Essendon FC (AFL)

Essendon is an existing club that plays in the Australian Football League, and has previously played in the Victorian Football League and the Victorian Football Assocation. The club was formed in 1871 and has won twenty premierships.
== Formation ==
The club was founded by members of the Royal Agricultural Society, the Melbourne Hunt Club and the Victorian Woolbrokers between 1871 and 1873 with no actual date noted.
== Early years ==
Essendon played its first game against the Carlton seconds, Carlton Imperial, on June 7, 1873, with Essendon winning by a goal. Essendon played 13 matches in its first season, winning seven, with four draws and losing two. It was seen as a junior club at this point and wasn't involved in any challenge cups. It didn't achieve the status of a senior club until the formation of the VFA.
== VFA ==
Essendon didn't participate in the VFA's first season and debuted in 1878 finishing in fifth place. They didn't break in to the top four until 1882 when they finished second behind premiers Geelong. A slip to fifth in 1883 didn't daunt Essendon and they finished second two years in a row in 1884 and 1885. An influx of clubs in 1886 adversely affected Essendon finishing no higher than ninth over the next three seasons. But they fought back finishing fourth in 1889 and third in 1890, before finally winning their first premiership in 1891. That started a run of success with the next three premierships in a row. This four in a row run remains to this day a record in the VFA that has never been equalled. It also earned Essendon the nickname of the Same Olds. A slip to sixth in 1895 was just a temporary glitch with Essendon finishing third in their last year in the VFA.
== Start of the VFL (1897-1907) ==
Essendon started the new league auspiciously, winning the first premiership after going through the finals series undefeated. In 1898 the Same Olds finished on the top of the ladder but failed to finish on top of their section's ladder. The right to challenge though had been provided and Essendon did so against Fitzroy for the first actual VFL grand final. Essendon were beaten and that seemed to hurt them as they slid to fifth in 1899, but they rebounded in 1900 to win their section - only to lose to surprise packet Melbourne who would go on to win the premiership from minor premiers Fitzroy. The circumstances of that caused the finals series to change for 1901, with the Same Olds unaffected as they won their semi final against Fitzroy and went on to defeat Collingwood in the grand final for their second premiership.
But that would start a run of outs for Essendon. In 1902 they defeated Melbourne in their semi final but lost the grand final this time to Collingwood and would not make it there again for a few years. From 1904 to 1906 they made the top four but lost their semi final each time to Carlton, and Fitzroy twice in a row. This was after they slid to sixth in 1903. But in 1907 it was even worse - the Same Olds hit rock bottom winning their first ever wooden spoon despite winning five games.
== To World War 1 (1908-1915) ==
In 1908 Essendon rebounded from their shock last place to finish second. They defeated Collingwood in their semi final but lost to minor premiers Carlton in the final. In 1909 the Same Olds finished fourth and lost their semi final to Carlton. In 1910 it was the same this time losing the semi final to Collingwood. But in 1911 Essendon won the minor premiership and didn't need the challenge as they took care of Carlton and then Collingwood for their third VFL flag. In 1912 they finished third but they defeated minor premiers South Melbourne in their semi final. Essendon would win the final against Carlton to face South's challenge, and they repeated the semi final win to win their second flag in a row.
But in 1913 the Same Olds suffered another slide to eighth with six wins. They got up to sixth in 1914, but it was back to eighth in 1915 only avoiding their second wooden spoon by percentage.
== Post War (1916-1924) ==
Essendon went into recess due to World War 1 and returned in 1918, finishing with the wooden spoon. With the full compliment back in 1919 the Dons rose to sixth, and repeated that performance in 1920. But another slide to the wooden spoon followed in 1921. However in 1922 Essendon leapt up the ladder to finish second, in part because they had moved their home games from the East Melbourne Cricket Ground to their true home at Windy Hill. They won their semi final over Carlton but they were defeated by Fitzroy in the final.
