Club History What's your most heartbreaking loss 💔

[Howard Moon]

probably when we got thumped in that elim final vs. carlton a number of years back. i was like, in row qq or vv or something but man, i was gutted

Build up was huge to that game, week off before I think

 

[jannissary]

Build up was huge to that game, week off before I think

yep, probably one of my biggest memories of a game

 

[doug85]

83 gf was before my time. Did we go into the match confident?

 

[Happyskeret]

83/90. **** me. You can stick the 99 prelim up your arse. 83/90 actual g.f's.
You can throw '01 in there as well. Stinking hot Brisbane day. Up at halftime. Hird selfishness, should not have played. Mercs similar. Both of them running up and down on the spot. Ridiculously selfish, you'd expect more from a captain, he was absolutely cooked on the day.

Yeah 2001 was disappointing. I was at the preliminary the week before against the Hawks and as you say Hird looked about 20 to 30% of his usual output. I thought that long bomb from Croad was going to sink us but it faded to the right and we limped through. Had a glimmer of hope at halftime when we were up in the granny but we fluffed it. I knew then that our dominance was over. Upset because I thought we should have least won two flags over that last 3 year period with that group of players we had.

 

[doug85]

I actually blame Lloyd a little for our 2001 loss. If he didn’t get suspended for that ridiculous headbutt in the QF we would’ve destroyed the hawks by half time. We would’ve gone into the gf much fresher and probably been able to rest players towards the end of the prelim. Instead, we had a bruising encounter.

 

[DERO]

View attachment 2215019
Oppo trolls be lovin this thread.

HI ABASI, HI.

 

[Happyskeret]

My most heartbreaking moment hands down was when my best mate (blues fan) peddled his way across the town to tell me about the saga! He had that shit eating grin on his face. He was a bloated blue fat cherub and Pure hell. Lowest moment supporting the club hands down.

 

[supportyourteam]

1960 first semi. Well only one I cried after.

 

[boncer34]

A lot have already been mentioned so let me go slightly random

Geelong 2012. We rolled into that game 11-4, we'd been thrashed by St Kilda 2 weeks earlier but bounced back by belting Port and this was the chance to show the footy world we meant business.

I was at the ground early, ironically at a Geelong function, and spent most of the pre-game talking with Geelong fans about how they'd been the benchmark but you can't stay up forever, there was universal agreement our clubs were on different trajectories.

Spent the next 2 hours watching as Geelong absolutely dismantled us and Billy ****ing Smedts look like an A grade footballer. Was a massive reality check we were still miles off.

 

[Bombers36]

99 prelim v Carlton easily - was there with 2 Carlton supporters and was feeling (and acting) very cocky and arrogant until the final few minutes. Dean Wallis will never live down taking Fraser Brown on - he still gets ribbed about it to this day..!!

The 96 prelim loss to Sydney & Pluggers point after the siren pretty hard to swallow also - the Swans were a decent team though and I didn't/don't hate them as much as Carlton..

 

[Dave]

84 second semi.
The game that shall not be mentioned.

 

[Dave]

83 gf was before my time. Did we go into the match confident?

I think we were just happy to have finally won a final that year and had really exceeded expectations. Sheedy ripped the club a new one about it at the after match function IIRC

 

[Espe]

The Grand Final losses, 99/96 loss are the obvious choices and clear winners. But some obscure ones:

R21 07. Sheeds and Hirdy final game in Melbourne vs Richmond. I had just turned 18 so went to the TAB to have a bet, as you do. Thought it was a sure bet, I think we were clear faves and popped a $100 on it. Heartbreaking cause that was the end of an era, and I lost $100 which was a lot of money as a kid.

2019 Bulldogs - Have had many games that has broken me as an Essendon supporter over the last decade, but watching the dogs pile on 21 goals in a row was a new low. That shit was traaaaaash

 

[84859300]

1981 Elimination final

Others have been more poetic in their recall on this game. We were behind most of the day, but well within touch. Did all the hard work to get within a goal - but not our day.

