’s first since 1924. [if
4. Essendon vs. Brisbane Bears – Round 6, 1995 :
It was an absolute masterclass from Michael Long when the Bombers took on the Brisbane Bears in 1995. Long collected a career best 40 possessions as he ran rampant on the day, laying three tackles and kicking two goals. The Dons finished on top running out 28-point winners.
5. Essendon vs. Adelaide – Round 22, 1997:
Mark Harvey would Don the Sash for the last time against the Adelaide Crows in 1997 in the final game of the season. The young Bombers team were coming up against an in form Crows side who were on their way to the finals. However, led by a hard-hitting Harvey, the Bombers were up to the task of sending off the champion in the best possible way. Essendon had to fight hard for the win. Trailing by 31 points at half-time, the Bombers fought back with five goals each to the fresh faced Che-Cockatoo Collins and Matthew Lloyd. They outscored the Crows 76 to 41 in the second half to run out winners by four points.
