BADGE OF
HONOUR Essendon v Collingwood C OM M E M OR AT I N G THE AF L'S A N Z A C D AY T R A D I T I O N
OFFICIAL SOUVENIR PUBLICATION
CELEBR ATING THE 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE 1984 PREMIERSHIP
“It’s important for all people at Essendon to understand where our success has come from, and this book does exactly that.” – MATTHEW LLOYD, ESSENDON CAPTAIN
Pre-order from essendonfc.com.au
14
79
88
76
BADGE OF HONOUR S Essendon v Collingwood C O M M E M O R AT I N G T H E AF L'S A N Z A C D AY T R A D I T I O N
4 Foreword
76 What it means to me
by Andrew Demetriou
Players and coaches share their feelings on what Anzac Day is about
14 The Anzac spirit Rohan Connolly explores Anzac Day's special place in football
79 Anzac Day All-star teams Gary O'Donnell and Gavin Brown select 'best-of' Essendon and Colllingwood sides from 1995-2008
22 In honour of the Anzacs Match reports and statistics from 1995-2008
88 Answering the call Jim Main tells the stories of the VFL footballers who died at war
54 Stars of Anzac Day Profiles of the players who have starred from 1995-2008
© The Slattery Media Group, 2009 First published by The Slattery Media Group in April 2009 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in any retrieval system or transmitted in any form by any means without prior permission of the copyright owner. Inquiries should be made to the publisher. ®™The AFL logo and competing team logos, emblems and names used are all trade marks of and used under licence from the owner, the Australian Football League, by whom all
98 Lest We Forget
copyright and other rights of reproduction are reserved. Australian Football League, AFL House, 140 Harbour Esplanade, Docklands, VIC 3008 ISBN 978-0-9806274-0-4 The Slattery Media Group Pty Ltd, 140 Harbour Esplanade, Docklands, VIC 3008 visit slatterymedia.com GROUP PUBLISHER: Geoff Slattery EDITOR: Nick Bowen SUB-EDITOR: John Murray CONTRIBUTORS: Ben Collins, Rohan Connolly, Jim Main, Andrew Wallace
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Andrew Hutchison DESIGNER: Beck Haskins PHOTO EDITORS: Natalie Boccassini, Melanie Tanusetiawan PRODUCTION MANAGER: Troy Davis COMMERCIAL MANAGER: Alison Hurbert-Burns PUBLICATIONS MANAGER: Dianne Biviano NATIONAL SALES MANAGER: Nathan Hill SENIOR ACCOUNT MANAGER: James Hickey
ince 1995, Essendon and Collingwood have met each Anzac Day at the MCG. In the 14 games to date, the long-time rivals have staged many memorable clashes, while players from both sides have thrived in the finals-like atmosphere of the day. The match is now one of the must-see games of every season, the Bombers and Magpies having forged a tradition that is the perfect tribute to the Anzacs. This magazine celebrates that tradition, reliving the moments, players and coaches that have made the EssendonCollingwood Anzac Day game such a special day on the AFL calendar. And Jim Main pays tribute to the League footballers who died at war.
ACCOUNT MANAGER: Anthony Palmer ADVERTISING SALES COORDINATOR: Deanne Horkings DISTRIBUTION MANAGER: Adele Morton PHOTOGRAPHY: The Slattery Media Group STATISTICS: Cameron Sinclair The Slattery Media Group thanks the Essendon Football Club for its support.
COVER: Collingwood (left) and Essendon players line up moments before the 2006 Anzac Day game as the Last Post is played in memory of the many servicemen and women that have died defending our country and way of life.
All images featured in this book are available for purchase online at aflphotos.com.au
A N Z AC D AY OF F I C I AL S OU V E N IR
3
ANZAC PRIDE: The Anzac logo adorns the jumpers of players from each side in the blockbuster EssendonCollingwood clash, seen in this close-up photo of a Bombers’ jumper before the 2006 match.
