it was not a grand final matchup that was widely anticipated prior to the finals, with the top placed essendon bombers clearly the standout team of the home & away season and heavily backed to reach the grand final against another top four aspirant. while the second placed filled its end of the bargain to qualify for the premiership playoff, the sixth placed carlton blues upset the bombers to qualify as their grand final opponents in one of the biggest boilovers in finals history.