In 1923 though they would win the minor premiership. South Melbourne upset them in the semi final, but the Dons had the right to challenge and met Fitzroy in the grand final. Essendon - dubbed the Mosquito Fleet - would win that game to win their first flag since 1912. But 1924 would be a year that would ultimately tarnish their reputation. The Dons finished the home and away season on top again, but the round robin returned for the finals. Essendon won the first two games easily and just settled back knowing that Richmond would have to thrash them to force a grand final and submitted by 20 points. There were unproven rumours of bribes as well. The Dons won their second flag in a row, but they would then suffer a belting at the hands of VFA premiers Footscray in a charity challenge that would have a lasting effect.
== To World War 2 (1925-1942) ==
Essendon recovered from that setback and finished second in 1925 with three new clubs in the VFL, but they were upset by Collingwood so in 1926 finishing fourth they reversed that situation defeating Geelong, only to run into eventual premiers Melbourne in the final. In 1927 the Dons slid down the ladder to finish eighth and in 1928 finished fifth missing out on the finals by percentage only. It was sixth in 1929, 1930, 1931 and 1932 before a massive slide to the wooden spoon in 1933. Only a small rise to tenth followed in 1934, and then to eighth in 1935 where they also finished in 1936. Essendon slipped back to tenth in 1937 but rose to seventh in 1938 and then sixth in 1939.
As World War 2 broke out, Essendon adopted the nickname of the Bombers in 1940 and were rewarded with their first finals appearance since 1926 finishing third. This was their first experience of the new finals system introduced in 1931 and in the first semi final they defeated Geelong, only to lose to Melbourne in the preliminary final. In 1941 the Dons finished fourth but a good finals series followed defeating Richmond in the first semi final and then Carlton in the preliminary final to play off in the grand final against Melbourne. But the effort took it's toll and Melbourne were too good. The war intensified in 1942 but this didn't phase Essendon who finished on top of the ladder. Richmond upset them in the second semi final, but they bounced back defeating South Melbourne in the preliminary final before avenging their semi final defeat to win their first flag since 1924.
== Post War (1943-1959) ==
In 1943 Essendon finished second in a close season and won the second semi final over Richmond only for Richmond to rebound and win the premiership. In 1944 the Bombers finished third and won the first semi final over Footscray only to run into Richmond again in the preliminary final. In 1945 Essendon slid down the ladder to eighth, but they were back in 1946 finishing on top of the ladder. They played Collingwood in the second semi final and for only the second time in VFL history a final finished in a draw. Essendon won the replay faced Melbourne in the grand final, winning convincingly to annex the premiership. In 1947 the Dons finished second and lost the second semi final to Carlton. They would bounce back over Fitzroy in the preliminary final, but Carlton would defeat them again in the grand final by just one point.
In 1948 Essendon finished on top of the ladder by three and a half games. They won the second semi final over Melbourne and faced the Demons again in the season decider. Poor converting by the Bombers played a role in the game finishing in a draw - the first ever VFL grand final draw in history. It would haunt the Dons as Melbourne defeated them in the replay. In 1949 Essendon would slip a bit but make the finals finishing fourth by a game. They faced Collingwood in the first semi final and won easily and then defeated North Melbourne in the preliminary final. In the grand final they faced their 1947 conquerors Carlton and defeated them strongly for the flag. In 1950 the Bombers finished on top of the ladder four games clear. North Melbourne gave them a scare in the second semi final but the Dons survived by 3 points. North came back to contest the grand final, but this time Essendon were too good and picked up their second flag in a row.
In 1951 the Bombers finished third, but on the eve of the finals lost their full forward John Coleman to suspension. Nevertheless they managed to defeat Footscray and Collingwood consecutively by narrow margins to make the grand final against Geelong. Coach Dick Reynolds, who retired as a player after the 1950 grand final, put himself on the bench and came on in the last quarter helping Essendon fight back from a 27 point deficit. But it wasn't enough and Geelong won by 11 points. Many have argued that if Coleman hadn't been suspended, the Bombers would have won the flag.
