Super-Flood

The Super-Flood is the unofficial title given to the round 21, 2000 match between Australian Football League (AFL) clubs Essendon and Western Bulldogs, which was played at Colonial Stadium on Friday, 28 July 2000.

2000 AFL Super-Flood
Round 21, 2000
Essendon v Western Bulldogs
Essendon Western Bulldogs
12.9 (81) 14.8 (92)
1 2 3 4
ESS 3.2 (21) 7.3 (45) 11.7 (73) 12.9 (81)
WB 4.1 (25) 7.3 (45) 9.4 (58) 14.8 (92)
Date28 July 2000
StadiumColonial Stadium
Attendance45,725
Broadcast in Australia
NetworkSeven Network
CommentatorsBruce McAvaney, Jason Dunstall, Dermott Brereton

Essendon went into this match having won its first twenty games of the regular season, and were aiming to become the first club to complete a perfect season, and since Collingwood in 1929 to complete an undefeated regular season. In a major upset, the Western Bulldogs won the match by eleven points, and inflicted the Bombers' first (and only) defeat of the entire 2000 calendar year.

Background

Essendon had already wrapped up the minor premiership (awarded to the team that finishes first at the end of the regular season) by the time it faced the Western Bulldogs at Colonial Stadium.

Bulldogs coach Terry Wallace devised a plan, later to become the "super-flood", which involved all eighteen of his players flooding the Essendon forward 50 in an attempt to negate the Bombers attack.[1] He had devised a similar game plan two weeks earlier against Carlton in which he deployed a loose man in defence, with great effect, as the Bulldogs ended Carlton's 13-match winning streak with a three-point victory at Optus Oval,[2] and he decided to implement the same plan against the Bombers.

Match summary

Details
Round 21, 2000
Friday, 28 July (7:40 pm) Essendon def. by Western Bulldogs Colonial Stadium (crowd: 45,725)
3.2 (20)
7.3 (45)
11.7 (73)
 12.9 (81)		 Q1
Q2
Q3
 Final		 4.1 (25)
7.3 (45)
9.4 (58)
 14.8 (92)		 Umpires: Sheehan, McLaren, McInerney
Television broadcast: Seven Network
Fletcher 3, Lloyd 2, Blumfield 2, M. Johnson, Mercuri, Bewick, Ramanauskas, Alessio Goals Kolynuik 3, Grant 2, Garlick 2, B. Johnson 2, Smith, Eagleton, Brown, Bartlett, Liberatore
Fletcher, J. Johnson, Misiti, Long, M. Johnson, Blumfield Best Grant, Romero, Brown, Wynd, B. Johnson, Cox
Brownlow Medal votes

Aftermath

Essendon rebounded from its defeat, defeating Collingwood its final match of the regular season to finish on top of the ladder with a 21–1 record, and proceeded to win its two finals matches to advance to the Grand Final where it defeated Melbourne by 60 points to win its 16th (and, as of 2021, most recent) premiership.[2][3]

The Western Bulldogs lost its final match of the regular season to finish seventh on the ladder, and subsequently lost its elimination final against the Brisbane Lions at the Gabba. The club would struggle in the ensuing years, with Wallace resigning as coach with one round of the minor premiership to play in 2002, culminating in the club claiming the wooden spoon in 2003.

See also

References
  1. Michell, Tim (30 April 2020). "Relive the night Western Bulldogs ended Essendon's 20-game winning streak with 'super flood'". Herald Sun. Retrieved 25 March 2020.
  2. Connolly, Rohan (8 August 2018). "ROUNDS OF OUR LIVES: THE GREATEST MOMENTS FROM ROUND 21". Footyology. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
  3. Conway, Simon (29 September 2015). "Grand Final Rewind - 2000". Essendon Football Club. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
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