A GREAT TRADITION The AFL is proud to honour the Anzacs with the annual Essendon-Collingwood clash, a game that has encapsulated the very best of their spirit. Fans have embraced the game like few others, making it one of the AFL’s biggest fi xtures every year. { BY ANDREW DEMETRIOU }
T
here are few moments quite like the profound and eerie silence of more than 90,000 people as they stand in tribute to our Anzacs. The Last Post bugle call and the reciting of the Ode of Remembrance bring goose bumps. The crowd of young and old, red, black and white remains still and hushed. Perhaps it is this moment, played out before each Anzac Day match, that best encapsulates the respect that each player, coach, umpire, official and fan has for Australia’s servicemen and women. When Collingwood and Essendon first proposed an Anzac Day tribute match few could have imagined it would become such a revered Australian sporting tradition. Both clubs agreed it should be not only a football match, but also a statement of football’s appreciation of the servicemen and women who had fought and those we had lost in ensuring Australia is the country it is today. Importantly, this annual clash not only raises funds for the RSL, it also raises awareness and helps educate our next generation of fans and players about the importance of Gallipoli, the western front in France, Tobruk, Vietnam, the Kokoda Track, Afghanistan, Iraq and all of the places around the world where Australians have been so honourably represented. Both Collingwood and Essendon deserve congratulations. They have worked with the RSL and created a fitting tribute to our proud national history. Since the inaugural game in 1995 the competitive nature of these clashes – played out in front of an average of more than 81,000 spectators and one million television viewers – has befitted the
occasion. Eight of the 14 matches have been decided by 20 points or less, and each has provided some of its season’s most memorable highlights. The first Anzac Day clash in 1995 set an ominous standard. In front of 94,825 fans – the second greatest home and away attendance in history – a nine-goal performance by Saverio Rocca was not enough to clinch Collingwood victory with the match ending in a nail-biting draw. In 2002, a young Mark McGough, playing just his second AFL match, stunned the crowd of more than 84,000 to claim the Anzac Medal. Essendon captain James Hird’s name became synonymous with the Anzac Day stage. In 2004, he claimed his third Anzac Medal in leading Essendon to a comfortable 66-point victory. The popularity of this match is such that it could be sold out many times over. To this end our broadcast partners have done an outstanding job in recognising the significance of this occasion. In recent times, Network 10 has devoted a two-hour prematch program on the Anzac spirit. Thanks to the pioneering work of Essendon and Collingwood in making the Anzac Day fi xture a meaningful tribute to our servicemen and women. The AFL with the support of the RSL introduced a second Anzac match featuring Fremantle played in Perth in honour of Gallipoli veteran Len Hall. Anzac Day is one of Australia’s most important days. The AFL is proud to play a role in ensuring the memories of those who served Australia remain strong. We are proud of our clubs and fans for recognising and embracing the Anzac spirit.
A N Z AC D AY OF F I C I AL S OU V E N IR
5
INTO THE FRAY Week in, week out, before the start of each AFL match, we see a variety of elaborate messages on the cheersquad banners – be it encouraging statements, mockery of the opposition, or a tribute to a particular hero. But the Essendon banner that James Hird led his team through in round five, 2005, had just two words: Our Anzacs. A simple but effective message, and a reminder that while this may be the biggest home and away match on the AFL calendar, the game is honouring those who have given so much for their country. { JOHN MURRAY }
A N Z AC D AY OFFICIAL S O U VE NIR
7
DONS’ HERO Triple Essendon premiership player Jack Jones (1946, 1949-50) joined the Australian Army at 18 in 1942 and served with the 24th Infantry Battalion in Bougainville, Papua New Guinea. Reflecting recently, he said: “Being in the infantry, we were in the front-line action, so we left a lot of mates there.” Here, standing in the front row of the MCG with his service medals on display, he watches the traditional Anzac Day motorcade ahead of the 2003 match. Jones played 175 games for the Bombers from 194654, including a remarkable seven Grand Finals in his first six seasons (he played in both the 1948 Grand Final draw and replay), but was inducted into the AFL’s 200 club in 2007 in recognition that but for his war service he would most likely have played 200 games. { NICK BOWEN }
A N Z AC D AY OF F I C I AL S OU V E N IR
9
PIES WIN IN WET Come rain or shine, they flock to the MCG in their masses on Anzac Day. The weather was atrocious for the annual blockbuster in 2002, but that didn’t stop the fans packing into the old Northern Stand – note, no cover back then. In all, 84,894 spectators watched Collingwood surprise Essendon by 33 points that day. As has often been the case in these games, the unfancied side emerged victorious after putting in an extra-determined performance – determination that is written all over Tarkyn Lockyer’s face here as he drives a kick forward past the advancing James Hird. In the background, immediately to Lockyer’s left, is Mark McGough – near the footy as he was all day on his way to winning the Anzac Medal. { JOHN MURRAY }
A N Z AC D AY OFFICIAL S O U VE NIR
11
OUR DIGGERS Regardless of club allegiance or age, MCG patrons rise as one for the pre-match motorcade of Diggers every Anzac Day. Applause and cheers envelop the famous stadium, showering warmth and respect upon the men and women who defended Australia and its values with their lives. Without fail, tears well on either side of the fence, as the upcoming game and team selections are forgotten and the huge crowd says thank you. { ANDREW WALLACE }
A N Z AC D AY OFFICIAL S O U VE NIR
13
THE ANZAC SPIRIT Before 1995, League games on Anzac Day didn’t always generate much excitement. However, the advent of the Essendon-Collingwood blockbuster created a captivating annual fixture that has become a combined celebration of our Diggers and national game. { WORDS BY ROHAN CONNOLLY }
U
