Mark Mercuri, Scott Lucas, James Hird, Adam Ramanauskas, Matthew Lloyd and Michael Long.

It’s a forward line boasting a Brownlow, Coleman medals, Norm Smith Medals, All-Australians and Best and Fairests. 

This was the forward six Kevin Sheedy named for the 2000 Grand Final, the summit of Essendon’s most dominant year.

But just like Rome, this forward line wasn’t built in a day. 

Three-time Coleman medallist Matthew Lloyd said this forward group developed a strong level of chemistry over the course of many seasons. 

“Every week it was James Hird, myself, Mark Mercuri, Scotty Lucas – we just knew each other inside out,” he said.

“Forward lines have to work together really well to get scoreboard pressure on.”

The building blocks for Sheedy’s premiership forward group were first developed more than a decade earlier when Long arrived at the club. 

Hird and Mercuri arrived shortly after with Lloyd and Lucas joining them in the mid 90’s.

The final piece of the puzzle came in the 1998 National Draft when the Bombers selected Ramanauskas.

Named on the bench that September day against Melbourne were Darren Bewick, Steven Alessio, Gary Moorcroft and Paul Branard who kicked four goals.

Essendon had firepower no one could match.

Today Hird is the man molding the forward group and Lloyd is helping develop their accuracy. 

Obviously their mission is far from complete, but even the 2000 group had seasons where they misfired.

“I think at the moment with the changes – it’s been Carlisle, it’s been Hooker, it’s been different players that have moved through the forward line,” Lloyd said.

“They haven’t really worked each other out yet.

“I think the longer that Hooker and Daniher can work together and now Langford and Laverde the better."