In 1952 Essendon would slide to eighth on the ladder but again they would be back the next season finishing fourth - only to be beaten by Footscray in the first semi final. In 1954 the Dons would slip to sixth but they were back again in 1955 finishing fourth and making the finals by just 0.6 percent. Geelong though would end their season. Another slip to sixth followed in 1956 but they were back again in 1957 climbing to second. In a massive upset, Essendon defeated Melbourne to go straight to the grand final but the Demons came back and won the flag by just over ten goals. In 1958 another finals miss happened with a fifth place finish, but in 1959 again it was finals finishing fourth. A victory over Collingwood in the first semi final was followed by a preliminary final victory over Carlton. But Melbourne got away in the final term to deny the Dons the flag again.
== 1960's ==
In 1960 the Bombers finished third and lost the first semi final to Collingwood before slipping to seventh in 1961. In 1962 though Essendon ran through the competition only losing two games and finishing on top. They thrashed Geelong in the second semi final and then had to wait an extra week after a draw in the preliminary final and a replay. Carlton came through and the Dons defeated them for their first flag since 1950.
In 1963 Essendon finished fifth after losing the finals place on percentage thanks to St Kilda overtaking them with a smashing of North Melbourne in the last round. In 1964 that must have been on their minds as they slaughtered South Melbourne to try and catch Collingwood and steal the double chance. But the Magpies won by enough to deny them and the Bombers finished third and exited there courtesy of Geelong. In 1965 the Dons finished fourth but two big wins over Geelong and Collingwood had them in the grand final against St Kilda. And another thumping win gave them their second flag in four years.
Essendon scrambled into fourth in 1966 and knocked off Geelong in the first semi final, only for St Kilda to end their season. In 1967 the Bombers slipped to sixth but in 1968 they were back finishing on top of the ladder. But they lost the second semi final to Carlton and had to rebound against Geelong to get to the grand final, only for the Blues to repeat the second semi win. Another slip to sixth followed in 1969.
== 1970's ==
1970 was a bad year for the Bombers, sinking to eleventh - their worst finish since 1933. A repeat in 1971 didn't help. But in 1972 Essendon leapt back up the ladder and were the first to benefit from the introduction of the final five as they finished fifth. Playing in the first ever final at VFL Park they were beaten by St Kilda. In 1973 the Bombers finished fourth but were again eliminated by St Kilda.
In 1974 Essendon slipped to eighth and stayed there in 1975. In 1976 they slid down to tenth and then rose to ninth in 1977 before dropping back to tenth in 1978. Another rise back to fifth followed in 1979 and another elimination final exit followed - this time courtesy of Fitzroy.
== 1980's ==
In 1980 the Bombers finished seventh, leading to another return to the finals in 1981 finishing fourth. But Fitzroy were there to eliminate them again. In 1982 Essendon made the finals again finishing fourth, but they lost the elimination final again - this time to North Melbourne. In 1983 they finished fourth for the third year running. This time though they won the elimination final over Carlton, starting a run that got them to the grand final - getting past Fitzroy and North Melbourne. This was their first grand final since 1968 and they were the second team in VFL history to get to the grand final from the elimination final. But Hawthorn gave them a hiding.
In 1984 the Bombers finished on top of the ladder with a great season. Hawthorn knocked them off in the second semi final, but they rebounded absolutely thrashing Collingwood in the preliminary final. However it didn't look good at three quarter time, with poor conversion and the Hawks up by 23 points. But in the final quarter Essendon roared back with nine goals and turning it around to win by 24 points and collect their first flag since 1965. In 1985 the Bombers had an even better season finishing on top of the ladder with only three losses. They won both the second semi final and the grand final over Hawthorn, the grand final again with a nine goal final term although on this occasion they already had the game in hand at the last change. Two flags in a row for the men of Windy Hill.
