The Bombers’ 2000 Premiership win capped off the most dominant season ever displayed by an AFL club, with Essendon winning 21 of 22 home-and-away games.
2010 marks the 10-year anniversary of this incredible feat, and to commemorate the occasion, the Essendon Football Club is hosting a 2000 Premiership Celebration function at Crown Palladium on July 11 which will include a special tribute to club legends Matthew Lloyd and Scott Lucas.
In the lead up to the event, Essendon will be catching up with some of the players who were part of this record-breaking side to find out what they’ve been up to since finishing their careers as AFL stars, and what it meant to be part of such an incredible team.
First off is Essendon legend-turned-author, Adam Ramanauskas.
Rama was the youngest player in the 2000 premiership side, at only 19 years of age. In 2000 he also earned a Rising Star nomination, as well as being awarded Essendon’s Most Improved Player. He went on to play 134 games in his 10 years at the club.
What are you doing with yourself now?
I’m still involved at the Bombers a bit, and I work at ESP Player Management. I’m also doing some special comments work for ABC radio.
Do you still speak to any of your old teammates?
Yeah I still speak to a whole lot of them.
Who was the best looking guy on the 2000 team?
You mean besides myself? Look I honestly can’t say I can think of anyone, I guess I wasn’t really thinking about that too much.
How do you think you would fare stepping out onto a footy field again now?
I think I’d struggle a bit. The game is just so quick now that I reckon I’d struggle to keep up.
Who was the class clown in 2000?
Barnesy was a bit of a clown I guess. Who else? Oh, Steve Alessio for sure.
Who was your best mate in the team in 2000?
We were all great mates but if I had to name some I’d have to say Dean Solomon who is still one of my best mates and also Mark and Jason Johnson.
Was there anyone around the club that you were afraid of?
I wouldn’t say I was scared of anyone, but I’m pretty sure Wally (Dean Wallis) wanted to take my head off when I arrived at the club.
Who was Sheedy’s favourite player?
Chris Heffernan and Gary Moorcroft.
Do you remember what was running through your head before the game started?
Just a real sense of excitement, it was way more excitement than nerves. We’d done all the hard work throughout the whole season to get to where we were, so the next two hours was just up to us as a team to go out there and win it.
Do you remember what you felt and what you were thinking when the final siren went in the grand final?
Sheeds took me off at the end to give some of the other players a run, and once the siren went the first person I saw was Adrian Dodoro, who was responsible for recruiting me, so I went up and gave him a huge hug.
What is your best memory of the AFL, on or off field?
The success we had as a team on the field was great, and winning a flag was just fantastic. In terms of off the field, the main memories that stick out always involve the great mateship between the boys, like going on some great footy trips and sharing a few beers with your mates.
Is there anything you would change about the 2000 premiership season if you could?
I imagine a lot of people would say it would’ve been nice to win that game against the Western Bulldogs, but the truth is that it’s so difficult not to lose a game of footy in the AFL. We had an amazing season so it’s hard to think of anything that I’d want to change.
Do you remember who the first person you called was after the premiership?
All of my family were there at the game, along with my girlfriend at the time who is now my wife, so I didn’t really have to call anyone. The only call I really made was to someone in the crowd to get my Dad a beer.
What do you think about your side holding the record for the most home and away games (21 out of 22) won by a side in a season?
