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LONG OUT FOR 4 WEEKS Michael Long was suspended for four weeks at Tuesday night's AFL judiciary for reckless charging during the grand final. It will be a well earned break for Long after an outstanding season this year.
WALLIS ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT Rugged defender Dean Wallis has announced his retirement from AFL football.
He left the game on a high, having played in the 2000 Premiership team. Normally known as a tough man of the AFL, Wallis showed his soft side by shedding some tears with fellow team-mate John Barnes after the game.
ESSENDON ARE 2000 AFL PREMIERS! An unchanged Essendon line-up easily beat the Demons yesterday to wrap up the club's 16th premiership, equalling Carlton's record for the most ever. 96000 saw the Dons thump the Dees at the MCG, showing just how much better they are than the rest of the competition.
The result was never in doubt from the opening bounce, and Essendon could have wrapped up the game in the first quarter if it wasn't for missed opportunities in front of goal. Essendon missed heaps of shots at goal in the first half, keeping Melbourne's slim hopes alive. But let's face it, no team in the competition could have come close to beating Essendon yesterday, so the missed chances never really mattered.
There was almost another all-in brawl during the game after Michael Long put a hip and shoulder on an opposition player, who didn't return to the ground after he was taken off.
Blumfield was sensational, taking many high marks in packs around the ground. James Hird, who won the Norm Smith Medal, played well up forward and even better when he went into the centre later in the game.
When the final siren sounded, John Barnes broke into tears. He described the feeling as "the greatest moment of my life." He played in 3 losing grand final sides with Geelong before moving back to Essendon this year to be a part of the Premiership side.
The win yesterday was the icing on the cake of a season that has seen the Dons break all sorts of records. They now have the most wins in a season with 24. They are the fifth team to win a premiership after losing only one game in a season. They have the longest winning streak to start a season, with 20. When they played the Kangaroos a few weeks ago, they kicked the highest score in a finals match: 31.12 (198). They finished the year with the third highest percentage in VFL/AFL history, behind Essendon 1950 and West Coast 1991. They also equalled Carlton's record of 16 premierships. What a team! They even have some experts suggesting that they could be the greatest team ever, and rightfully so. The only thing they didn't do was go through the season undefeated, when they lost to the Bulldogs in a game that they were unlucky not to win.
Sheeds equalled Dick Reynolds' record for 4 premierships as a coach of the Essendon Football Club.
BOMBERS INTO GRAND FINAL Essendon advanced into the grand final for 2000 by beating Carlton by 45 points. They will play Melbourne in the grand final.
DONS HUMILIATE ROOS The Bombers were sensational in their defeat of North Melbourne, winning 198 to 73. It was the highest score ever in a finals match. During the fourth quarter, Matty Lloyd kicked his 100th goal for the year.
Joe Misiti picked up 40 touches and I would give him the H.V. Varley trousers for best on the ground. Mark Johnson has a bruised shoulder and is 50-50 to be back to play in the preliminary final, which will be either against Brisbane or Carlton.
James Hird was in top form, kicking 5 goals for the first half.
LLOYD GETS 100 FOR THE YEAR Matty Lloyd kicked seven goals during Essendon's annihilation of the Kangaroos in today's final match.
When he kicked number 100, thousands of fans poured onto the ground to congratulate Matty and to be a part of the excitement.
Lloydy became only the third Bomber in the club's history to kick a ton in a season, and the first to do so under coach Kevin Sheedy. Well done Matthew Lloyd!
LLOYD, FLETCHER, HARDWICK AND HIRD NAMED IN ALL-AUSTRALIAN SIDE Matthew Lloyd, James Hird, Dustin Fletcher and Damien Hardwick were the four Bombers who were named in a 32-man All-Australian squad. The team will play against Ireland in a cross between Gaelic Football and Aussie Rules.
ESSENDON SHOW WHO'S BEST BY BEATING CARLTON Before 91,000 MCG fans, the Bombers proved to their critics that they are definitely the best team in the AFL, by beating arch-rivals Carlton by 26 points.
The match everyone had been waiting for was close for the first three quarters, but in the fourth quarter, the Dons pulled away, to record their 20th straight victory this season.
Ramanauskas, Jason Johnson, Barnes, Blumfield and Mercuri were the best for the Bombers.
Hird, Lucas and Lloyd were all quiet throughout the match, as were Long and Alessio. Dustin Fletcher was a late withdrawal. Without their big guns firing, Essendon still managed to win, showing that they don't rely on only their top few players, and proving that they are a true champion team.
Kevin Sheedy said that it was just the hit-out his team needed as they go into the finals.
James Hird did have some trouble with his hamstring and foot, but he looks certain to play against the Bulldogs' next week. Heffernan and Fletcher should also return to the side.
BOMBERS EQUAL COLLINGWOOD'S ALL TIME RECORD WITH A THUMPING OF FREO Essendon won their eighteenth match in a row for the home and away season with a win over the Fremantle Dockers. The score was 159 to 72.
Matthew Lloyd bagged nine goals for the game to take his tally for the year to 82 goals, on track to reach 100 by the end of the season. Lucas kicked five and Caracella kicked four.
Essendon dominated in the ruck and in the midfield, with John Barnes, Joe Misiti, Blake Caracella and the Johnsons having superb games. The win was Kevin Sheedy's 300th win as coach of the Bombers.
If the Bombers can win next week over Hawthorn, their unbeaten run will stretch to 19, which will take them past Collingwood's record of 18 straight wins to start a season, set in 1929.
BOMBERS GO 17-0 WITH A HUGE WIN OVER RICHMOND The Bombers stretched their unbeaten run to 17 games with a 101 point thrashing of Richmond. This set a new record for the most amount of matches won in a row by any Essendon team.
Essendon was far too good for the Tigers, with Steve Alessio in top form kicking five goals. Matty Lloyd booted four goals and Dustin Fletcher and Mark Mercuri also had great games for the Dons.
BOMBERS DEFEAT HAWTHORN Scott Lucas kicked 5 goals in his first game back for the Bombers, to help them secure a 47 point victory over Hawthorn. After a quick start by the Hawks, the Bombers steadied and had kicked six goals by quarter time. After that, the Hawks never really threatened.
Scott Lucas, James Hird, Dean Solomon, John Barnes and Joe Misiti were best for Essendon, and Matthew Lloyd chipped in with 4 goals.
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