Essendon's 2000 grand final team

[TheBloods]

Watched 2000 GF on Fox Footy last night... Essendon were a great team, but certainly benefited from one of the weakest competitions I can remember in years. After all, have a look at their opponents in the GF...

 

[hirdy_is_champ]

This shouldve been put to rest ages ago.
hack it essendon 2000 would cream any1 who would go near it. we won fair and square ffs get over it!
it was 4 years ago now!
and in 2001 we had no chance of winning in the end.

 

[Marns]

Originally Posted by theGimp
Ummm our team was completely different in 2001, you dont know much about footy do you knackers. Spent all your winters on the ski slopes drinking white wine have we ?

Can you tell us what Melbourne's forte is... then we will all get a good laugh to enter the weekend.

Yeh i was just asking a question, not having a go, no need to begin frothing at the mouth now ok? and no, ive never been to the snow, so you can class me as a melbourne supporter who goes to every match in victoria, including the trip to geelong. Do you go to Geelong?

Melbournes forte is youth (plenty coming through from Sandy), our backline (take out nicholson) held up well this year, midfield is strong, forward line needs to get better, by that i mean no ben holland. Our CHF and CHB are strong fortes (and theyre young, too), Jared Rivers and Brad Miller both showed very good signs this year, including one Rising Star Award for 2004. not much to laugh at is there?

Have a good weekend.

Rolled.
Nice comeback jacka*se

 

[SydneyBomber]

No doubt they'll be talking about Wellman, Blumfield, Barnard and co in decades to come.

I'm sure the hawks will be talking about two of them (wellman & barnard) for the next century (let alone the next few decades), as they were involved in the deal that gave OUR forward to you so that you could have a 'ruckman of the century'.

Geez, an 'Essendon' player in your team of the century - ouch!

 

[PAfolwr]

The most amazing part about Essendon 2000 was the lack of injury/suspensions to key players.

Total of 25 games missed by their top 18 players in a 25 games season.

Jason Johnson 25  (games)
Matthew Lloyd 25
Joe Misiti 25
Dean Solomon  25
Sean Wellman 25

Steven Alessio 24
John Barnes  24
Justin Blumfield 24            
Blake Caracella 24
Damien Hardwick 24
Mark Johnson 24
Adam Ramanauskas 24

Dustin Fletcher 23 
Michael Long 23 
Scott Lucas 23

Paul Barnard 22
  
Chris Heffernan 21

James Hird 20
Mark Mercuri 20 

Darren Bewick 19                  
 
Gary Moorcroft 18             

Dean Wallis 16

 

[Dave]

The most amazing part about Essendon 2000 was the lack of injury/suspensions to key players.

Total of 25 games missed by their top 18 players in a 25 games season.

Brisbanes top 18 missed a total of 40 games in 2001 *and* 2002, so it was hardly "amazing".

 

[Dan26]

This is ridiculous. Essendon would have murdered any of Brisbane's 3 flags sides...any flag side of the modern era for that matter.

What's that you say? Essendon lost to the Lions in 2001? What the f**k has that got to do with the 2000 side? Nothing. Last time I checked the Lions lost to Essendon of 2000 at the Gabba in the wet by 60 points. Why not use that as an excuse to show how poor the 2001 Brisbane team was, by that idioctic logic. The 2001 Brisbane team was not the 2000 Brisbane team. The 2001 Essendon team was not the 2000 Essendon team.

Essendon, in 2000, had a percentage of 160% and went 24-1.

To even compare that 2000 Essendon side to the 2001 Brisbane side is ridiculous. Brisbane lost 5 games FFS! Their 2003 side lost Eight!

Essendon, did not have to win the flag in 2001 for their 2000 side to become magically better. The 2000 side did their job, and won the flag.

 

[dogsbody]

.... But after the game quite a few Bombers fans came up and shook my hand....

If it was at Docklands, you'd have feared for your sefety - if you were a teenage girl.

 

[MickZu]

This is ridiculous. Essendon would have murdered any of Brisbane's 3 flags sides...any flag side of the modern era for that matter.

What's that you say? Essendon lost to the Lions in 2001? What the f**k has that got to do with the 2000 side? Nothing. Last time I checked the Lions lost to Essendon of 2000 at the Gabba in the wet by 60 points. Why not use that as an excuse to show how poor the 2001 Brisbane team was, by that idioctic logic. The 2001 Brisbane team was not the 2000 Brisbane team. The 2001 Essendon team was not the 2000 Essendon team.

Essendon, in 2000, had a percentage of 160% and went 24-1.

To even compare that 2000 Essendon side to the 2001 Brisbane side is ridiculous. Brisbane lost 5 games FFS! Their 2003 side lost Eight!

Essendon, did not have to win the flag in 2001 for their 2000 side to become magically better. The 2000 side did their job, and won the flag.

