THIS Saturday Essendon and Carlton will meet in a finals match for the 18th time and the Bombers go into the match with a slight advantage from previous meetings.
Essendon has won nine of those finals' encounters with the last of those victories coming in the 1993 grand final when Essendon scored a 44-point victory.
The two sides have met in preliminary finals on three previous occasions with Essendon having won all three of those encounters. Those matches were in 1912, 1941 and 1959.
And all three of those preliminary finals matches have been tight with Essendon winning in 1912 by four points, 1941 by 25 points and in 1959 by seven points.
Here is a complete record of finals matches between the two sides.
1904: Carlton 6.7 (43) d Essendon 6.4 (40) - semi-final
1908: Carlton 5.5 (35) d Essendon 3.8 (26) - Grand Final
1909: Carlton 14.8 (92) d Essendon 9.2 (56) - semi-final
1911: Essendon 9.15 (69) d Carlton 6.12 (48) - semi-final
1912: Essendon 7.10 (52) d Carlton 6.12 (48) - preliminary final
1922: Essendon 5.9 (39) d Carlton 4.10 (34) - semi-final
1941: Essendon 13.15 (93) d Carlton 9.14 (68) - preliminary final
1947: Carlton 14.15 (99) d Essendon 11.17 (83) - second semi-final
1947: Carlton 13.8 (86) d Essendon 11.19 (85) - Grand Final
1949: Essendon 18.17 (125) d Carlton 6.16 (52) - Grand Final
1959: Essendon 8.9 (57) d Carlton 7.8 (50) - preliminary final
1962: Essendon 13.12 (90) d Carlton 8.10 (58) - Grand Final
1968: Carlton 13.17 995) d Essendon 8.11 (59) - second semi-final
1968: Carlton 7.14 (56) d Essendon 8.5 (53) - Grand Final
1983: Essendon 17.12 (114) d Carlton 12.9 (81) - Elimination final
1993: Carlton 15.10 (100) d essendon 14.14 998) - qualifying final
1993: Essendon 20.13 (133) d Carlton 13.11 (89) - Grand Final.
The overall record between the two sides is:
ESSENDON V CARLTON
Games played: 208 (Essendon 96, Carlton 109, Drawn 3)
Highest scores: Essendon 27.14 (176), round six, 1985 at Windy Hill; Carlton 27.13 (175), round 14, 1975 at Windy Hill
Lowest score (post 1924): Essendon 4.12 (36), round three, 1927 at Princes Park(Post 1924); Carlton 1.11 (17), round three, 1968 at Princes Park.
Greatest winning margins: Essendon 109 points, round six, 1985 at Windy Hill; Carlton 102 points, round two, 1936 at Princes Park.
Most goals in a match: Essendon - Greg Stockdale 9 (Round 13, 1923 at Windy Hill); Carlton - Harry Valance, Ken Baxter, Alex Jesaulenko 9
In the 90s: 21 (Essendon 11, Carlton 9, Drawn 1)
The last time they met: Essendon 23.8 (146) d Carlton 9.16 (70), round 16, 1999 at the MCG.
