Essendon has been praised for an impressive pre-match ceremony that celebrated its 150th anniversary, culminating in skipper Dyson Heppell leading one of the most significant moments in the club’s history.
The Fire Department celebrated its 150th anniversary on Friday night with a clash against one of its fiercest rivals in Carlton.
And the club set the tone perfectly before the first rebound.
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Narrated by Senator Briggs of the club’s spiritual home, Windy Hill, the ceremony began with a pack of featured videos celebrating the club’s history and all the key moments along the way.
Attention then turned to MCG live, where Briggs picked up the story in the dark, with the club’s top 16 cups spread across the field.
Essendon’s AFLW players were at the MCG. Source: FOX SPORTS
Some of Essendon’s inaugural AFLW players showed up first, including signing signing Maddy Prespakis. A few missed boos were heard around the MCG, who were thought to be disappointed Blues fans because Prespakis, the best and fairest winner of the AFLW 2020, had left his club to join the Fire Department. but the girls didn’t care, laughing as they greeted the crowd.
Club legends Michael Long and Gavin Wanganeen, who won the Norm Smith Medal and the Brownlow Medal in 1993, were introduced to the fans, followed by 2000 premiere heroes Scott Lucas and Adam Ramanauskas.
Michael Long kisses his Essendon scarf. Image: Michael KleinFont: News Corp Australia
He then introduced himself to the all-time leading kicker of the Fire Department, Matthew Lloyd, and, in Lloyd’s characteristic style, grabbed some MCG turf and tossed it into the air to see where the wind was blowing. , as he did before each seven-shot attempt during his shot. playing career.
Matthew Lloyd, former Fire Department player. Image: Robert Cianflone Source: Getty Images
The Watson’s (Tim and Jobe) and the Fletcher (Ken and Dustin) were next, followed by the four Daniher brothers (Terry, Neale, Anthony and Chris). As the crowd roared, there was a nice touch as the brothers helped Neale raise his arms in the air to recognize the fans. In a few days, Neale will once again be a proud observer at the MCG of the annual Big Freeze slide.
Terry, Neale, Chris and Anthony Daniher. Image: Michael Willson Source: Getty Images
Then came the main event, and with the true style of the WWE main event, James Hird made an entry.
On a rare outing at an official Fire Department event, Hird walked to the MCG lawn with one foot under his arm after passing through a wall of smoke. When he gestured to the crowd and proudly held his Fire Scarf in the air, there were boos, predictably, but the mood seemed to outweigh the taunts.
“When was James Hird’s reception when he left? Amazing,” Triple Lion Prime Minister Jonathan Brown told Fox Footy.
“It was a tingling in the spine.”
James Hird stole the show. Image: Michael Willson Source: Getty Images James Hird won the Norm Smith Medal in 2000. Image: Michael Willson Source: Getty Images
Hird’s coach, Kevin Sheedy, made his way down the aisle to the MCG grandstand.
And as she did almost 29 years ago after her firefighters beat West Coast in the same spot, Sheedy waved a piece of clothing among the fans, though this time it was a scarf, not her jacket.
Former Fire Coach Kevin Sheedy. Image: Robert Cianflone Source: Getty Images
The final entry saw the 23 players selected by Essendon selected to face the blues enter the field, running in front of piros and through a special banner.
“How good is that? That was great. Very good to everyone involved,” Melbourne champion Garry Lyon told Fox Footy.
“If that doesn’t lift you up, I don’t know what to do.”
A minute later, there was a moving vision as the current players made their way to the end of MCG’s Point Road to greet and thank the club’s legends that had just been introduced to the crowd.
Matt Guelfi pays tribute to Tim Watson. Image: Michael KleinFont: News Corp Australia
Then came the tingling moment of the backbone with which modern players became associated, not only with some of the most important names in Essendon’s history, but also in the history of the AFL.
And with dozens of men in his arm in a circle, skipper Dyson Heppell stood up and headed for the group from the center of the circle.
Dyson Heppell is aimed at current and former Fire Department players. Image: Robert Cianflone Source: Getty Images Amazing scenes. Image: Robert Cianflone Source: Getty Images
Heppell grabbed his sweater and spoke with great passion. He was heard referring to the “fundamentals of the Essendon Football Club”.
“This is a very important moment in the history of this club … It’s not much more significant than that,” Lyon said.
“Regardless of tonight’s result, this will continue to be one of the stages of the season.
“It’s something these Essendon boys will remember for the rest of their lives.”
St Kilda legend Nick Riewoldt added: “This is as symbolic as possible.”
The pre-game ceremony of the Fire Department was praised on social media.