The Bombers jumped out of the blocks with a seven goal to three opening quarter, and were never seriously threatened from that point eventually finishing 23.8.146 to the Roos’ 9.7.61 with eight goals to three in the last term.
The Bombers made a fast start, kicking the first two goals through Matthew Lloyd and Steven Alessio, before Sav Rocca, in his first game for his new club, marked strongly in front and kicked truly from 55 metres.
Essendon answered quickly though, through Dean Solomon and Justin Blumfield, before Lloyd crudely slung opponent Shannon Watt into the turf. Play was stopped for several minutes as the stretcher was brought out to tend the prone Roo.
Bomber captain James Hird then marked and was crashed into by Kangaroo Winston Abraham. Abraham was forced to leave the field after re-injuring his knee in the incident, and had insult added to the injury when Hird slotted the goal from the 50m penalty.
Further goals to Barnard and Lucas saw Essendon streak 38 points clear, and the Kangaroos couldn’t take a trick when some solid build up play could only result in a behind from Shane Clayton.
The Roos fans finally had something to smile about 30 minutes into the quarter when Troy Makepeace kicked a goal from 50 metres out, and when debutant Daniel Harris added their third right on quarter time, the margin was back to 25 points.
After Rocca missed from 45 metres early in the second quarter, Essendon missed three times in a row, before John Barnes knocked the ball on from a boundary line throw-in and Blumfield added his second goal from a brilliant snap.
After another 10 minutes light on scoring, the Bombers again underlined their class with a move up the field finished by Lucas, who extended the margin to 39 points, but Glenn Archer finally managed a major score for the Roos 24 minutes in.
Shannon Motlop had the chance to reduce the deficit further with a running shot at goal from inside the 50 but missed, and the Bombers went to half-time with a 32 point lead, 9.5.59 to 4.3.27.
Adam Ramanauskas was one of the leading kickgetters to half-time with 10, while Blumfield collected 13 possessions and Joe Misiti cleared the ball from the centre five times.
Acting Kangaroo skipper Anthony Stevens and Shannon Grant did their best to keep the Roos in the game with 16 possessions each in the first half, while Archer fought solidly in the back half, but the work was being left to too few.
Motlop kicked his second behind from as many kicks early in the third term, and when Stuart Cochrane added a goal the Bomber advantage was back to 25 points.
Former Docker Jess Sinclair showed a lack of skill on his unnatural right side, kicking out on the full, and Corey McKernan the focal point of the forward line in Wayne Carey’s absence also kicked a behind.
Essendon showed a glimpse of the form that took them to last year’s flag, carrying the ball the length of the field without an opponent touching the ball.
It finished with Mark McVeigh, who punished the Roos for their own inaccuracy to take the margin back to five goals, and it became six when Paul Barnard goaled from a free kick in the goalsquare.
McKernan took a mark 40 metres out from goal and from the set shot made no mistake for his first of the night, but the Bombers again had the answer, as full-forward Lloyd slipped away from Jason McCartney to mark and goal.
After Sinclair had a long shot on goal from 50 metres that looked set to bounce through only for Hird to touch it right on the line, Mark Bolton made the most of his first kick of the night to slot Essendon’s fourth of the quarter and 13th of the match.
Two silly mistakes by Roo defender Byron Pickett led to Bomber free kicks, and Jason Johnson and Barnard made the 1998 Norwich Rising Star winner pay, as they took the three-quarter time lead to 54 points, 15.6.96-6.6.42.
Things didn’t get any better for the Kangaroos early in the final term, as Lloyd soccered the ball through for his third, Caracella got his first and Lloyd then made it four from a free kick as the margin blew out to 72 points.
One of the only disappointments of the night for the Bombers came midway through the final term when Mark Johnson had his number taken for a late bump on Roo Shannon Grant, and Grant scored his team’s first goal for almost a full quarter.
Barnard, Jason Johnson and Ramanauskas continued the misery for the 1999 premiers, before Motlop, Mark Johnson, McKernan and Alessio traded goals over the final 10 minutes of the game.
Misiti and Jason Johnson led the way for the winners with 30 possessions each, Blumfield took 11 marks, and Lloyd and Barnard shared the goalkicking honours with four each.
Grant (34 touches) and Stevens (29) never stopped trying, but with McKernan (two) the only Kangaroo to kick more than one goal, it was a lost cause for the blue and whites.
ESSENDON 7.2 9.5 15.6 23.8 (146)
KANGAROOS 3.1 4.3 6.6 9.7 ( 61)
Goals: Essendon: M Lloyd 4 P Barnard 4 J Blumfield 2 S Alessio 2 S Lucas 2 J Johnson 2 D Solomon J Hird M McVeigh M Bolton B Caracella A Ramanauskas M Johnson. Kangaroos: C McKernan 2 S Rocca D Harris T Makepeace G Archer S Cochrane S Grant S Motlop.
Best: Essendon: J Blumfield D Solomon J Misiti J Hird J Barnes M McVeigh J Johnson. Kangaroos: A Stevens J Blakey D Harris S Grant.
Injuries: Essendon: Nil. Kangaroos: S Watt (concussion), W Abraham (calf and knee).
Reports: M Johnson (Essendon) reported by field umpire A Coates for striking S Grant (Kangaroos) during the final quarter.
Umpires: C Mitchell, D Howlett, A Coates.
Official crowd: 56,028 at MCG.