ntil 1995, in football terms, Anzac Day in Melbourne was a public holiday no different to Easter Monday or the Queen’s Birthday, a chance for the fan to enjoy a day off and, often, a game of football mid-week. Once, of course, he or she had paid his due respects to those who had served Australia at war, particularly those Diggers who had given their lives in the futile attempt to capture the Turkish peninsula of Gallipoli in World War I, a campaign that had begun on April 25, 1915. The ANZACs (Australian and New Zealand Army Corps) were spiritual heroes, and the day named in their honour observed with suitable solemnity and custom. There was the moving dawn service at the Shrine of Remembrance. Then the parade of those who had served through city streets, followed by the obligatory reminiscences and games of ‘two-up’ in pubs across town. There had been no professional football played at all on Anzac Day until 1960, when an Act of Parliament lifted the restriction. In 1959, when round two of the VFL season coincided with the day, all six games were postponed until the following Saturday. At that time, there were grave reservations held about allowing such trifl ing matters as elite sport to intrude upon this most solemn of occasions. Yet when the laws were relaxed, the football public didn’t seem to share such concerns. Anzac Day always proved a day capable of pulling big football crowds. In 1975, Carlton and
14 A N Z A C D A Y O F F I C I A L S O U V E N I R
Essendon drew a then-record crowd for the day (77,770) to Waverley. Two years later, Richmond and Collingwood would top that figure comfortably, drawing 92,436 to the MCG. There was a particularly special buzz surrounding that afternoon in early 1977. It was the first time new Magpie coach Tom Hafey would square off against the side he had coached for the previous 11 seasons, having led it to four premierships and its greatest run of sustained success. Tiger veteran Kevin Sheedy played that day in a terrific game eventually won by the Magpies by 26 points. It would be the largest home and away crowd he’d play in front of, and an occasion he’d often remember in his almost constant musings on the game he loves. But for many years after, it remained merely a fond memory. Seasons came and went, as did many Anzac Day games – some eventful, some highly forgettable. When the day to remember Australia’s veterans of war fell mid-week, the VFL would normally schedule two games, one at the MCG and the other at Waverley, occasionally playing a third at Geelong’s Kardinia Park. In 1984, Carlton and Collingwood played a blockbuster at Waverley before 68,082 fans, with Blues spearhead Warren Ralph’s miss after the siren giving the Magpies a thrilling win. The following Anzac Day, however, just 20,480 watched St Kilda beat Fitzroy at the same venue. In 1986, the VFL tried something a little different. At Waverley, with a crowd of 68,151 looking on, Carlton sentenced reigning premier Essendon to its
THANK YOU: The massive MCG crowd stands, silent, as the Australian flag is raised during the prematch ceremony to honour our Diggers.
PIE PASSION: Leigh Matthews (above right) coached Collingwood in the first Anzac Day game in 1995, while there is no mistaking the allegiance of the young Magpie fan below.
first defeat of the season. At the MCG, meanwhile, the League staged its first ever ‘double-header’. The bill featured Melbourne playing a resurgent Sydney in the afternoon. Then, after a brief break, North Melbourne and Geelong squared off under lights. While an attendance of 40,117 was recorded, the novel fi xturing didn’t really work. Not enough Swans and Demons fans were prepared to hang around for a second match. Nor enough Cats or Roos fans to arrive early to watch a senior curtainraiser. The massive overlap of departures and arrivals also caused problems at the turnstiles. It was an initiative the League hasn’t revisited since. For the next few years, it was back to a couple of games, one at either the MCG or Waverley, the other at a suburban venue like Moorabbin or Princes Park. Funnily enough, in 1994, Essendon and Collingwood were drawn to meet at the MCG in round five, which took in Anzac Day. But their clash was played on the Saturday two days before. It was St Kilda and Richmond that met on the Monday public holiday, at Waverley, in front of just 37,870. It wasn’t as though there was any great groundswell of support to make Anzac Day football a bigger occasion. What it took
– not for the first or last time when it came to innovation in the game – was an idea from the former Tiger player, now long-time Essendon coach Sheedy. Sheedy later wrote in his weekly Sunday Herald Sun column that he was “in (his) garden, pottering around and thinking about the promotion of the game”, when he had a flashback to that Anzac Day of 1977, when the Tigers took on Hafey’s Magpies. “I remembered the seed that had been planted on that day,” Sheedy wrote. “It was one of the biggest home and away crowds of my era, and it had me thinking about the concept of bringing people to the football, and what entices them to come. “How do we grow the game as well as remember an area of society that needs recognition?” Sheedy, who had himself been drafted into the army in 1969 and spent two years in a construction squadron, had thought often about those who served their country in times of war and knew this was a perfect opportunity to pay suitable homage to both the game of football and something far more important. “My family connection with Anzac Day is pretty strong,” he wrote. “My mother’s grandfather, a bloke called Jack Nixon, was in World War I, and my mother’s brother, Bill, went to World War II. “They must have had such amazing stories to tell, but the thing about that is you never know enough about them. I don’t even know enough about my late father, and I am always chasing knowledge on him. “The amazing thing about people who went to war is they don’t say much. They stare into space and drift off into the memories they have and most often they are sad memories.” Sheedy would tell a pre-game Anzac Day media conference years later: “In the end, we can never match the courage of people who went to war. But we can actually thank them with the way we play this game, with its spirit. We’re very, very lucky people in this country.” Soon, Sheedy was in his Windy Hill office, and on the phone to Collingwood’s director of football, Graeme ‘Gubby’ Allan: “What if the Bombers and Magpies were to make the Anzac Day opening in the AFL season schedule theirs?” he asked. “I rang ‘Gubby’ because he knew RSL boss Bruce Ruxton, and Ruxton had black-and-white through his veins,” Sheedy wrote in the Sunday Herald Sun. “Ruxton sounded like a rough, nuggetty little bloke who loved Collingwood, but the RSL and AFL were always at loggerheads because of the issue of playing sport on Anzac Day. “We needed something to bring us together, not tear us apart. We proposed the idea of a game on Anzac Day that would celebrate the spirit of the Diggers.” Within days, Sheedy, Allan, and the two clubs’ chairmen, David Shaw (Essendon) and Allan
