The 2000 AFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Essendon Football Club and the Melbourne Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 2 September 2000. It was the 104th annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League/Australian Football League, staged to determine the premiers for the 2000 AFL season. The match, attended by 96,249 spectators, was won by Essendon by a margin of 60 points, marking that club's 16th premiership victory.

[edit] Background

This was Essendon's first appearance in a Grand Final since winning the 1993 AFL Grand Final, whilst it was Melbourne's first since losing the 1988 VFL Grand Final. Essendon had completed the best home and away season in modern history, winning 21 of 22 matches, an AFL record (which would be equaled by Geelong in the 2008 season), winning their second successive McClelland Trophy. Melbourne finished the home and away season third with 14 wins and 8 losses.

In the previous weeks Preliminary Finals, Essendon defeated Carlton, while Melbourne defeated North Melbourne. The following Monday saw Melbourne's Shane Woewodin awarded the Brownlow Medal with 24 votes, ahead of Western Bulldogs midfielder Scott West and Adelaide midfielder Andrew McLeod. [1]

[edit] Match summary

Melbourne captain David Neitz won the toss and chose to kick towards the City/Members end of the MCG in the opening quarter. The first score of the game went to Melbourne. Neitz, from a very tight angle near the behind post on the Members side of the goals, kicked the ball into the far goal post resulting in one point.

It was only a short time after the first score of the game that James Hird kicked the first goal of the game for Essendon. Melbourne's first goal was kicked by Stephen Powell.

The Bombers never looked threatened from quarter time, and won its record-equaling 16th premiership by 60 points (an even 10 goals), after the most dominant season in VFL/AFL history.

One downside for the Bombers was an incident in which Melbourne's Troy Simmonds was struck heavily by Essendon's Michael Long. The match stopped for a certain while as Simmonds was stretchered from the ground.

Hird was awarded the Norm Smith Medal for being judged the best player afield. Paul Barnard and Matthew Lloyd each kicked four goals for the Bombers.

[edit] Teams

[edit] Scorecard

[edit] References

• Match Stats

[edit] Notes

• Main, Jim (2001). More than a century of AFL Grand Finals. Pennon Publishing. ISBN 1-877029-00-9. 

[edit] See also

• 2000 AFL season

[edit] External links

• AFL Website