The fact is Essendon had no quality opposition in 2000 which made their
season look very impressive. Essendon supporters can keep dreaming.
Brisbane 01,02,03, Port 04, Roos 96 would have beaten the Dons 00 and
Carlton 95 would have beaten any team.

Nearly ten years later just about any keen footy supporter can name the entire line up of Carlton 95. This will not be the case for Essendon in 2010.

 

[pazza]

Carlton were probably our biggest threat in 2000..that Round 20 game between the sides was a once-in-a-lifetime home and away game..to get over 91000 in shows just how close the 2 teams were. It is a shame that the Blues fell asleep against the Dees in the Qualifying Final - they deserved to meet us on the first Saturday in September (as it was), not the week before.

On that team though, Essendon had an amazing year where it all went right. That doesn't happen to sides often.

 

[fEarLess_dEMOn]

Essendon was simply just a 'flash in the pan' that year... They are NOT the greatest side of all time, Teams like Brisbane, Melbourne in the 50s and collingwood in the jurassic, deserve way more recognition than that bunch of under achievers who only produced one premiership.

 

[Cooldude]

Can't believe people can say how Brisbane beat us in 2001 makes them a better side.

We were as injury riddled as Brisbane was this year when we went into the 01 GF, most of our key players were carrying injuries, like Brisbane this year.

So by definition, is Port a better side than Brisbane coz they beat them in the one that mattered this season? You would've said no, coz unless you're a total idiot, you'd know Brisbane is still the better side when fully fit.

Essendon ran into the 01 GF injury riddled, and some big injuries early on in 2002 ended what was a great but underachieving era, but I'd back 2000 to beat Brisbane of 02-03-04.

Everyone in the 2000 team played at their peak, anyone who joked about Blumfield being crap, you know nuffink. He was at the time, the best tall midfielder in the comp and was so good, he nearly won the Norm Smith. Never the same after his knee injury in 01.

I'd back the Essendon back six of 2000 to take Lynch or Brown to the cleaners.

 

[MickZu]

Can't believe people can say how Brisbane beat us in 2001 makes them a better side.

We were as injury riddled as Brisbane was this year when we went into the 01 GF, most of our key players were carrying injuries, like Brisbane this year.

So by definition, is Port a better side than Brisbane coz they beat them in the one that mattered this season? You would've said no, coz unless you're a total idiot, you'd know Brisbane is still the better side when fully fit.

Essendon ran into the 01 GF injury riddled, and some big injuries early on in 2002 ended what was a great but underachieving era, but I'd back 2000 to beat Brisbane of 02-03-04.

Everyone in the 2000 team played at their peak, anyone who joked about Blumfield being crap, you know nuffink. He was at the time, the best tall midfielder in the comp and was so good, he nearly won the Norm Smith. Never the same after his knee injury in 01.

I'd back the Essendon back six of 2000 to take Lynch or Brown to the cleaners.

Actually Brisbane were more riddle with injury last year. We managed to
win the 03 GF full of injuries and half a dozen missing. We won not because
we were a super side but because we played an overrated Collingwood.
When Essendon played Brisbane in 01 with their injury toll, they lost
because they played quality opposition. I also beleive if Essendon had
quality opposition in 2000 (there was none) they would have finished
with 17-5 or 16-6 and maybe a GF victory.

 

[Cooldude]

Actually Brisbane were more riddle with injury last year. We managed to
win the 03 GF full of injuries and half a dozen missing. We won not because
we were a super side but because we played an overrated Collingwood.
When Essendon played Brisbane in 01 with their injury toll, they lost
because they played quality opposition. I also beleive if Essendon had
quality opposition in 2000 (there was none) they would have finished
with 17-5 or 16-6 and maybe a GF victory.

We don't inject a thousand painkillers into our players, and also, Leigh Matthews made the most outta the injuries, he made them sound worse than it actually was.

How often does it happen? When a side dominates the competition like Essendon did in 2000, there are always losers who'd point at the opposition and say how terrible they are Carlton's side of 2000 was a great, great side, yet they were found to be lightyears away from the 2000 Bombers.

I can also question the quality of opposition Brisbane came up against in 03 as well, how ******** did Collingwood play? Even if Brisbane got more injured players that day, they would've still won with a leg in the air.

Go and actually watch the 2000 games by the Bombers and actually see how bloody goddamn good they were, they were FAR, FAR more dominate than the Brisbane Lions of 02-04.

 

[gadj1976]

Can't believe people can say how Brisbane beat us in 2001 makes them a better side.

How else do you measure who's a better side?

 

[Cooldude]

How else do you measure who's a better side?

Port beat Brisbane in 04, does that make Port a better side?