McAlister (Collingwood), were meeting in Ruxton’s offices nutting out the finer details of the proposal. The AFL was also willing to accede to the clubs’ scheduling wish, so when the fi xture for the 1995 season was released, the Bombers and Magpies were locked in to meet at the MCG on Tuesday, April 25. When the round-four clash finally rolled around, the two sides were at opposite ends of the ladder, Essendon having won all its three games, the Magpies yet to register a win. The build-up had been somewhat muted, games having already been played on the four days leading up to Anzac Day – on Friday night, Saturday, Sunday and Monday evening, when Richmond had clashed with North Melbourne at the MCG. But on a relatively overcast Tuesday, it was soon apparent that this would be no run-of-the-mill home and away clash. From mid-morning, several hours before the first bounce, the crowds started pouring into the Jolimont area. Some came straight from the Anzac Day march in the city. Many more from the suburbs. More still from the country and even some from interstate. And they simply kept coming. By noon, there was a crowd crush outside the MCG the likes of which few had seen, even on Grand Final days. Players of both teams had all sorts of
trouble fighting their way through the milling throng simply to make it to their respective pre-game team meetings on time. When Collingwood coach Leigh Matthews arrived at 12.30pm, such was the crowd outside the ground, he believed the gates must still have been locked. Essendon’s Che Cockatoo-Collins, who would come into the Bombers’ line-up as a late inclusion, spent some of the lead-up watching the reserves game being played at Victoria Park. His journey just a couple of kilometres up Hoddle Street and Punt Road would take an hour. While it had been possible to prebook admission tickets, in this pre-Docklands age, few fans had ever considered it necessary to do so at a ground as big as the ‘’G’. This was one occasion when they’d be caught out, however. Up to 20,000 of them, according to some estimates, as the gates were closed at 1.30 pm. This was 40 minutes before the scheduled start and mounted police had to be called in to disperse those fans still milling outside.
OFF AND ON-FIELD HEROES: War veterans (above) take part in the pre-match Anzac Day motorcade, while Collingwood’s Lee Walker and Essendon’s Peter Somerville (below) contest a ruck duel in the 1995 match.
THE ANZAC SPIRIT
BITTER DEFEAT: Collingwood’s Tony Shaw (top right), who coached the Magpies in the 1996-99 Anzac Day games, suffers during the Pies' 1999 loss along with assistant coach Danny Frawley (top left), while Bombers coach Matthew Knights (above centre) endured a 73-point defeat in his first Anzac Day game at the helm last year.
When the head count was fi nally done, a staggering 94,825 people had crammed inside the ground. It remains League football’s second-highest home and away crowd, surpassed only by the 99,346 people who had seen the Collingwood-Melbourne clash on the Queen’s Birthday holiday in 1958. Many of those who missed out retired to the nearby Fitzroy Gardens, which became an impromptu football picnic ground, thousands of ears plastered to radios to catch a call of the game, the roars from inside the ‘colosseum’ still deafening from a kilometre away. Those fortunate enough to have made it inside were about to witness one of football’s most memorable afternoons. The playing of the Last Post and the customary minute’s silence held even more poignancy than usual, as a near six-figure gathering remained eerily quiet, with the subsequent roar at its completion ear-splitting. The game itself was a classic. It opened at a frenetic pace, then had enough twists and turns to make you dizzy. Then, with the time clock ticking
18 A N Z A C D A Y O F F I C I A L S O U V E N I R
past 28 minutes and Collingwood six points down, the desperate Pies banged the ball forward, where Saverio Rocca soared above Essendon’s Ryan O’Connor to take one of the marks of the year. His ninth goal of the afternoon tied the scores. When the siren rang two minutes later, the score still tied, 36 players stopped in their tracks, physically and mentally exhausted. So, too, was a crowd that had screamed itself hoarse in those frantic fi nal minutes. But unlike the empty feeling that pervades most draws, this time the atmosphere was different, both teams thunderously applauded as they left the field. The Pies and Bombers had played each other to a standstill in a classic game over two hours, yet still couldn’t be separated. It was almost the perfect result. The following year’s clash proved almost as epic, Essendon getting out to a five-goal lead before being mowed down by Collingwood, the Magpies booting 11 goals to six after half-time to win by 12 points, with Rocca again a hero with six goals. The Pies would win three Anzac Day clashes on end before Essendon broke the ice in 1999, as Collingwood went on a rebuilding mission. The Dons won three in a row before the Pies turned the tables in 2002, then another three from 2003-05. But it’s the Maggies who have won the past three clashes, the current scoreline 7-6 Collingwood’s way, with that one unforgettable draw. Yet few of the victories by either team have come easily, the underdog on the day sometimes triumphant, at worst putting up a valiant fight. Mark Harvey, now Fremantle coach but an Essendon player in the first game and an assistant coach in many others, had a theory on why. “It’s the build-up and the emotion of the day. It gets to you,” he said. “You look at it and you say: ‘We need to win this’. But then you think: ‘Here’s why we need to get a win’. You don’t have that at any other stage. When you’re standing there and you hear the bugle, that’s as much emotion as you ever have to go through. Even more than hearing the national anthem. “The way I looked at it was: ‘How would the Anzacs want me to play?’ And the answer was: ‘It’s last man standing’. It’s played in a great spirit, but you give what you’ve got until you fall down.” Even former Collingwood champion Nathan Buckley, less prone to distraction from the job at hand than nearly any of his peers, recognised that Anzac Day was more than a little different. “There’s mixed emotions,” he said. “You’re focused on what you’re there for, but at the same time there’s a sense that you’re part of something bigger. “It’s about making sure it (Anzac Day) remains in the minds of generations in the future, and if football can play a part in making sure the day’s remembered for the right reasons, it’s been a great thing and it’ll continue to be a great thing.”
