We talk about Hawthorn v Geelong as a big Easter clash, but the very first day of Easter Monday footy back in 1946 featured one of the great blockbuster games of all time as South Melbourne took on Carlton in a re-match of the infamous Bloodbath Grand Final from the year before.
In that encounter, Carlton won the 1945 Premiership but the two sides broke even in a series of brutal running duels that eventually saw seven players from both sides suspended for a total of 65 matches all up.
A few months later on Easter Monday 1946, the two teams were at it again as South Melbourne hosted Carlton at the Junction Oval in a seesawing encounter that saw the Blues lead by 15 points at half-time before Souths stormed back into the contest with a six-goals-to-three third term.
Yet South Melbourne had probably done their dash as Carlton, led by a seven-goal haul from Ken Baxter, kicked four of the last six goals to come from behind in an eight-point win. In a curious sidenote it was around that time in the immediate post-war era that saw the Carlton hierarchy consider changing their nickname from the Blues to the Cockatoos. If the name had stuck we kind of feel that saying things like 'Cocky coach Mick Malthouse' has a nice ring to it.
At any rate, let's fast forward a few years and check out some more recent classic Easter moments.
1994 – Carlton v Collingwood – Mick McGuane's seven-bounce Goal
I probably should have been doing my Year 11 Maths homework, but instead on Easter Monday in 1994, I found myself at the MCG as 85,063 people came out to see old enemies Carlton and Collingwood fight it out.
The match itself may not go down as a classic as the Magpies stormed away in the second half for a 34-point win, but McGuane's second-quarter goal will long be remembered, especially by Collingwood fans.
At that stage, after a slow start to the Round 2 game, the Magpies were leading by eight points when McGuane took the match by the scruff of the neck in a 19-second highlight reel.
Taking the ball in the centre square, McGuane cut inside Carlton's Fraser Brown before running out towards the wing in an attempt to find some clear space. Brown wasn't done as he set off in pursuit but fortunately for him, Mark Fraser was on hand to lay one of the most effective shepherds seen in years as McGuane stormed to the 50-metre line, having taken five bounces.
The dual Copeland medallist wasn't done there, though, as he took his sixth bounce on the line and closed in on goal. This time he was confronted by Blues defender Michael Sexton, but instead of laying the ball off to a better-placed team-mate, McGuane baulked Sexton beautifully, took his seventh bounce and casually slotted a classic goal.
2004 – Essendon v West Coast – James Hird's Late Heroics
It hadn't been a good week for James Hird leading up to this Easter Saturday clash 10 years ago. Coming off the Bombers 34-point loss to St Kilda in Round 2, Hird had had enough as he went on The Footy Show to vent his spleen at umpire Scott McLaren. "Scott McLaren hasn't been our favourite umpires," Hird had said. "That's something that the club and he have to come to terms with, because at the moment there's a feeling at Essendon that he's not doing the right thing by us.''
Having copped a $20,000 fine, Hird was always going to come under scrutiny in this Round 3 match at Etihad Stadium. The controversy hardly seemed to affect him or the Bombers as they kicked away in the first quarter, booting eight goals to three to apparently have the game well and truly in hand.
But West Coast had other ideas and led by superb performances from Chris Judd and Ben Cousins gradually worked their way back into the encounter. As the final seconds ticked down on a seesawing clash, the two sides were locked at 131-apiece when Hird created an iconic AFL moment.
As Judd was slung in a tackle, the ball came loose and Marcus Bullen took possession, flicking it out to Hird on a tight angle in the right pocket. But armed with some seriously silky skills, Hird casually snapped the winning goal. The Golden Boy wasn't done there, though, as he kept on running to envelop Bombers fan Drew Wilson in a bear hug over the fence, creating one of the competition's timeless moments.
The umpire's still had their revenge as Hird was overlooked completely for Brownlow votes. Matthew Lloyd deservedly got the three votes for his eight-goal effort but it was Ben Cousins (2) and Chris Judd (1) that found favour with the umps, despite Hird's 34 touches and three goals.
If it wasn't for Hird's heroics, though, we might have been talking about another dramatic encounter from earlier that day, one that saw North Melbourne's Daniel Wells kick the winning goal from 60 metres in a five-point win over Carlton.
1957 – Easter Monday Comebacks
There are no YouTube clips available but one of the more dramatic Easter clashes occurred down at Geelong in 1957 when the Cats hosted Footscray. With teenage forward Fred Wooler kicking seven of his side's 11 goals, Geelong led by 15 points at the final change, only to see Footscray hit back in the final term. The Dogs kicked 2.6 to just three points although the draw helped maintain a 21-match unbeaten run for the Cats against Footscray at Kardinia Park that lasted from 1946 to 1971.
That wasn't the only dramatic game that day as Fitzroy also came from behind in the last quarter to secure a three-point win over Melbourne at the Junction Oval.