It is not the longest rivalry in the AFL, nor is it the fiercest.
But Essendon and North Melbourne do boast a chequered history with another chapter to play out on Saturday night in the blockbuster Elimination Final at the MCG.
From Lloyd to Carey, the infamous marshmallow incident, through to the greatest ever comeback in football history, the stories between the two clubs are rich and well regarded.
The foundations of the rivalry dates back to 1920, after the Victorian Railways Commission announced the East Melbourne Cricket Ground was to be closed at the end of 1921, in order for the Flinders Street Rail Yard to be expanded.
Essendon’s home ground at the time was East Melbourne, thus having to find a new venue and the North Melbourne Recreation Reserve (now better known as Arden Street) was strongly considered.
But in 1921, North Melbourne was still awaiting entry to the VFL and a proposal of an amalgamation with Essendon was put forward. By June that year, Essendon announced it would make the move to the North Melbourne Recreation Reserve and the North Melbourne committee sought to merge with Essendon for the 1922 season before disbanding completely. (*Essendon’s move to the North Melbourne Recreation Reserve did not eventuate and the club moved to the Essendon Recreation Reserve in 1922.)
North Melbourne eventually rejoined the VFL in the 1925 season and it would be another 25 years until the two teams met in the Grand Final of 1950. Essendon comfortably beat North by 38 points with the likes of Dick Reynolds, John Coleman and Bill Hutchison all leading the side to victory.
By the late 1990s and early 2000s, both Essendon and North Melbourne were the competition powerhouses and heading into Essendon's clash with North in Round 14, 1998, coach Kevin Sheedy infamously labelled Kangaroos executives Greg Miller and Mark Dawson "marshmallows", a reference to their softness. By the time the two sides met again in the Qualifying Final and after a North Melbourne victory, there was a downpour of marshmallows as Sheedy walked the boundary line.
But that era will also be remembered for the two sides having arguably the league’s most dominant forward duo- Matthew Lloyd and Wayne Carey.
In a classic at the MCG in 1999, the two goal kicking greats put on a clinic, with Lloyd booting seven majors for the Bombers and Carey booting 10 goals for the Roos.
By the 2000 Qualifying Final, Essendon smashed North Melbourne by 125 points and the following year, the Bombers pulled off the greatest comeback in football history after having trailed by 69 points ten minutes into the second quarter.
However more recently, Essendon will be looking to draw inspiration from its Round 1 victory against the Roos earlier this year in a 39-point thumping.
Captain Jobe Watson ensured Dustin Fletcher's club record 379th game would be an enjoyable one, racking up 38 possessions, including 25 in the first half, to be the dominant player on the ground. Paul Chapman also made sure former Geelong mentor Thompson's return to senior coaching was a successful one, kicking four goals and pumping the ball inside the Bombers' forward 50 an equal game-high eight times in his first game in the black and red.
On Saturday night at the MCG another chapter will be written in the do-or-die battle between the two sides.
