It was also frosty between the coaches with old Bomber and Tasmanian Robert Shaw loving nothing more than beating Kevin Sheedy. The Lions had ruined Essendon’s first home game at the MCG post-Windy Hill in round two when they won by 52 points and were keen to do so again with finals hopes on the line.

Shaw refused to have a photo taken with Sheedy for The Sunday Tasmanian ahead of the game telling a reporter “it would be like shaking hands before a grand final”.

But the Bombers escaped with the win with no pleasantries exchanged when the two teams shared a flight home as Essendon and Hawthorn may do again on Sunday night depending on AFL arrangements.

“There were a couple of times in that period where Fitzroy deserved to beat us and we’ve come from nowhere and snatched a game from them and this was one as well,” O’Donnell said.

On Sunday the Bombers will be hoping history repeats itself with a narrow win the forerunner of things to come.

The common thread in Collingwood coaching departures

Nathan Buckley might have been the first Collingwood coach to exit after two consecutive wins but he joins the late Tom Hafey as a Magpie coach who left mid-season after recording a finals win in each of the previous three seasons before he left.

The Magpies have a habit of changing coaches when the going is not disastrous with seven of the 13 people to have coached Collingwood in more than 20 games before finishing up coached Collingwood in a losing final in their final match in the Magpies’ hot seat.

Mick Malthouse, John Cahill, Neil Mann, Bob Rose (in his first stint that ended in 1971), Jock McHale, George Angus and Dick Condon all bowed out in losing finals.

Buckley was not among that group however he was the second Collingwood coach alongside Leigh Matthews who finished up at the end of 1995 to coach the Magpies at the SCG in his last game with the club.

Collingwood’s departure lounge

Name Last game as Magpies coach Final 5 games (win/loss)

Dick Condon lost 1906 semi-final (3/2)

George Angus lost 1911 grand final (4/1)

Jock McHale lost 1949 semi-final (2/3)

Phonse Kyne R18, 1963 (1/4)

Bob Rose* lost 1971 semi-final (1/4)

Neil Mann lost 1974 semi-final (1/4)

Murray Weideman R22, 1976 (1/4)

Tom Hafey R10, 1982 (0/5)

John Cahill lost 1984 preliminary final (3/2)

Leigh Matthews R22, 1995 (2/3)

Tony Shaw R22, 1999 (1/4)

Mick Malthouse lost 2011 grand final (3/2)

Nathan Buckley R13, 2021 (2/3)

* Rose coached Collingwood in 1986 and the first three rounds of 1987

Teething problems at Cats

All AFL players should pack the toilet bag on future trips after Geelong was caught a little short on toothpaste and toothbrushes when fog forced them to stay in Adelaide overnight after they defeated Port Adelaide. Snapshot hears chewing gum was in demand as the team prepared to head home on Friday morning.