Only an idiot would measure a better side due to one Grand Final win on an irrelevant year, talking about Essendon of 2000, yet people brings in 2001? What great and accurate measurement

 

[windyhill]

Take Hird and Fletcher out of Essendon 2000
and
Put Kouta and SOS back into Carltons 2000
and
We all know Carlton would have been Premiers

Essendon 2000 was the most overrated side in the history of sport, how that Dan26 guy has them at number 1 is laughable.

Ahhhh , 2000 , 2000 , the memories, so many to talk about, how about the way we eclipsed carlton`s 1995 , what were carlton calling themselves after `95 ? " the record breakers" ?!?!?!? Magnificent. Even our one loss was a thing of beauty , i still remember the standing ovation the boys got off us, as they came off the field that night.
Ahhhh , 2000, that is one season that will never be equalled or surpassed , as the ankle tatt says..." E.F.C 2000 , Simply The Best.

 

[Mattlowry]

This forum annoys me so much sometimes. There are some great posters on here. And there are some absolutely terrible ones. To say our 2000 side would "murder" the brisbane sides is stupid. I believe we would win, i may be a bit bias but i do. And then we could get into the whole $600,000 salary cap issue but i wont..

Then we have the people that look at the players that were there at that point and think how good there careers are now and makes insane, idiot, stupid posts about our side being the most overated of all time and not even being very good. Those posters are a disgrace. Absolute disgrace. You cant judge a side like that using the players they have now and judge. Its sheer stupidity. Players get better, players get worse. Mecuri was a champion back then but isnt anymore and wasnt this season. Blumfield has gone way downhill now we have stupid football fans judging him by what he is doing now.

Also people saying this team isnt the greatest of all time by a long shot They are judging us as bad because we didnt continue the success. But they are so stupid and blind as to only judge us on 2000. If you judge us by what we did in 2000, not the players we fielded, not the success before 2000, not the success after 2000 but ONLY on 2000 and the way we played in 2000 we would be in the top one or 2 sides of all time. Is our side from 2000 better than Brisbanes this year. Definatley. Maybe not on paper but the way we performed. Yes it is.

Idiots rule this forum.

(Waits for another idiotic member to call me an idiot)

 

[M29]

Yes agreed essendon was awesome in 2000 but i dont think there was a genuine contender that year.

Carlton won something like 10 in a row. Not our fault they can't beat melbourne in a final.

 

[M29]

This just confirms the overall low level of competition more than anything.

Brad Pierce anyone?

 

[nicho_magic]

Um, what about Round 21? One team wasn't scared and came out of its shell.

I can still remember that Friday night. The Drummoyne Sports Club in Sydney was jumping, a real buzz. I turned up in my Bulldogs kit and could only spot two other Doggies in the main bar with the big screen. The room was full, but there were only a few Dons scarves.

The teams came on to the field, and there was an ugly transformation of the room, something akin to be caught in a Nurenberg rally. All over the room, virtually everyone became red and black. Blokes were pulling on sleeveless Bombers jumpers, red & black scarves and beanies appeared from nowhere.

We were playing a team that was unbeatable, which had won all their pre-season games, the final and 20 home and away games in row. They were a terrific team.

They never looked like being beaten all season. And their supporters were pretty cocky, they thought we'd get within 40 points if we were lucky.

It was a great game. We won it when Libba tackled Lucas.

The club was pretty subdued. But after the game quite a few Bombers fans came up and shook my hand, despite their disappointment about the record.

All the Bombers people I've met in Sydney have been OK.

1 game

 

[Palace03]

Thats a really good point.

I think our team in 2000 was streets ahead of any other teams that year, as evidenced by the 24-1 record, however, the competition was so terribly bad that season aswell. other teams got scared and barely came out of there shells against Essendon.

Sorry a bit off topic but it just always makes my smile when they hav to say our 24-1 record lol.

 

[nicho_magic]

god we were good. those were the days. would of loved to see essendon in full flight against brisbane in full flight would be a great game. (2001) doesn't count due to the lost players and injuries

 

[dj21]

get over it mate, no, u wouldnt have murdered any of brisbanes sides because u didnt (2001 ring a bell?).
Stop living in the past.

you'd think a demons supporter would know how much can change from season to season. The team that played in the 2001 GF was not the same as 2000. Some players that were fit the year before were injured in 2001 and others were at the end of their career and worn out by that stage. John Barnes couldn't even kick on his preffered foot for the whole 2001 season. And yet we still made the GF that year so their must have been something fairly special about that group of players.

Maybe we should settle whether brisbane has been better than the old collingwood or melbourne teams by getting the 80 year olds to gear up and play them.

 

[Alpha Wolf]

If you judge us by what we did in 2000, not the players we fielded, not the success before 2000, not the success after 2000 but ONLY on 2000 and the way we played in 2000 we would be in the top one or 2 sides of all time

It's all about premierships.