MISSION COMPLETE: Essendon's 2000 premiership team. Picture: GETTY IMAGES

A TEAM whose hunger for redemption was so fierce that it became an obsession is how Paul Barnard describes the drive to succeed of Essendon in 2000.

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The pain of a one-point loss to Carlton in the 1999 preliminary final as unbackable favourites that to this day still haunts many an Essendon supporter would prove the driving force for what became a Bombers' blitz in 2000 that has topped our list of the 10 most dominant VFL/AFL premiership seasons of the past 50 years.

Coached by Kevin Sheedy and captained by James Hird, the 2000 Bombers narrowly missed on becoming the first team in VFL/AFL history to complete the perfect season.

A ruthless team on a mission, they won their first 20 games before their only blemish of the year - an 11-point loss to the Western Bulldogs in round 21 on the night Dogs' coach Terry Wallace employed the super flood as a tactic to strangle the Bombers' juggernaut.

The Bombers' season-ending record of 24-1 made them one of only five teams in VFL/AFL history to go through a year with just one loss - Dick Reynolds' Essendon side of 1950 (19-1) had been the last to do it 50 years earlier, with the short list also including Carlton in 1908 (19-1), South Melbourne in 1918 (15-1) and Collingwood in 1929 (19-1).

The free-scoring Bombers averaged 131 points per game and 80 against in 2000 - the 51-point difference is comfortably the biggest in the game's history.

Earlier this month (September 2) marked 20 years since Essendon's 2000 season culminated in a 60-point grand final belting of Melbourne.

Paul Barnard during his stint as general manager of the Bendigo Bombers in 2005.

The triumph of 2000 remains Essendon's last premiership and is now a distant memory for a club that was once a power, but has long been wallowing in mediocrity and is still without a finals win since 2004.

For Barnard - who immediately post his career with Essendon finishing at the end of 2003 was appointed general manager of the Bendigo Bombers - while 20 years may have passed since that year of dominance, he can still vividly recall the intense drive to atone for 1999 that spurred the Bombers from the first day of pre-season to the final siren on grand final day.

"Off the back of what happened in 1999 and how disappointing that was, we owed it to ourselves and our red and black Bomber people to make amends in 2000 and it became an obsession for the group," Barnard said this week.

"I don't remember what round it was, but it got to the point in the back end of the year where we wouldn't sing the song after a win. The whole year was just about getting the job done and getting ourselves back to a preliminary final to make amends for what had happened the year before."

Barnard spent a decade in the AFL at Hawthorn (1994-95, 11 games) and Essendon (1996-2003, 140 games) and says without a doubt, the 2000 Bombers were the hungriest and most driven side that he was part of.

"Through 1997 (14th) and 1998 (8th) we were building and then once 1999 hit it felt we had a decent enough team to challenge, so it was great design work by Sheeds and his staff to get a team that over three years (1999-2001) had a winning percentage of about 80," Barnard said.

"But we were probably a flag short in that period between 1999 and 2001."

REDEMPTION: Essendon players celebrate at the final siren of the 2000 grand final. The Bombers beat Melbourne by 60 points to cap a 24-1 season. Picture: GETTY IMAGES

The Bombers finished on top of the ladder in 1999, 2000 and 2001 and won 62 of 74 games through those three years.

But their three years of dominance only resulted in one premiership, with the 2000 flag sandwiched between the bitter disappointment of the 1999 preliminary final disaster and a grand final loss to Brisbane in 2001 in what was the first of the Lions' three flags in a row.

"The mantra of that 2000 team was to be one unit with no weakness," Barnard said.

"If you look at the forward line there was James Hird, Matthew Lloyd, Scott Lucas, Mark Mercuri, Darren Bewick, Gary Moorcroft.

"In the midfield you've got Blake Caracella, Chris Heffernan, Jason Johnson, Joe Misiti and John Barnes had come to us in the ruck.

"A TEAM OBSESSED" - 20 years on from Essendon's Bomber blitz of 2000 with Paul Barnard

"And then in the backline you just had blokes who'd terrorise the opposition - Damien Hardwick, Dean Solomon, Mark Johnson, Dean Wallis.

"But our greatest strength was our collective as a unit and whenever guys got injured or dropped in form, the next bloke stepped up.

"We had depth in and around the team... guys like Michael Prior, Danny Jacobs and Sean Denham, who is a premiership player (1993) and best and fairest (1997), couldn't get a game."

As for Barnard's role, it could be classed as utility.

"There probably wasn't a position I didn't play that year. My skill-set was to swing forward, back, midfield, I played in the ruck some days, but it was really to add flexibility."

Barnard played 22 of the Bombers' 25 games that season and won them all.

"A TEAM OBSESSED" - 20 years on from Essendon's Bomber blitz of 2000 with Paul Barnard

He had been dropped for the round 21 loss to the Western Bulldogs, but got a reprieve the following week in the Bombers' win over Collingwood to round out the home and away season, before a month later coming off the bench and kicking four goals in the 19.21 (135) to 11.9 (75) grand final win over Melbourne.

"I wouldn't say there was an air of arrogance, but we knew going into the grand final the only way we could redeem ourselves from the year before was to win it," said Barnard, who has this week been appointed coach of Essendon District league club Doutta Stars.

"Melbourne was a good outfit themselves and had earned the right, but they ran into a team that was just totally driven and the game was pretty much over by three quarter-time... some may say it was earlier.

"Looking back, they are terrific memories and I can assure you that it doesn't feel like 20 years ago.

"We haven't been able to do it this year, but normally we catch up each year at a function and it's always a great day, particularly to see the staff again because for any sporting club, they are the backbone.

