The Greatest Team I have ever seen

[Charlie Payne]

So I just got from Santa the 2000 Finals Series plus the 2000 H&A Highlights DVD.

God they were great. Tough as teak. The rule changes since would infuriate our backline of MJ, Fletch, Wellman, Solly, Wally and Dimma. You would not come off without a bruise against that lot.

You see Hirdy playing and his greatness is just so sublime to watch.....

Mercs.....what a champion. Didn't miss. Then his downhill after personal tragedy makes watching him at his peak painful (shh about that miss in 99)

Rama....what you could have been without that illness.

Lloyd and Lucas....nothing to say except look at their career records.

Blumfield, Heff, Cara...whoever stuffed up our cap should be shot.

JJ....a human battering ram. Barnesy and Cess.....bang onto chests and then mobile around the ground. Boris, Barney, and all the guys in the Club like Cyril etc.

Average winning 77 points over 3 Finals. I am not sure if any Club did it before but definitely not since.

Best Team I have ever seen by a country mile even 84/85....deserved to win 2 more ...... better than any Dawk 3 Peat Team. 2000 would have smashed them. Dawk head duckers wouldn't have got up.

 

[Beerfish]

Ah it all seems like a lifetime ago now.

 

[Shane Hird]

ill start it off once again..Sheedy robbed Blumfield of the norm smith by taking him off a lot in the last qrt.

 

[calyam]

Average winning 77 points over 3 Finals. I am not sure if any Club did it before but definitely not since.

Geelong in 2007 also had an average winning margin of 77 points (106 points; 5 points; 119 points). I'll give us the edge though since they almost lost to Collingwood.

 

[Shane Hird]

7 goal average winning margin I think it was over the whole 2000 season

 

[footyfan1978]

Liked your 85 team much better.
11 goals against Hawks in last quarter of grand final was special.
Leon Baker, Merv Neagle, Tim Watson, Madden, Daniher, Van der Haar, Salmon, Duckworth, Harvey, Elshaug, Foulds, Merrett, Nobby Clarke, Daisy Williams and Ezard. Had talls, smalls and all types. Best Essendon team I seen in my life without doubt.

 

[blitzer]

The 2000 team in my mind was the hungriest team I've ever seen. 1999 was a bitter end and they were determined to win that flag in 2000. To their credit the side managed to maintain that momentum through the entire season only dropping the one game.

Years ago - I actually purchased all Essendon games from that season on DVD. Never did get around to re-watching the Bulldogs loss though.....maybe one day. Its pretty enjoyable watching such a tough, relentless and physical style of play backed up by so much class, particularly in that forward line. Those were the days - our forward line was stacked back then with so much talent.

 

[Great8]

I still maintain our 85 side would wipe the floor with our 2000 side.
The best football I've ever seen was in the 80's to early 90's. This drivel they play these days doesn't resemble the great game I loved growing up

 

[eth-dog]

I still maintain our 85 side would wipe the floor with our 2000 side.
The best football I've ever seen was in the 80's to early 90's. This drivel they play these days doesn't resemble the great game I loved growing up

Really? The game has evolved so much. I much prefer modern football with it's tactics and athleticism than "the good old days".

 

[Great8]

Really? The game has evolved so much. I much prefer modern football with it's tactics and athleticism than "the good old days".

I'm not a fan of the modern game.
All the flooding and negative tactics, players coming off every 10 seconds for a rest and players not having set positions are just some of the things I hate. Yes the athleticism is better but don't think the skills are. Goal accuracy has gotten worse and I miss the days of the power forward kicking 100+.
The players are all like robots in size and character, I miss the days of the scallywags and characters of the game. I honestly enjoy watching my local country footy than AFL nowadays

 

[eth-dog]

I'm not a fan of the modern game.
All the flooding and negative tactics, players coming off every 10 seconds for a rest and players not having set positions are just some of the things I hate. Yes the athleticism is better but don't think the skills are. Goal accuracy has gotten worse and I miss the days of the power forward kicking 100+.
The players are all like robots in size and character, I miss the days of the scallywags and characters of the game. I honestly enjoy watching my local country footy than AFL nowadays

This isn't the time or place for this discussion but I have to disagree.

 

[Mootsy]

The 2000 team was as good a team as i've ever seen, they also broke the scoring record that year, with highest average winning margin across all games, which almost made it to 50+ points per game winning margin.

That season was essentially heavenly to watch and it peaked during the qualifying final against North Melbourne, possibly the most fun football smashing to watch, probably ever, just look at all the hillights..

In some ways it was a failure that EFC couldn't keep that high standard together past 2001 or so.....

Hawthorn are the closest I've seen to that, maybe Geelong in 2007.

That's football i guess. Essendon had a good run for a while, then stopped being a competitive side around 2004 onwards.

