A 71-year-old record held by the Collingwood Football Club will be smashed by the Bombers if they can defeat Hawthorn this Saturday night.

Essendon joined Collingwood last Friday night as the only team to win its first 18 matches of a home and away season when it comfortably defeated Fremantle.

Should the Bombers defeat Hawthorn at Colonial Stadium this weekend, the Magpie record set in 1929 will no longer stand.

Last weekend's win over Fremantle also had personal significance for coach Kevin Sheedy.

Sheedy joined Jock McHale, Alan Jeans, Tom Hafey and David Parkin as the only coaches to have won 300 or more games.