"They don't ask for much, they give you everything they've got, they're loyal and all they really want is for you to reward them with a bit of success and it was fantastic we were able to do that for them and our supporters in 2000... it was a great year."

"A TEAM OBSESSED" - 20 years on from Essendon's Bomber blitz of 2000 with Paul Barnard

10 MOST DOMINANT VFL/AFL PREMIERSHIP SEASONS SINCE 1970:

1 - ESSENDON 2000

Coach: Kevin Sheedy

Captain: James Hird

Record: 24-1, 163.9%

Average for/agst: 131/80

Points differential: +51

Best and fairest: Dustin Fletcher

Leading goalkicker: Matthew Lloyd (109)

All Australians: Damien Hardwick, Dustin Fletcher, James Hird, Matthew Lloyd, Kevin Sheedy (coach)

Grand final: 19.21 (135) def Melbourne 11.9 (75)

2 - CARLTON 1995

Coach: David Parkin

Captain: Stephen Kernahan

Record: 23-2, 140.6%

Average for/agst: 108/77

Points differential: +31

Best and fairest: Brett Ratten

Leading goalkicker: Stephen Kernahan (63)

All Australians: Stephen Silvagni, Ang Christou, Justin Madden, Craig Bradley, Anthony Koutoufides, David Parkin (coach)

Grand final: 21.15 (141) def Geelong 11.14 (80)

"A TEAM OBSESSED" - 20 years on from Essendon's Bomber blitz of 2000 with Paul Barnard

3 - GEELONG 2011

Coach: Chris Scott

Captain: Cameron Ling

Record: 22-3, 157.0%

Average for/agst: 115/73

Points differential: +42

Best and fairest: Corey Enright

Leading goalkicker: James Podsiadly (52)

All Australians: Matthew Scarlett, Corey Enright, James Kelly, Chris Scott (coach)

Grand final: 18.11 (119) def Collingwood 12.9 (81)

"A TEAM OBSESSED" - 20 years on from Essendon's Bomber blitz of 2000 with Paul Barnard

4 - HAWTHORN 1989

Coach: Allan Jeans

Captain: Michael Tuck

Record: 21-3, 149.5%

Average for/agst: 122/82

Points differential: +40

Best and fairest: Jason Dunstall

Leading goalkicker: Jason Dunstall (138)

Team of Year: Chris Langford, Darrin Pritchard, Jason Dunstall, John Platten

Grand final: 21.18 (144) def Geelong 21.12 (138)

"A TEAM OBSESSED" - 20 years on from Essendon's Bomber blitz of 2000 with Paul Barnard

5 - HAWTHORN 1971

Coach: John Kennedy

Captain: David Parkin

Record: 21-3, 149.2%

Average for/agst: 110/74

Points differential: +36

Best and fairest:Leigh Matthews

Leading goalkicker: Peter Hudson (150)

Team of Year: Not named

Grand final: 12.10 (82) def St Kilda 11.9 (75)

"A TEAM OBSESSED" - 20 years on from Essendon's Bomber blitz of 2000 with Paul Barnard

6 - HAWTHORN 1988

Coach: Alan Joyce

Captain: Michael Tuck

Record: 21-3, 145.9%

Average for/agst: 125/86

Points differential: +39

Best and fairest: Jason Dunstall

Leading goalkicker: Jason Dunstall (132)

Team of Year: Gary Ayres, Chris Langford, Gary Buckenara, Jason Dunstall, John Platten, Dermott Brereton

Grand final: 22.20 (152) def Melbourne 6.20 (56)

"A TEAM OBSESSED" - 20 years on from Essendon's Bomber blitz of 2000 with Paul Barnard

7 - ESSENDON 1985

Coach: Kevin Sheedy

Captain: Terry Daniher

Record: 21-3, 141.1%

Average for/agst: 126/89

Points differential: +37

Best and fairest: Tim Watson

Leading goalkicker: Mark Harvey (48)

Team of Year: Not named

Grand final: 26.14 (170) def Hawthorn 14.8 (92)

"A TEAM OBSESSED" - 20 years on from Essendon's Bomber blitz of 2000 with Paul Barnard

8 - CARLTON 1979

Coach: Alex Jesaulenko

Captain: Alex Jesaulenko

Record: 21-3, 138.8%

Average for/agst: 124/89

Points differential: +35

Best and fairest: Mike Fitzpatrick

Leading goalkicker: Ken Sheldon (53)

Team of Year: Not named

Grand final: 11.16 (82) def Collingwood 11.11 (77)

"A TEAM OBSESSED" - 20 years on from Essendon's Bomber blitz of 2000 with Paul Barnard

9 - HAWTHORN 2013

Coach: Alastair Clarkson

Captain: Luke Hodge

Record: 22-3, 135.7%

Average for/agst: 112/83

Points differential: +29

Best and fairest: Josh Gibson

Leading goalkicker: Jarryd Roughead (72)

All Australians: Sam Mitchell, Jarryd Roughead, Alastair Clarkson (coach)

Grand final: 11.11 (77) def Fremantle 8.4 (62)

"A TEAM OBSESSED" - 20 years on from Essendon's Bomber blitz of 2000 with Paul Barnard

10 - GEELONG 2007

Coach: Mark Thompson

Captain: Tom Harley

Record: 21-4, 160.1%

Average for/agst: 118/74

Points differential: +44

Best and fairest: Gary Ablett

Leading goalkicker: Cameron Mooney (67)

All Australians: Matthew Scarlett, Darren Milburn, Matthew Egan, Jimmy Bartel, Steve Johnson, Cameron Mooney, Gary Ablett, Joel Corey, Cameron Ling

Grand final: 24.19 (163) def Port Adelaide 6.8 (44)