1981 VFL Season: Essendon
These are the details of the premiership results for Essendon for the 1981 season of the Victorian Football League (currently known as the Australian Football League). The team used Windy Hill as their home ground, playing eight matches there (eight as hosts). The team finished the regular season in fourth place, securing a place in the finals series. Essendon were defeated by Fitzroy in the elimination final, resulting in finishing in fifth place overall (adjusted for finals).
Team Details
Competition:
1981 VFL Season
Team:
Essendon
Club:
Essendon
Home Ground:
Windy Hill
Team Results
Ladder Position:
4th (W-D-L: 16-0-6, P%: 127.6)
Finals Performance:
Defeated by Fitzroy (Elimination Final)
Player Results
| Player | Guernseys | Matches | Goals | Rounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andrews, Ron | #4 | 20 | 12 | R01-14, R18-22, EF |
| Bennett, Peter | #38 | 12 | 4 | R01-02, R04, R07-08, R10-13, R15-17 |
| Besanko, Neil | #30 | 5 | 0 | R01-05 |
| Buhagiar, Tony | #20 | 22 | 42 | R01-15, R17-22, EF |
| Burdett, Geoff | #15 | 6 | 7 | R03-04, R12-15 |
| Carey, Stephen | #17 | 17 | 2 | R01-14, R19, R22, EF |
| Carman, Phil | #8 | 6 | 5 | R01-05, R07 |
| Clarke, Neil | #39 | 20 | 0 | R01-12, R16-22, EF |
| Crow, Max | #31 | 22 | 19 | R01-20, R22, EF |
| Daniher, Neale | #6 | 21 | 11 | R01-21 |
| Daniher, Terry | #5 | 21 | 20 | R01-03, R06-22, EF |
| Dunell, Frank | #7 | 1 | 0 | EF |
| Eustice, Mark | #47 | 9 | 5 | R05-09, R18-21 |
| Fields, Neville | #28 | 2 | 2 | R21-22 |
| Foreman, Wayne | #22 | 8 | 5 | R04-07, R15-18 |
| Foulds, Garry | #10 | 22 | 22 | R01-06, R08-22, EF |
| Fowler, Grant | #23 | 22 | 18 | R01-12, R14-22, EF |
| Hawker, Glenn | #33 | 23 | 17 | R01-22, EF |
| Heard, Shane | #9 | 7 | 5 | R01-03, R14, R21-22, EF |
| Madden, Justin | #44 | 17 | 2 | R05-18, R21-22, EF |
| Madden, Simon | #27 | 19 | 36 | R01-02, R07-22, EF |
| Merrett, Roger | #25 | 10 | 4 | R01-05, R07, R20-22, EF |
| Morrison, Ian | #12 | 3 | 0 | R17-19 |
| Muir, Russell | #42 | 8 | 2 | R06-09, R15-17, R19 |
| Neagle, Merv | #1 | 22 | 10 | R01-08, R10-22, EF |
| Reid, Alan | #2 | 18 | 9 | R01-04, R06-11, R13-16, R19-22 |
| Scanlon, Denis | #36 | 2 | 0 | R02-03 |
| Schultz, Graeme | #14 | 13 | 30 | R10-18, R20-22, EF |
| Shaw, Robert | #26 | 7 | 0 | R04, R09-13, R16 |
| Stoneham, Alan | #11 | 20 | 4 | R03, R05-22, EF |
| Taubert, Steven | #16 | 14 | 2 | R01, R03-05, R11-20 |
| Thomson, Michael | #34 | 10 | 8 | R04-06, R08-09, R13-15, R20, EF |
| Vander Haar, Paul | #18 | 13 | 19 | R01-02, R08-10, R16-22, EF |
| Walsh, Kevin | #41 | 1 | 0 | R06 |
| Watson, Tim | #32 | 17 | 15 | R05-06, R09-22, EF |
Coach Results
| Coach | Matches (W-D-L) | Rounds | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sheedy, Kevin | 23 | 16 | -0- | 7 | R01-22, EF |
Match Results
| Date | Round | Opponent | H/A | Result | Coach | Captain (Nominated) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28/03/1981 | Round 1 | Geelong | AWAY | LOSS | GEEL by 6 | Kevin Sheedy | Simon Madden |
| 04/04/1981 | Round 2 | North Melbourne | HOME | WIN | ESSE by 12 | Kevin Sheedy | Simon Madden |
| 11/04/1981 | Round 3 | Richmond | AWAY | LOSS | RICH by 4 | Kevin Sheedy | Ron Andrews |
| 20/04/1981 | Round 4 | Hawthorn | HOME | LOSS | HWTH by 15 | Kevin Sheedy | Ron Andrews |
| 25/04/1981 | Round 5 | Fitzroy | HOME | LOSS | FITZ by 21 | Kevin Sheedy | Ron Andrews |
| 02/05/1981 | Round 6 | Footscray | AWAY | LOSS | FOOT by 8 | Kevin Sheedy | Ron Andrews |
| 09/05/1981 | Round 7 | St Kilda | HOME | WIN | ESSE by 25 | Kevin Sheedy | Simon Madden |
| 16/05/1981 | Round 8 | Collingwood | AWAY | WIN | ESSE by 57 | Kevin Sheedy | Simon Madden |
| 23/05/1981 | Round 9 | Melbourne | AWAY | WIN | ESSE by 34 | Kevin Sheedy | Simon Madden |
| 30/05/1981 | Round 10 | Carlton | HOME | WIN | ESSE by 35 | Kevin Sheedy | Simon Madden |
| 08/06/1981 | Round 11 | South Melbourne | AWAY | WIN | ESSE by 28 | Kevin Sheedy | Simon Madden |
| 13/06/1981 | Round 12 | North Melbourne | AWAY | WIN | ESSE by 47 | Kevin Sheedy | Simon Madden |
| 20/06/1981 | Round 13 | Richmond | HOME | WIN | ESSE by 4 | Kevin Sheedy | Simon Madden |
| 28/06/1981 | Round 14 | Hawthorn | AWAY | WIN | ESSE by 18 | Kevin Sheedy | Simon Madden |
| 04/07/1981 | Round 15 | Fitzroy | AWAY | WIN | ESSE by 19 | Kevin Sheedy | Simon Madden |
| 18/07/1981 | Round 16 | Footscray | HOME | WIN | ESSE by 93 | Kevin Sheedy | Simon Madden |
| 25/07/1981 | Round 17 | St Kilda | AWAY | WIN | ESSE by 17 | Kevin Sheedy | Simon Madden |
| 02/08/1981 | Round 18 | Collingwood | HOME | WIN | ESSE by 19 | Kevin Sheedy | Simon Madden |
| 08/08/1981 | Round 19 | Melbourne | HOME | WIN | ESSE by 44 | Kevin Sheedy | Simon Madden |
| 15/08/1981 | Round 20 | Carlton | AWAY | WIN | ESSE by 1 | Kevin Sheedy | Simon Madden |
| 22/08/1981 | Round 21 | South Melbourne | HOME | WIN | ESSE by 111 | Kevin Sheedy | Simon Madden |
| 29/08/1981 | Round 22 | Geelong | HOME | LOSS | GEEL by 8 | Kevin Sheedy | Simon Madden |
| 05/09/1981 | Elimination Final | Fitzroy | HOME | LOSS | FITZ by 15 | Kevin Sheedy | Simon Madden |