By Wayne Carey
There's nothing quite like genuine rivalry in sport, whether it be between individuals or teams. Not only does it bring out the best in athletes, but it's also a magnet for diehard fans who love a contest.
And it's why there'll be extra spice to Friday night's clash between Essendon and North Melbourne. For as long as I can remember, the Bombers and Kangaroos haven't seen eye to eye.
Kangaroos celebrate a crucial goal by Drew Petrie during the second elimination final against Essendon last season.Credit: Getty Images
While their rivalry may have been punctuated with a series of tense finals clashes in the 1990s, it's arguable that geography alone has played the greatest role in the combative instincts that these teams share.
Just think about it. How often have you, genuinely, praised a neighbouring team? Offered your admiration? Shown humility? No, that's not footy's way.
Most of us are raised as one-eyed as those Magpies supporters we love to hate, but we just don't like to admit it. And when you herd the supporters of two teams into what is effectively the same region of Melbourne, it's easy to understand why the rivalry that exists between these sides is deep seeded.
Not only are many of Essendon and North fans still neighbours, but so too are the players. They drink their coffee at the same cafes, dine in the same restaurants and often enjoy a beer in the same pubs. Being the top dog in any of those situations would bring a certain level of pride and satisfaction. Equally, being on a lower rung can breed jealousy and resentment.
Just cast your minds back to 1998 and the infamous "Marshmallow Match" that Kevin Sheedy orchestrated by suggesting North's hierarchy was soft. Sheeds may have been the master of promotion, but his comments still caused an enormous stir and resulted in one of footy's most famous scenes - the Bombers coach being sent packing from the MCG under a hailstorm of marshmallows when his side lost the qualifying final by 22 points.
While most of the players who'll step out on Friday night will be too young to remember those scenes, Dustin Fletcher and Brent Harvey were playing back then and are likely aware of the growing rivalry that their teams are forging once more.
Indeed, after meeting in the finals last year, the Kangas and Bombers are in similar situations in terms of their development. With the exceptions of Fletch and Boomer, both sides boast relatively young lists, yet have enough experience and talent to be genuine finals contenders.
And their clashes are always entertaining affairs. Not only are they great physical contests, but they're usually high scoring. Genuine shootouts.
The Bombers actually retain the record for the biggest comeback in VFL/AFL history in a match against North, when in 2001, they won by 12 points after trailing the Roos by 69 points midway through the second quarter.
I'm sure it doesn't mean a lot to the likes of Michael Hurley, Dyson Heppell, David Zaharakis, Jake Carlise and Joe Daniher, but it's exactly the kind of ammunition that Essendon supporters would like to have up their sleeve should they be trailing on Friday night.
And there's a very real chance that the Bombers could be in trouble.
Ever since their Anzac Day clash against Collingwood, Essendon's players have appeared slightly lost on the field when under pressure.
In their bid to retain possession, they've begun chipping the ball around so much that they're no longer advancing forward. Instead, they're bizarrely going to options sideways and backwards and the player receiving the ball is often under as much pressure, if not more, than the player giving it.
Not only has it resulted in needless turnovers, but it's also giving their forwards little hope.
Don't worry about the critics who claim Carlisle is out of form and that Daniher is still too young and developing, no forward would stand a chance if they were at the mercy of the Bombers' current style of play. It's impossible to read.
I'd actually go so far as to say that it's the ugliest football in the game right now. Even Carlton, for all their struggles, produce a brand of football that's better to watch.
The Bombers did it at times under Mark Thompson, last year, but had eliminated it from their game in the first few rounds of this season.
It's impossible to know if they're still getting used to a new game plan under James Hird, but a repeat act against North will likely be disastrous.
So good was the Kangaroos' pressure against Richmond last week that they doubled the league's average score from turnovers. They were ferocious when they didn't have the ball, yet retained the poise and nous needed to convert their chances.
Jarrad Waite, Ben Brown and Drew Petrie are leading the way for them up forward. They all like to lead up, meaning the likes of Hurley and Cale Hooker, who loves to take intercept marks and is arguably in All-Australian form again, will need to alter their games to become more accountable as pure one-on-one defenders.
Todd Goldstein has also become one of the standout ruckmen in the game who's not only giving Andrew Swallow, Jack Ziebell and Ben Cunnington first use, but is also finding the ball around the ground himself.
The X-factor in this game, however, remains Essendon's response to yet more off-field turmoil after the World Anti-Doping Agency announced its appeal over the club's 2012 supplements program. That process could realistically mean the saga drags on for several more years.
While Hird has been stoic about that challenge and insisted his players are up for another fight, actions certainly speak louder than words. Will the Bombers be galvanised and stand-up against the Roos, or will the emotional rollercoaster they're back on finally begin to take its toll?