MAGPIE MARK: Collingwood’s Alan Didak (below) takes a screamer above Essendon’s Andrew Welsh in the 2004 Anzac Day game.
ANZAC ECSTASY: Joe Misiti (above front) takes centre stage as the Bombers prepare to sing the team song after their 2003 Anzac Day win, also the popular midfielder’s 200th game, while Anzac Day greats James Hird (left) and Nathan Buckley (right) pay their respects to each other in 2000.
The coaches, Matthews, Sheedy, Tony Shaw, Mick Malthouse, and now Essendon’s Matthew Knights, have never hesitated to use the Anzac story to inspire their own troops. In 2002, Sheedy bought a stack of copies of the book Fallen – The Ultimate Heroes that told the stories of most of the 146 Australian footballers killed in combat, presenting one to every Essendon player, with a personal message to each attached. Buckley recalls seeing Malthouse in tears before an Anzac Day clash after reading out to his players a Digger’s letter sent to a loved one back home. Last year, Knights, in charge of his first Anzac Day game, invited five US servicemen to the match to address a group of his youngest players. “They spoke about life and camaraderie ... about spirit, and not giving it away, not allowing it to be taken from you,’’ Knights said. On the field, the occasion was given more weight still in 2000 by the introduction of two new awards: the Anzac Day Trophy for the winning team, and the Anzac Medal
for the player “whose conduct and play during the game best exemplifies the ‘Anzac spirit’ – skill, courage, adversity, self-sacrifice, teamwork and fair play”. The cup, valued at $20,000, is etched with the names of the VFL footballers known to have lost their lives during active service. A glass pillar encloses images of footballers and servicemen, and bronze columns incorporate metal salvaged from the battlefields of Gallipoli. The medal is a bronze cross that incorporates battlefield metal. Essendon legend James Hird won the first on offer and would win two more, in 2003-04. But the game has also thrown up some unlikely winners on what is one of the game’s biggest stages. Like the 17-year-old Collingwood midfielder Mark McGough when the Pies whipped the Bombers on a sodden MCG in 2002. Or, three years later, Essendon speedster Andrew Lovett, still a rookie-listed player, who dazzled in just his third AFL game. Who knows which established star or precocious youngster may emerge to take the honours this year? Or, on a day on which established form can count for little, whether it will be Collingwood or Essendon that prevails? But what is beyond dispute is that whatever the result, Anzac Day, 2009 – the 15th of these eagerlyawaited clashes – will provide an occasion to remember, far more than a mere public holiday with a football game or two thrown in. Quite simply, the day is not what it used to be, something all footy fans can be grateful for.
IN HONOUR OF THE ANZACS While the Anzac spirit can never be replicated, in 14 years the Essendon-Collingwood Anzac Day game has established itself as a fitting tribute to our Diggers. { WORDS BY NICK BOWEN }
I
n one way the annual Anzac Day match between Essendon and Collingwood has always faced an impossible task. On a day set aside to pay tribute to the incredible bravery and selflessness of the Anzacs – the servicemen and women who fought, and died, for our country – how can the match itself ever really live up to the occasion? Strictly speaking, it cannot. As courageous as the players who take centre stage may be, they can never match the Anzacs’ heroism. The football field and the battlefield are two very different arenas. But, as far as is possible for a game of football, the annual Essendon-Collingwood blockbuster has been a fitting tribute to our Diggers. Perhaps, that’s because of the traditional Essendon-Collingwood rivalry, which has always been fierce. As two of the League’s powerhouses, they both carry large and passionate supporter bases, which ensure that any time the sides clash a near-capacity crowd at the MCG is virtually assured. And as two of the VFL/AFL’s original eight teams, the Bombers and Magpies had been squaring off for nearly 100 years by the time their Anzac Day clash was established as an annual fi xture in 1995. Obviously, the credibility of the proposed annual fi xture received a huge boost when the first game played out as a pulsating, edge-of-your-seat draw. It was a high-standard game full of twists and turns and, fittingly, the second highest home and away crowd in League history, 94,825, bore witness. The massive crowd gave the game a finals-like feel and players from both sides rose to the occasion.
