Thirty years on, Anzac Day fixture as big as ever

Perth Now

24-04-2025

Thirty years after Essendon and Collingwood played out an enthralling draw in the first Anzac Day blockbuster, one thing has become clear: expect the unexpected.
On Anzac Day 1995, Collingwood's Saverio Rocca starred, thousands of fans were locked out of the sold-out MCG and the two teams couldn't be split.
Since then, the game has staged red-host contests, upsets and seen players, like Mark McGough or Paddy Ryder, make a name for themselves or, in the case of James Hird and Scott Pendlebury, underline their superstardom.
But above all, the game, which pays tribute to the servicemen and women of Australia, has become known for the spine-tingling moment when a packed MCG falls silent as The Last Post plays.
Leigh Matthews, who coached Collingwood in that 1995 encounter, is amazed at how big the game has become.
"I don't think anyone could necessarily foresee what was going to happen," Matthews said.
"I guess the thought was it would be an annual event forever. That would have been the thought when it first started. But I didn't know what was going to transpire.
"It's been a fantastic event.
"With footy teams, the team's got to be bigger than the individual, and this is bigger than the sport, the football teams. This whole occasion, that's what it's become.
"The sanctity of it all is something I think we're all really proud of."
Former Essendon coach Kevin Sheedy, one of the masterminds behind the game, appreciates the role it plays in educating younger generations about the sacrifices of past and current servicemen.
"The education part of it has been brilliant, because a lot of people haven't seen war," he said.
"We live in a pretty easy-going society which our defence forces allow us to do."
The game itself often lives up to the occasion, too.
In the 2025 edition, red-hot Collingwood will go in as comfortable favourites, but well aware an improving Essendon could yet prove a thorn in their side.
Collingwood have won five games on the spin while the Bombers are enjoying a three-game winning run.
The Magpies will be without skipper Darcy Moore on Friday, with Nick Daicos to step up as captain against the Bombers, spearheaded by resurgent forward Peter Wright.
"We've had some ding dong battles," Collingwood coach Craig McRae said.
"And the amazing thing about these games is that you don't have to worry about ladder position.
"You just know you're going to get a cracking game and form sort of goes out the window. It's a finals-like atmosphere.
"Even if they hadn't won three in a row, this game's a different one.
"We rock up, bounce the ball. Let's go."