In 1986 a slip to fifth was followed by a familiar elimination final exit courtesy of Fitzroy. This was followed by a drop to ninth in 1987. In 1988 Essendon were sixth with a round to go and with a better percentage than fifth placed Melbourne they were favoured to make the finals. The Bombers defeated St Kilda, but Melbourne upset Carlton to deny Essendon a spot in the finals and have them finish sixth. In 1989 the Bombers leapt back to second and defeated Geelong in the qualifying final. Hawthorn though defeated them in the second semi final and the Cats eliminated them in the preliminary final.
== 1990's ==
In 1990 upon the name change of the VFL to the AFL, Essendon would finish on top of the ladder and get the week off. It ended up being two weeks off as the qualifying final ended in a draw and needed to be replayed. That hurt the Bombers and they were beaten by Collingwood in the second semi final. They bounced back in the preliminary final over West Coast to meet the Magpies again and trailed by only three points at quarter time before a fracas at the break galvanished Collingwood and the Bombers couldn't counter - and were defeated.
The AFL went to a final six in 1991, and much like when the final five was introduced Essendon benefitted finishing sixth. They lost the elimination final to Melbourne to end their season. In 1992 the Bombers slipped to eighth.
But in 1993 the club rebounded with a young list, dubbed the "Baby Bombers". They won the minor premiership and faced Carlton in the qualifying final. Essendon were beaten and had to face West Coast in the first semi final and managed the victory. This put them into the preliminary final against Adelaide which they won by 11 points after trailing by a lot more earlier in the game. Carlton awaited them in the grand final and this time the Bombers scored a strong victory to win the flag for the first time since 1985.
A crash to tenth followed in 1994 but a rebound to fourth followed in 1995, leading to the club's first final eight experience. The Bombers won their qualifying final against West Coast but the season ended in the semi final against Richmond. In 1996 Essendon finished sixth and faced Brisbane in the qualifying final and lost by a point. But they got another chance in the semi final and they grabbed it defeating West Coast in a game that was played at the MCG due to the agreement with the venue (when it should have been played in Perth). In the preliminary final they faced Sydney in Sydney but lost by a point with a kick after the siren.
In 1997 a crash left the Bombers in fourteenth place two spots above the bottom rung. But in 1998 they finished eighth, scraping in despite a narrow loss to Geelong in the final round. But they had to face minor premiers North Melbourne and were beaten to end their season. In 1999 however Essendon leapt to the top of the ladder. A strong qualifying final victory over Sydney gave the Bombers the week off. But in the preliminary final they were shocked by Carlton and lost by a point to end their season.
== 2000's ==
The new millenium began, and the Bombers had an incredible season in 2000. Twenty straight wins brought the league record of 23 into focus, but in round 21 the Western Bulldogs would break the run. Essendon nevertheless finished on top of the ladder and with the new final eight they faced North Melbourne in the qualifying final and thrashed them by 20 goals. The week off and then a win over Carlton put them into the grand final and the Bombers finished it off with a strong win over Melbourne. It would be only the second time a team had gone through the season with only one loss (the other being Collingwood in 1929).
In 2001 Essendon would finish on top again but not as dominantly. They beat Richmond in the qualifying final to get the week off and they faced Hawthorn in the preliminary final. A nine point win put them into the grand final against Brisbane but after leading at half time the Lions overcome them to get the win. In 2002 the Bombers finished fifth and played West Coast in the elimination final winning well. But Port Adelaide put the brakes on Essendon's campaign that year.
In 2003 the Bombers finished eighth and played Fremantle in the elimination final with the Dockers making their finals debut. Essendon spoiled that but went no further than the semi final, beaten by Port Adelaide. In 2004 the Bombers protected their finals spot with a final round win over the Western Bulldogs, and finishing eighth they upset Melbourne in the elimination final. But Geelong got the ten point win in the semi final and the Dons season was done. In 2005 Essendon dropped to thirteenth and then in 2006 only avoided the wooden spoon on percentage.