 

[thepokey]

Lots been said that I agree with. But one that stands out to me was Round 14 2015 v St Kilda. 110pt loss.

I feel like this was the game where we just imploded on field due to the supplements saga. WADA had not long just appealed and Dank had just received a life-time ban. I think whatever hope we had that maybe the players would be ok had just gone. St Kilda were only just ahead of us on the ladder, it should have been anyone's game. Nothing memorable about it, finals weren't really on the line or anything. Not even our biggest loss that year. But I've just never seen a team play like that. We just did not want to be out there and it was just painful to watch. So it wasn't heart-breaking from a "oh we were on a high and lost it!" or "we threw it away" type deal. Just heartbreaking watching 22 broken men run around a field. Also didn't help it was the weekend of Walsh's murder too which just cast a dour shadow over it all. Bleak times!

 

[Squeaky]

The Grand Final losses, 99/96 loss are the obvious choices and clear winners. But some obscure ones:

R21 07. Sheeds and Hirdy final game in Melbourne vs Richmond. I had just turned 18 so went to the TAB to have a bet, as you do. Thought it was a sure bet, I think we were clear faves and popped a $100 on it. Heartbreaking cause that was the end of an era, and I lost $100 which was a lot of money as a kid.

2019 Bulldogs - Have had many games that has broken me as an Essendon supporter over the last decade, but watching the dogs pile on 21 goals in a row was a new low. That shit was traaaaaash

Oh **** - I had forgotten about that Dogs' disgrace.

I was also at the Hird/Sheedy finale at the G.
Memory during the game was that Hird was about to pull off another of his checkside snaps that was going through for a goal but was intercepted/touched on the line by a Richmond defender - to which my brother yelled out: "That wasn't in the script, idiot!"
Got a bit of a laugh...
Gee I have sat through some shit performances from this team... ugh.

 

[windyhill]

84 second semi.
The game that shall not be mentioned.

Bruz, that's when we knew we had them !!

 

[monty1104]

Couple of less obvious ones for me. Not that I think mine were more heartbreaking, I just remember them.

Rd 21, 2000 vs Bulldogs. We were perfect until then. We were perfect after that. That match was a blight on our season.

Rd 11, 2012 vs Sydney. Courtenay Dempsey played on as the siren went.

 

[jannissary]

Couple of less obvious ones for me. Not that I think mine were more heartbreaking, I just remember them.

Rd 21, 2000 vs Bulldogs. We were perfect until then. We were perfect after that. That match was a blight on our season.

Rd 11, 2012 vs Sydney. Courtenay Dempsey played on as the siren went.

that one gutted me. he'd played such a great game too

 

[katana]

in terms of pure heartbreak i'd put the st kilda loss in 2012 up there. yes, the anzac day game hurt - jarryd blair into the open goal - but that game was pure season over, don't bother, find something else to do for the rest of the year.

 

[Dave]

1981 Elimination final

Others have been more poetic in their recall on this game. We were behind most of the day, but well within touch. Did all the hard work to get within a goal - but not our day.

'86 was worse. In front most of the day, farken Barwick.....

 

[Dave]

Bruz, that's when we knew we had them !!

Yeah, but for some reason I was flatter after that game than any I'd seen us lose before. I was sure we did have them on the day.

 

[justlookingaround]

I've only been a nuffy for 20 years.... we've been shit the whole time.
The worst losses are the thrashings that come when I've been honeypotted into thinking we might actually be good.
They happen pretty much every year.

 

[Ren]

only started watching in 2011 and my most heartbreaking game was the 2012 anzac. All the other thrashings we have copped over the years did not make me as frustrated as that game. Ffs we had it won

 

[justlookingaround]

only started watching in 2011 and my most heartbreaking game was the 2012 anzac. All the other thrashings we have copped over the years did not make me as frustrated as that game. Ffs we had it won

That was the first ANZAC game I attended, I remember the guy in front of me kicking the shit out of his chair when the siren went hahah