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ABC News
25-04-2025
- Sport
- ABC News
AFL Anzac Day live blog - Collingwood, Essendon in traditional encounter at packed MCG
It's time for the biggest day for the AFL outside finals, as tens of thousands gather at the MCG for the Anzac Day match between Collingwood and Essendon. Later this evening, there will be a second on-field commemoration when Fremantle and Adelaide meet in the Len Hall Tribute Game in Perth. But first, the 30th edition of the Anzac Day encounter between the Magpies and the Bombers will feature a joint run-through of the banner before an emotional observance ceremony with the Last Post in front of an expected crowd of more than 90,000. Follow the live blog below, keep up to date with all the latest stats in our ScoreCentre, and tune in to Submit a comment or question Log in to comment Live updates Latest Oldest 1m ago Fri 25 Apr 2025 at 4:26am The MCG before the crowds came in A By Andrew McGarry Loading Twitter content React React 12m ago Fri 25 Apr 2025 at 4:15am Welcome to AFL action on Anzac Day A By Andrew McGarry It's time for football on Anzac Day (Getty Images / AFL Photos) Hello and welcome to ABC's live coverage of AFL action on Anzac Day . Thirty years ago today, Collingwood and Essendon joined with the RSL to stage a game to pay tribute to the men and women who had served Australia, including those who gave their lives on various continents. That day featured so many highlights, including nine goals to the Pies' Saverio Rocca , and a heart-pounding finish that left honours even. Since then, every April 25 — except for the COVID-affected year of 2020 — these two sides have met, and the stirring Anzac Day commemoration now extends to every game of the round as the community comes together for football, respect and remembrance. Today the Magpies and Bombers will meet again, the Last Post will be played, and a perfect silence will give way to the roar of 90,000-plus at the MCG. Then later this evening, attention will swing to the west, where Fremantle will host the Adelaide Crows in the Len Hall Tribute Game at Perth Stadium. For the first time the Arthur Leggett Medal will be awarded for best-on-ground, in honour of WWII veteran Arthur Leggett, who died earlier this month at the age of 106. My name is Andrew McGarry and I will be bringing you the action this afternoon, before Chris De Silva joins us later for Fremantle vs Adelaide. React React
Perth Now
24-04-2025
- Sport
- Perth Now
Thirty years on, Anzac Day fixture as big as ever
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."