22 A N Z A C D A Y O F F I C I A L S O U V E N I R
With such an outstanding start, it would have been easy for the fi xture’s ensuing games to be a letdown. Nothing, however, could have been further from the truth. In the 13 games since that epic first game, most have been fiercely fought contests. In many games, one side has appeared capable of blowing the game wide open, only for the momentum to swift to its opponent and, sometimes, back and forth again. Most memorably, the Pies came from 38 points down to win the second Anzac Day game, in 1996, but, more often than not, both sides have displayed a never-say-die attitude on this big occasion. Form and ladder position have often counted for nothing, too. In 2002, a young Pies side prevailed against an Essendon side that had played in the previous two Grand Finals, while the Bombers returned the favour the following two years when it was the Pies coming off Grand Final appearances. As we’ve said, the Anzacs’ legacy can never be replicated on the football field, but the EssendonCollingwood match has in 14 years created its own legacy that, most importantly, honours the enduring spirit of our servicemen and women. So many classic games, so many magic moments, so many players who have forged, or at least enhanced, their reputations on what is now one of football’s biggest stages. Relive them all on the following pages, where we look at all the essential statistics from 1995-2008, and review each of the 14 matches to date, detailing the best players and goalkickers from both sides in each.
NO QUARTER GIVEN: Anzac Day clashes between Essendon and Collingwood have traditionally been close contests, just like this ruck duel between Pie Anthony Rocca (left) and Don David Hille (right).
ANZAC DAY BY THE NUMBERS 14 Games: Collingwood has won seven, Essendon six and the inaugural 1995 game was a draw. 1,138,151 People have attended the 14 Anzac Day games at an average of 81,296 a game. 94,825 Attended the first EssendonCollingwood Anzac Day game in 1995, which is the second highest home and away attendance in VFL/AFL history. 54,294 Is the lowest attendance, which was recorded in 2004 when the MCG’s capacity was reduced during its redevelopment. 23.16 (154) Is the highest score, recorded by Collingwood in its 2003 win. 66 Points is the lowest winning score, recorded by Collingwood (9.12) in 2002. 73 Points is the greatest winning margin, achieved by Collingwood in 2008. 66 Points is Essendon’s greatest winning margin, achieved in 2003. 33 Points is the lowest score, notched by Essendon in its 2002 loss.
3 Straight wins is the long winning streak – Collingwood (1996-98 and 2006-08) and Essendon (1999-2001 and 2003-05). 1999 Marked Essendon’s first win, after it drew the first match, then lost the next three. 5 Coaches have been involved – Kevin Sheedy and Matthew Knights for Essendon, and Leigh Matthews, Tony Shaw and Mick Malthouse for Collingwood. 13 Anzac Day games as coach – former Essendon mentor Kevin Sheedy holds the record for the most games coached, followed by Collingwood’s Mick Malthouse, who before this year’s game, had coached nine games. 12 Games is the record for players, shared by Essendon’s Dustin Fletcher and Matthew Lloyd, ahead of Scott Lucas (Essendon) with 11 and James Hird (Essendon) and Scott Burns (Collingwood) with 10.
GAME ON: The 2001 Anzac Day match is in full swing, as an Essendon player in his defensive 50 at the City End of the MCG (far right) prepares to launch an attack.
1 Player who took part in the first match in 1995 is still playing in the AFL – Fletcher. 36 Goals is the overall record held by Lloyd, followed by Magpie Saverio Rocca (25 goals), Hird (20), Lucas and Magpie Alan Didak (both 13). 9 Goals is the biggest haul in a game, kicked by Rocca in 1995. He also kicked bags of seven in 1998 and six in 1996. 6 Goals is the most kicked by an Essendon player in a game – Lloyd in 1999 and 2003, and Lucas in 2000. 7 Anzac medallists – Hird (2000, ’03, ’04), Chris Tarrant (Collingwood, 2001), Mark McGough (Collingwood, 2002), Andrew Lovett (Essendon, 2005), Ben Johnson (Collingwood, 2006), Heath Shaw (Collingwood, 2007) and Paul Medhurst (Collingwood, 2008). 12 Brownlow votes is the highest tally of any player, a record held by Hird, who received the maximum three votes in 2000 and from 2003-05. Next best is Collingwood’s Nathan Buckley with eight votes.
