The Essendon Football Club, nicknamed The Bombers, is an Australian rules football club in the Australian Football League (AFL). Thought to have formed in 1872, Essendon played their first Victorian Football Association (VFA) game in 1873, before participating in the inaugural season of the Victorian Football League (now AFL) in 1897.[1] Headquartered at the Essendon Recreation Reserve, Windy Hill, in the Melbourne suburb of Essendon, the club has won 16 VFL/AFL premierships, which, along with Carlton, is the most of any club.[1][2][3]
The club best and fairest award is claimed by some to have been first given in 1897; however, there is no contemporary evidence that it actually existed prior to the late 1920s. Since 1959 or 1960, it has been known as the W. S. Crichton Medal. Dick Reynolds was awarded medal on a record-equaling seven occasions between 1934 and 1943. Reynolds also won the Brownlow Medal a club-record three times, in 1934, 1937 and 1938. The medal is awarded annually to the best and fairest player in the competition, currently on the basis of a 3-2-1 match-by-match voting system used by the match umpires.[4]
Former Richmond player Kevin Sheedy coached Essendon for a record 635 games and four premierships in 27 seasons between 1980 and 2007, thus becoming the second-longest-serving coach in VFL/AFL history.[5] Full-forward Matthew Lloyd, is the club's leading goal-kicker with 926, ahead of ruckman Simon Madden with 575.[6] Lloyd was Essendon's leading goal-kicker on a record 12 occasions between 1997 and 2009, kicking 100 goals in a season during 2000 and 2001.[7]
Year
* Brownlow Medalist for that year[9]
Notes
- ↑ Essendon player Gavin Wanganeen was awarded the Brownlow Medal.[10]
References
- 1 2 "Club History". Essendon Football Club. Archived from the original on 12 September 2009. Retrieved 22 November 2009.
- ↑ "History of Achievement". Carlton Football Club. Archived from the original on 17 February 2011. Retrieved 22 November 2009.
- ↑ "Premierships". Australian Football League. Archived from the original on 11 September 2009. Retrieved 22 November 2009.
- ↑ "Dick Reynolds Profile". Essendon Football Club. Archived from the original on 2 October 2009. Retrieved 22 November 2009.
- ↑ "Sheedy the perfect fit". Yahoo 7. 9 November 2009. Archived from the original on 24 January 2010. Retrieved 22 November 2009.
- ↑ "Simon Madden returns to Windy Hill". Essendon Football Club. 3 December 2008. Archived from the original on 6 January 2009. Retrieved 22 November 2009.
- ↑ Salvado, John (23 September 2009). "Bombers captain Lloyd announces retirement from AFL football". Perth Now. Retrieved 22 November 2009.
- ↑ "Premiership Sides". Essendon Football Club. Archived from the original on 16 December 2009. Retrieved 22 November 2009.
- ↑ "Player Achievements". Essendon Football Club. Archived from the original on 17 September 2009. Retrieved 22 November 2009.
- ↑ "Williams wants Brownlow justice". Australia: Fox Sports. 26 September 2009.