Universal Love "They are the best side ever these blokes" - The Greatest Comeback of All Time

[OzBomber]

It's been a s**t week, so how about a little flashback to the good old days thanks to the Herald Sun today. It's now 14 years since the greatest comeback of all time, possibly the greatest home and away match of all time.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/a...bourne-revisited/story-fni5f6kv-1227354958281

There's one quote which makes me smile then fills me with sadness.

'

"The lead was 57 points at the first break. Cop That.

But because Essendon is Essendon, no one was ready to concede it was all over. Even when the madness continued in the second half."

I long for the day where we can say that again. A side that is still feared when 12 goals down. They were great days, and it genuinely feels like it's going to be a while before we hear those sort of words being used to describe us again.

I still remembered being 10 goals down at quarter time and mum dragging me to the shops telling me we wouldn't win. I was shattered, but then to get home and find out we had won was the best feeling in the world. I still remember begging mum to let me stay up as an 8 year old to watch the 'by popular demand' replay at 10:30pm on the Tuesday night on Channel 7. It was to no avail, but I ended up getting the DVD and watched it to the point that the disc would no longer work. Easily my favourite memory of the 99-01 era besides the premiership.

What are people's memories of the day?

 

[astrowizzle]

It's been a s**t week, so how about a little flashback to the good old days thanks to the Herald Sun today.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/a...bourne-revisited/story-fni5f6kv-1227354958281

It's now 14 years since the greatest comeback of all time, possibly the greatest home and away match of all time.

There's one quote which makes me smile then fills me with sadness.

"The lead was 57 points at the first break. Cop That.

But because Essendon is Essendon, no one was ready to concede it was all over. Even when the madness continued in the second half."

I long for the day where we can say that again. A side that is still feared when 12 goals down. They were great days.

What are people's memories of the day?

That was wicked

 

[Doss]

Look at Robbo's mug shot in the article.

Boy, he's had a few Coronas since then.

 

[Stopher]

I had a massive hangover that day, so didn't fancy the long trip into the city on the train. Oh, how I have regretted that ever since

What made it worse (physically, anyway) was the headache getting infinitely worse once I'd stopped going mental listening on the radio later that day!

 

[ezard15]

My brother is a kangaroos supporter.

I was still living in Tas at the time, he had already moved over to Melbourne.

Can't remember if he text me or rang me but it must have been quarter time - his exact words were "sucked in we're better than you"

I later discovered we won and rang him and said "so how much did you win by in the end"?

He was like "oh my god didn't you hear? Bombers came back and won"

 

[IschenkoUBeauty]

No Carey or Mick Martyn that day for the Kangas. Imagine if we had them in the team.

 

[expires]

No Carey or Mick Martyn that day for the Kangas. Imagine if we had them in the team.

Played the first quarter as if you had them. The rest is history.

Got AUSTAR hooked up during the week. On magnificent C7 with Hutcho, Hawkins and was it Huddo calling, this was the first experience of satellite T.V. Oh Caracella.

 

[Nasty Penguin]

My god that forward line is to die for. Team deserved a few more cups than just the 1 in that era

 

[Kakkle]

All been down hill since.

 

[Mercuri Rising]

Remember listening to the start of the second quarter on the way back home from an Abers U14's match, 10 goals down, and thinking we had a sneaky chance for some reason (honest). And the feeling of inevitability when we were only two goals down at 3QT. Good times.

 

[BOMBERS 4 LIFE!!!!]

Have it on dvd

I remember Jenefer Kyte on ch7 presenting the replay.

 

[BOMBERS 4 LIFE!!!!]

Played the first quarter as if you had them. The rest is history.

Got AUSTAR hooked up during the week. On magnificent C7 with Hutcho, Hawkins and was it Huddo calling, this was the first experience of satellite T.V. Oh Caracella.

Craig Hutchison was commentating which I find quite lol worthy.

 

[Lord Nicholson]

One of two games I've attended with my grandfather. Magic.

 

[BOMBERS 4 LIFE!!!!]

Man I miss that team we were so good it wasnt funny the things we did with ball in hand blew me away.

It's a spew we only have 1 flag though,that team could have easily won another 2 flags.

 

[Doss]

Wasn't funny?

I thought it was quite funny.

 

[boncer34]

That was one of the worst things to happen to that side.

Thought they were invincible after that.

 

[Doss]

Watching the highlights of it brings back the memories...and confirms that for all we whinge about the commentators today, Dougie Hawkins may well pip them all in the crap stakes.

"Haw haw haw! oh haw haw!"

It's all he ever said.

 

[DapperJong]

Jenefer Kyte

i lold

 

[Pweter]

It wasn't live into Adelaide, I remember that much, so I only got the quarter by quarter scores. I recall seeing the 1/4 time score and thinking if we can get it back to 5 or 6 goals at half time we're definitely a chance.

I watched the replay the following night and also taped it. That tape wore out relatively quickly. You'll rarely see a better game than what Jason Johnson played that day.

 

[VelvetSledge]

Little Gaz Moorcroft booting the goal to put us in front and Mercs having the ball in the back pocket as the siren goes, as he grins to himself and realizes just how good Essendon was at that point in time.

Magic stuff,

 

[Lord Nicholson]

But yeah... as mentioned... that was the pinnacle. All downhill from there.

 

[Doss]

But yeah... as mentioned... that was the pinnacle. All downhill from there.

I'm stretching the memory here, but I reckon we lost an absolute belter to Port over there the week after.

 

[Lord Nicholson]

And Carlton a week after that.

 

[Whispering_Jack]

It wasn't on TV in Perth - some WA team was being shown with around the ground updates. My brother just said "this is just how good your team is". I stayed up on the Tuesday night to watch the replay... Amazing stuff.

 

[Pweter]

It highlights to me how arrogant we got as a supporter base to think that winning was expected no matter the circumstances. I mean come on. 69 points down, "ho hum, she'll be right", win.

I reckon it's why it also took most of us (I'm making assumptions you were like me back then) a long time to actually take stock of how rapidly we were falling off the pace from 2002 onwards. Band aid fixes whilst still making finals (winning a final as well) let us dream a little longer before it all started coming crashing down. The writing was on the wall from the time we had to ship Blumfield, Caracella and Hardwick and replace them with a couple of aging sacks of potatoes, but I refused to believe it because I certainly had the "but we're Essendon" mentality.