187 Players have played in the 14 Anzac Day games, 102 for Collingwood and 81 for Essendon, while another four players (Blake Caracella, Andrew Ukovic, Scott Cummings and Mal Michael) have represented both clubs. 8 Players have made their debut on Anzac Day: Jason Wild (Collingwood), round four, 1995; Lucas, round five, 1996; Matthew Banks (Essendon), round five, 1997; Dean Solomon (Essendon), round five, 1998; Craig Jacotine (Collingwood), round five, 1999; Cameron Cloke (Collingwood), round five, 2004; Travis Cloke (Collingwood), round five, 2005; and Sharrod Wellingham (Collingwood), round six, 2008. 7 Players have celebrated major milestones on Anzac Day: 100th game – Sean Denham (Essendon), round four, 1995, Michael Symons (Essendon), round five, 1999, and Ryan Lonie (Collingwood), round four, 2006; 150th game – Gavin Brown (Collingwood), round four, 1995, Scott Russell (Collingwood), round five, 1997; and 200th game – Darren Bewick (Essendon), round five, 1999, and Joe Misiti (Essendon), round 5, 2003.
THE BEST: There have been no bigger stars on the Anzac Day stage than James Hird (below) and Nathan Buckley (far left).
1995 A TRADITION IS BORN The first Anzac Day match between Collingwood and Essendon had it all – a massive crowd, no shortage of heroes and a nail-biting finish. { WORDS BY NICK BOWEN }
I
t’s hard to imagine the annual Collingwood-Essendon Anzac Day match getting off to a better start. On a perfect autumn day, the sun shone on a massive crowd of 94,825, the second largest home and away attendance in VFL/AFL history. And, remarkably given this perfect setting and the massive anticipation whipped up by master promoter and Essendon coach Kevin Sheedy, the match itself lived up to the hype. For that the crowd could thank the players who rose to the occasion from both teams. And no one stood taller than 21-year-old Pie forward Saverio Rocca, who was unstoppable in kicking nine goals and plucking down 10 marks. Gavin Crosisca was also outstanding for the Pies in shutting Essendon star James Hird out of the game, while Nathan Buckley was dominant in the midfield with 30 possessions. For the Bombers, on-baller Joe Misiti led the way with 29 possessions, while Che Cockatoo-Collins (22 disposals and three goals) showcased his full array of silky skills, especially in his 12-possession last quarter. The match, itself, started with a high-quality fi rst
ROUND FOUR, 1995 Collingwood 6.1 Essendon 6.4 BEST Collingwood Essendon GOALS Collingwood Essendon
7.3 9.7
14.7 11.11
17.9 (111) 16.15 (111)
S. Rocca, Crosisca, Buckley, Williams, B. James, McGuane. Misiti, Cockatoo-Collins, O’Donnell, Long, Olarenshaw, Symons.
S. Rocca 9, B. James 3, Brereton, Buckley, Williams, Walker, McGuane. Cockatoo-Collins 3, Mercuri 2, Symons 2, Somerville 2, Fletcher 2, Hird 2, O’Donnell, Young, Olarenshaw.
UMPIRES
A. Coates, T. Pfeiffer, R. Sawers.
CROWD
94,825 at the MCG.
26 A N Z A C D A Y O F F I C I A L S O U V E N I R
quarter in which both sides kicked six goals, and then see-sawed for the rest of the day. Essendon skipped out to 16-point lead at half-time, before the Pies hit back with a seven-goal-to-two third quarter to take a 14-point lead, and the momentum, into three-quarter time. Then, in a pulsating final quarter, the Bombers hit back hard, with a Hird snap late in the game putting them six points up. But Rocca again leapt up – literally – soaring over Ryan O’Connor at the 28-minute mark to take one of the marks of the year, before kicking truly to level the scores moments later. Three times during that term the sides’ scores were level, including when it counted most – at the final siren. While both sides could bemoan missed opportunities afterwards, the Pies had perhaps the best chance to pinch the game, when Buckley streamed towards goal in the dying seconds. But his attempted pass to Rocca was cut off, allowing Essendon to clear the ball. Seconds later the siren signalled a draw. It was a fitting result to a memorable game.
NOTHING IN IT: The first Anzac Day clash was as hotly contested as this duel between Joe Misiti (Essendon) and Graham Wright (Colllingwood). Fittingly, it finished in a draw.
MIDFIELD DRIVE: Alex McDonald was a key member of the Collingwood midfield that seized control of the second Anzac Day match after half-time.