In 2007 the club rose to twelfth, a finish repeated in 2008. In 2009 Essendon finished eighth but were thrashed in the elimination final by Adelaide.
== 2010's ==
The Bombers began the 2010's with a finish in fourteenth place in 2010. They made the finals in 2011 finishing eighth but Carlton belted them by 62 points. In 2012 Essendon fell back to eleventh.
But in early 2013 before the season began the Dons self reported a drug issue to the AFL. The whole issue exploded as a result with the Australian Sports and Drug Administration (ASADA) investigating. The Bombers were having a very good season and were finals bound - until in August the AFL took action and banned Essendon from the finals as well as suspending coach James Hird and general manager Danny Corcoran. The Bombers would have finished sixth and played Collingwood in the elimination final but the ban enforced a ninth place finish.
While the drugs saga continued in the background, Essendon had a good 2014 season finishing seventh. But they lost the elimination final again, this time to North Melbourne by two goals. Then things crashed. Finishing fifteenth in 2015, the Bombers dropped to the wooden spoon in 2016 - probably partly because of the World Anti Doping Authority (WADA) had the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) over rule ASADA's penalty and the AFL tribunal decision and suspended players for the season. This was their first wooden spo0n since 1933.
Essendon recovered in 2017 and leapt back into the finals finishing seventh. But another elimination final loss followed, a thrashing at the hands of Sydney. In 2018 the Bombers finished eleventh but were only a game outside the eight. They got back into the eight in 2019 - but in what was now becoming a habit, they dropped the elimination again - this time to West Coast by a big margin.
== 2020 ==
Essendon started the season with a win over Fremantle before the season was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. When the season resumed the Bombers were doing well despite a one point loss to Carlton after a game was postponed due to one of the Essendon players testing positive for the virus. A belting at the hands of the Bulldogs cost the Bombers their spot in the eight, but they got it back with a 3 point win over Adelaide. But it ended there as Essendon only won one more game as well as playing a draw with Gold Coast. They finished thirteenth.
== 2021 ==
The Bombers started the new season poorly with just the one win in the first five rounds. A second win was followed by two more losses and Essendon were sixteenth. But then three wins on the trot brightened the club up. Losses though were interfering with their progress despite entering the eight in round 18. But it would be a place that the Bombers would regain with a round to go and all that was needed was one more win over Collingwood. They did that to enter the finals. However they would run into the grand final bound Western Bulldogs and the drought of finals victories continued with another loss.
== 2022 ==
The 2022 season started even worse for the Bombers with only one win in the first seven rounds and then only one more before the mid season bye at which time the club was in sixteenth place on the ladder. It didn't get much better over the next three rounds with just one win, but then Essendon hit a bright patch with three wins in a row including a 9 point victory over Sydney. It only got the Bombers up to fourteenth though and in the remaining five rounds there was only one more win leaving the club in fifteenth place.
== 2023 ==
This season got off to a much better start with four wins in the first five rounds. This had Essendon in second place on the ladder. But it all fell apart with four straight losses to drop out of the final eight. The Bombers regained their place in the eight with four follow up wins going into the bye. However the rest of the season was not up to scratch. They managed to hold onto their finals berth despite two losses and then a win over Adelaide. But a 77 point thumping by Geelong sent Essendon out of the eight and they never re-entered. Two narrow wins over lowly West Coast and North Melbourne didn't help with all the other remaining games lost leaving the Bombers eleventh at the end of their season.
== Reserves ==
Essendon were a part of the VFL Reserves competition from it's formation in 1919. They won eight flags - in 1921, 1941, 1950, 1952, 1968, 1982, 1992 and the last flag in 1999. There was some controversy in 1924 - the year that the seniors played the round robin finals series - with a grand final required in the reserves, and when it was announced that it would be played in Geelong the Bombers forfeited.
The seconds team played in the VFL from 2000 to 2002 before they entered into an affiliation with Bendigo. This ended after the 2012 season. There have been no premierships.
Category:Australian FL clubs