The feud between the Carlton and Essendon football clubs is one of the most celebrated rivalries in AFL. Memories looks back at some of the best moments from the ongoing rivalry.
Join Memories to request access to contribute your cherished photos, videos, and stories to Essendon V Carlton's memorial with others who loved them.
Join MemoriesMemories Team Long before Ken Fraser played 198 games for Essendon - including the 1962 and 1965 Grand Finals - the two-time best and fairest winner hated Carlton. As a seven-year-old living in North Essendon he became a passionate Bombers fan and was furious when the Blues beat them in the 1947 Grand Final. “I was heartbroken and still vividly remember being in tears at the seeming unfairness of such a loss,” he wrote. In 1951, he would once again grow his dislike for Carlton after John Coleman was suspended from the finals series after aggressive tactics led to him punching Carlton full back Harry Caspar. “In my mind as a fanatical 11-year-old Essendon supporter, it was a Carlton conspiracy! The faceless men on the Tribunal were undoubtedly Carlton supporters,” he said. Fraser was happy to have beaten the Blues in the 1962 Grand Final, but still fumes at the 1968 premiership loss. “Supporters rue the fact the star Centre Half Forward Alan Noonan was not awarded a free kick for what seemed a blatant push in the back not far out from goal in the dying minutes of the game. It was just not fair! And so the dislike intensified,” he said. Read the full story: https://bit.ly/2YxgPrt
Memories Team The 1947 grand final saw Carlton beat Essendon by just one point.
Carlton’s 1968 premiership victory over Essendon was the first time in AFL history in which the winning team kicked fewer goals than the loser.
Memories Team Essendon famously beat Carlton during round 20 of the 1981 season. The Blues had been leading by 26 points with just 10 minutes left in the game. Led by Neale Danniher, the Bombers would win the match by one point. Carlton fans were left outraged by the loss after skipper Mike Fitzpatrick was controversially penalised for wasting time.
Memories Team Former two-time premiership winning Essendon player Darren Bewick said the club’s rivalry with Carlton is the most heated in the AFL. "From the first moment you got to the club, whenever that week was coming up, it was always mentioned what had happened previously. There was always a bit more leading into the game than a usual game," Bewick told the Herald Sun.
Memories Team No two men better illustrate the hostility between Carlton and Essendon than Greg Williams and Sean Denham. In the 1993 Grand Final, Denham was praised for muzzling Williams in the first quarter after they exchanged several blows. It would be bittersweet, with Williams getting the last shot, which broke Denhem’s nose and forever damaged his sense of smell. In 1997, Williams was hit with a nine-match suspension after he became so enraged by Denham’s tactics, he shoved field umpire Andrew Coates. Two days after the Bombers had smashed Carlton in the 1999 Grand Final, Denham famously found a photo of “Diesel" on a pub wall plastered with footy memorabilia and turned it around to face the other way. In his book "Diesel", Williams described Denham as "a specialist tagger who had been a so-so rover for Geelong in 44 games spread over five seasons". Create your own Memories account for free: https://www.memories.net/
The 1993 grand final saw the ‘Baby Bombers’ thrash Carlton by 44 points. The Blues were favourites to win the match, but a breakout performance from Michael Long would see the Bombers win - he would be added to this history books after winning the Norm Smith medal. The victory meant more for Essendon after the squad had been beaten by Carlton i...
Memories Team Former Carlton coach David Parkin still has nightmares about the 1993 Grand Final, which saw the Bombers figure out how to get the better of Justin Madden in centre-bounce clearances - something the ruckman had dominated over the past three seasons. The breakthrough had come from Essendon assistant Neale Daniher who had exposed how to win the centre-bounce clearance against Madden in a five-page analysis. Daniher, who was working for a computer company at the time, had faxed his homework to coach Kevin Sheedy and others from the club. However, he also sent a copy to one of his suppliers who also happened to be a Carlton supporter. "Neale rang the bloke and said something like, 'That wasn't meant for you and if you pass it on, we won't buy anything more from you and we'll let the coppers know'," Parkin told the Herald Sun in 2013. Two days after the Grand Final victory, Parkin received a call from the supporter who showed him the document. "We both sat there and cried. I don't think Neale got any credit for it, but he produced the strategy to undo us,” he said. "You talk about carrying a loss, I carried that one." Read the full story: https://bit.ly/381TIsa
With 80,000 people at the MCG and a spot in the Grand Final at stake, underdogs Carlton upset Essendon in the 1999 Preliminary Final. The club said the victory "was as sweet as any of the 16 Grand Final wins for the Navy Blues".
Memories Team Essendon led Carlton by 48 points deep into the second quarter of their Round 3 2007 match, only to be overrun by the Blues - the club’s greatest ever come from behind victory. The celebrations would be short-lived with the Bombers going on to win the next six encounters between the cubs.
The Blues had struggled against the Bombers, after losing six of the teams last clashes. Carlton would finally break Essendon's game winning streak with style after an emphatic 76 point victory in Round 19, 2010.
Memories Team Carlton would record their first finals victory in a decade when they met Essendon in the 2011 elimination final - it would be the first finals clash between the sides since the 2000 prelim.
Memories Team Despite 2018 being Carlton's worst start to the season in the club’s 121 years in the competition, the Blues would secure their first win in Round eight against Essendon.
Memories Team Essendon and Carlton share the record for the most premierships with 16. The clubs have clashed in six grand finals, with each team having won three.