1996 MAGPIE COURAGE It took a courageous comeback from the Magpies in 1996 for them to become the first winners of an Essendon-Collingwood Anzac Day clash. { WORDS BY NICK BOWEN }
I
n a game that had as many wild fluctuations as the sides’ draw in their inaugural Anzac Day clash the year before, Essendon had shot out to a 38-point lead early in the second quarter. After a 7.1 to 2.4 first quarter, the Bombers looked set to cruise to a comfortable victory as they did most of the attacking at the start of the second quarter. But when Mark Mercuri, who was close to best on the ground to that stage of the game, attempted to launch another Bomber attack with a chip kick, an interception ultimately led to a Magpie goal and would prove a turning point in the game. The Pies then added another three goals before half-time, including two to full-forward Saverio Rocca, which cut Essendon’s lead to 19 points. After half-time, the Magpies’ midfield, led by Scott Russell, began to assert itself on the game, with Chris Curran, Tony Francis, Mick McGuane and Paul Williams all effective contributors. The Bombers clung to a 13-point lead at three-quarter time, when their coach Kevin Sheedy instructed captain Gary O’Donnell
ROUND FIVE, 1996 Collingwood 2.4 Essendon 7.1 BEST Collingwood Essendon GOALS Collingwood Essendon
6.10 10.5
11.13 14.8
to talk to the umpires about a free kick count that was heavily weighted in Collingwood’s favour – at the end of the match it was 38 free kicks to 16. Also weighing against the Bombers that day was the absence of five star players – Gavin Wanganeen, Michael Long, Mark Harvey, Mark Thompson and Darren Bewick. It was not surprising then that the Pies overran the depleted Dons in the final quarter, kicking away to a 12-point win with a six-goal-to-two last quarter. For the Pies, Russell was outstanding and subsequently received the three Brownlow votes, while the drive provided by fellow midfielders Curran, Francis and Alex McDonald was also instrumental to the Pies getting over the line. And Rocca followed up his nine-goal haul in the inaugural game with a six-goal bag. For the Bombers, Mercuri, James Hird (four goals) and Joe Misiti were outstanding in defeat.
17.15 (117) 16.9 (105)
Russell, Curran, Williams, McDonald, T. Francis, S. Rocca, Schauble. Mercuri, Hird, Misiti, Hardwick, Doolan, Calthorpe.
S. Rocca 6, Brown 3, T. Francis, Buckley, Patterson, M. Francis, Williams, Curran, Russell, McGuane. Hird 4, Cummings 4, Mercuri 2, Calthorpe 2, O’Connor, Cockatoo-Collins, Doolan, Fraser.
UMPIRES
D. Goldspink, J. Harvey, H. Kennedy.
CROWD
87,549 at the MCG.
A N Z AC D AY OF F I C I AL S OU V E N IR
29
‘MONKY’ BUSINESS: Damian Monkhurst’s imposing presence was a vital factor in the Pies’ 1997 Anzac Day win over the Bombers, the big man’s height too much for an undermanned Bomber outfit, including on this occasion when he marked over Essendon skipper Gary O’Donnell.
1997 PIES POWER ON Essendon may have been injury-depleted, but the Pies still had to battle hard to win the third Anzac Day clash, only pulling away late in the game. { WORDS BY NICK BOWEN }
E
ssendon limped into the 1997 Anzac Day clash with an injury list that included nearly half of its best 21. Those ruled out of the match included reigning Brownlow medallist James Hird, star midfielders Michael Long and Mark Mercuri, veteran defender Mark Harvey, and ruckmen Steve Alessio and Peter Somerville. The Bombers looked up against it, but they were determined not to go down without a fight. Early on, though, Collingwood threatened to blow the game apart, dominating the first quarter with 12 scoring shots to three. Fortunately for the Bombers, nine of the Pies’ scoring shots were behinds, with Saverio Rocca one of the chief culprits, the big full-forward missing several straightforward set shots. Rocca, who kicked 2.5 for the match as well as spraying several shots out of bounds on the full, combined well with younger brother Anthony on Collingwood’s forward line, the latter roosting a 70-metre, torpedo-punt goal late in the first quarter. With Damian Monkhorst dominating in the ruck and Nathan Buckley racking up possessions at will, the Pies
ROUND FIVE, 1997 Collingwood 3.9 Essendon 1.2 BEST Collingwood Essendon GOALS Collingwood
6.12 2.5
8.14 6.7
went into half-time with a comfortable 31-point lead. The Bombers were not done yet, though, and when Mark Fraser kicked their fourth goal for the third quarter just before the end of that term they trailed by just 19 points. In a surprising move by Essendon coach Kevin Sheedy, Fraser had just come on to replace fullforward Matthew Lloyd, who to that point had been the Bombers’ best player. With a fit Lloyd looking on from the bench for most of the final quarter, the Bombers maintained their momentum and midway through the term trailed by just five points. Midfielders David Calthorpe, Joe Misiti and Sean Denham had been instrumental in dragging the Bombers back into game, along with Peter Cransberg who kicked three goals. But, with the game suddenly on the line, the Pies settled, kicking five of the last six goals to run out 29-point winners. Their skipper, Gavin Brown, was outstanding all match and inspirational in the tense last quarter. Collingwood coach Tony Shaw later said of his game: “When the crunch came (Brown) did some things which were humanly unbelievable.”
14.15 (99) 10.10 (70)
Brown, Monkhorst, Buckley, Ahmat, Crow, Crosisca. Calthorpe, Misiti, Cransberg, Denham, Lloyd, Banks.
Essendon
Patterson 2, Ahmat 2, A. Rocca 2, S.Rocca 2, Williams 2, Buckley, Wright, Crow, Osborne. Cransberg 3, Cockatoo-Collins 2, Lloyd 2, Calthorpe, Fraser, Lucas.
UMPIRES
D. Goldspink, J. Harvey, D. Rich.
CROWD
83,271 at the MCG.
A N Z AC D AY OF F I C I AL S OU V E N IR
31