Essendon and the Kangaroos have developed a great rivalry in recent seasons and that will be added to at the MCG this Saturday afternoon.
The Bombers and Kangaroos will do battle in the qualifying final with the winner just one victory away from reaching the 2000 Grand Final.
The stakes are enormous, the crowd will be huge and recent history says they will witness a great contest.
In the 90's Essendon and the Kangaroos played 15 times with the Bombers taking in a slender 8-7 advantage.
The two sides have met in finals on just six ocassions and Essendon hold s a 4-2 lead. Three of those victories were courtesy of the all-conquering side of the late 40s and early 50s.
Essendon v Kangaroos
Played: 133
Essendon: 89
Kangaroos: 43
Drawn: 1
Highest Scores:
Essendon: 29.16 (190), Round 8, 1934 at Windy Hill.
Kangaroos: 22.20 (152), Round 7, 1985 at Waverley.
Greatest winning margins:
Essendon: 104 points, Round 18, 1985 at Windy Hill.
Kangaroos: 59 points, round 7, 1985 at Waverley.
Most goals:
Essendon: Tom Jenkins 9 - Round 4, 1925 at Arden Street.
Ron Evans 9 – Round 15, 1959 at Arden Street.
Kangaroos: Wayne Carey 10 – Round 17, 1999 at the MCG.
Last time they met:
Essendon 17.17 (119) d Kangaroos 11.4 (70), round 13 at the MCG. Essendon – Lucas 3, Caracella 2. Kangaroos – Lange 3, Bell, McKernan 2. Best Players: Essendon – Misiti, Hird, Barnes; Kangaroos – Pickett, Lange, Martyn.