 

[NAB777]

Hawthorn of 1984-1985>>>>> Melbourne of 2000. By a long, long way.

 

[BOMBERS 4 LIFE!!!!]

Ah it all seems like a lifetime ago now.

Are we going to witness another flag? I feel we been shit for far too long and it's now part of the DNA.

 

[Atavistic]

Are we going to witness another flag?

Yes, as we now have all the rangas we need for premiership success. I have made a highly accurate graph showing how crucial rangas are to the success of the EFC:

 

[carloss]

1985 - That forward line.
Van Der Haar, Salmon, Daniher, Merrett.

 

[wallis23]

Interesting GIF for this thread, but can the mods change it.....some of us have kids


On iPhone using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[Beerfish]

This might be a quick fix while we get the boffins working on it.

Apologies wallis23.

 

[DERO]

Yes, as we now have all the rangas we need for premiership success. I have made a highly accurate graph showing how crucial rangas are to the success of the EFC:

AWESOME

 

[The Donners]

I still maintain our 85 side would wipe the floor with our 2000 side.
The best football I've ever seen was in the 80's to early 90's. This drivel they play these days doesn't resemble the great game I loved growing up

As a result of evolution, the '85 team would be off for their feet by qtr time, wouldn't be tall enough, fit enough or quick enough to get much of the ball. When they would get the ball, poor disposal under pressure would result in embarrassing turnovers. It'd be like the Globetrotters vs the Generals.

I agree to a degree with what you're saying about what you grew up with but that's life. I enjoyed walking to the Milkbar in the 80s to pick up a sunny boy but you'd struggle finding a sunny boy at a milk bar these days. That pisses me off... but that's life! Lol

 

[ant555]

I still maintain our 85 side would wipe the floor with our 2000 side.
The best football I've ever seen was in the 80's to early 90's. This drivel they play these days doesn't resemble the great game I loved growing up

I agree that the 83-85 side was the best. As for the best footy, i still think mid to late 90,s to around 2003/4 before the zone started really taking over the game. I like the 70's - 80's game because it is simple and good players went one on one but the poor skill level and turnovers sometimes makes me turn off these days.

 

[ant555]

As a result of evolution, the '85 team would be off for their feet by qtr time, wouldn't be tall enough, fit enough or quick enough to get much of the ball. When they would get the ball, poor disposal under pressure would result in embarrassing turnovers. It'd be like the Globetrotters vs the Generals.

I agree to a degree with what you're saying about what you grew up with but that's life. I enjoyed walking to the Milkbar in the 80s to pick up a sunny boy but you'd struggle finding a sunny boy at a milk bar these days. That pisses me off... but that's life! Lol

Do not agree at all. Yes if you where able to some how line up sides of a different era as they where then that would be the case but on ability our 83-85 side given the same training and development would be just as good as any side in the current era.

 

[NAB777]

As a result of evolution, the '85 team would be off for their feet by qtr time, wouldn't be tall enough, fit enough or quick enough to get much of the ball. When they would get the ball, poor disposal under pressure would result in embarrassing turnovers. It'd be like the Globetrotters vs the Generals.

Yeah... not sure the 84/85 players would like the Generals comparison.

By your logic, because of evolution, the 2000 side would be embarrassed in 2016 - correct? Of course not.

I was lucky enough to see both teams, and the 84/85 side stacks up nicely against the 2000 team.

Height? Negligible - probably the same average.

Fitness? There was a substantial jump in fitness & skill in the VFL/AFL from the mid/late 70's through to the mid 80's. Sheedy set notoriously hard training sessions from when he arrived in 81 - to the point where players have said they probably LOST a premiership between 81-83 due to over-training. Granted, technology & some training methods etc would have improved from '85 to 2000, but the 84/85 side was bloody fit. 9 goals in the last 1/4 in the '84 GF, 11 in the '85 GF...

Skill? Go to youtube & watch the 1984 Preliminary final highlights..

Just going by stats alone is a bit of a trap... quality of opposition is important, too. We were relatively lucky in that area in 2000... I'll say it again... the mid 80's Hawthorn team wipes the floor with Melbourne's 2000 team. I wouldn't think event the Melbourne team's parents would disagree. We beat them twice, and flogged them in 85.

 

[LB#16]

Are we going to witness another flag? I feel we been shit for far too long and it's now part of the DNA.

I feel the drug saga has cleansed the club of that. Sometimes you need to be knocked down to get motivated.

 

[Coldacre]

2000 was the most dominant team I have ever seen. the fact that they refused to sing the song all year just proves how determined they were.

1985 - That forward line.
Van Der Haar, Salmon, Daniher, Merrett.

Lloyd, Lucas, Hird, Mercuri, Bewick, Caracella....

that's silk right there.