Following the inaugural ANZAC Day match – a thrilling draw between the Pies and the Bombers – each team achieved periods of dominance.
Collingwood would claim the next three victories in front of crowds of over 80,000 before Essendon would win six of the next seven matches, interrupted only by a young Collingwood side in middle of an Essendon purple patch.2002: Essendon 4.9 (33) defeated by Collingwood 9.12 (66)
2002 saw one of the rare wet ANZAC Day games. A tough, physical encounter resulted in a low scoring match, but a win that the Magpies had been working towards.“That game was just a grind and at that stage, that was probably the side that we had become – a really dour side that took away the opposition’s strengths and then just stayed the course, and we really built a strong team off the back of that,” former Collingwood player and current coach Nathan Buckley said.
Essendon legend Dustin Fletcher also recalled the difficulty of the wet conditions.
“It was quite a wet day and we got done by over 30 points. It wasn’t a good one from us.
“But there’s no excuses from us going out there in the wet.”
Essendon were hot favourites for the victory, led by captain and ANZAC Day specialist, James Hird.
Hird’s three ANZAC Day Medals – equalled only by Scott Pendlebury in 2019 – came during the Dons’ early 2000s dominance. A fierce midfielder who rose to the ANZAC Day occasion, silencing Hird was one of the keys to the Magpies’ success – and in 2002, they succeeded.
“Hirdy for a long time, not just on ANZAC Days and not just against us, was obviously an exceptional footballer,” Buckley said.
“It always seemed to me like he would find an extra gear on those ANZAC Day games and for a long time we didn’t quite have the right match up.”
Unlike in previous years, where established stars such as Hird claimed the ANZAC Day Medal, 2002 saw a young rising star take the title.
17-year-old Mark McGough from Collingwood, playing in just his second AFL game, gained attention for his wet weather football and ability to continually find the ball amongst the pack, finishing the match with 24 disposals and six marks.
“He wasn’t the quickest bloke getting around so the conditions suited him, but having said that, you’ve still got to go out there and get it done and handle the occasion, and that’s what he did,” Buckley recalled.
Collingwood would not see victory on ANZAC Day again until 2006. Three wins in a row then followed for the Magpies, signalling the end of an Essendon stranglehold on the marquee match.
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