On Saturday, Carlton and North Melbourne will play each other at the MCG for the first time in 21 years. We take a look back at that 2004 contest, a see-sawing affair that was the breakout moment for a beloved Roo.
On April 10, 2004, as a match-winning goal from Daniel Wells sailed through the posts with just eight seconds remaining, it hurt Carlton more than just the four points they let slip through their fingers.
In another world, Wells should have been wearing navy blue instead of blue and white.
In late 2002, Wells had been destined to land at Princes Park after a stellar draft year, where he finished runner-up in the Sandover Medal after a dominant campaign as a 17-year-old for Peel Thunder.
As Wells boarded a flight to Melbourne for that year's national draft, he expected the Blues – who were given a priority pick after winning just three games that season – would take him with their No.2 pick after recruiting Victorian Brendon Goddard with Pick 1.
But when the Carlton salary cap scandal broke just days out from the draft, the Blues were stripped of their top picks and St Kilda (Goddard) and Roos (Wells) swooped in to take the star young players instead.
Eighteen months later, Wells hurt the Blues all over again with the finest moment of a career that, at that stage, was just 21 games old.
The Roos, who had won the previous meeting between the two clubs by a then record 124 points, dominated the early stages of the round three match at the MCG and at one stage had kicked 11.0 to take a 21-point lead into half-time.
But the momentum shifted after the break when Blues coach Denis Pagan – himself a North legend – swung Lance Whitnall into the forward line, with the veteran kicking two goals in the third term to go with two from Brendan Fevola to cut the margin to just four points at the final change.
The Blues edged ahead late in the last term and, after young forward Drew Petrie missed a shot to put his side back in front, the Roos won a contentious free kick in the forward 50 after the ball ricochet off the boot Carlton's Ryan Houlihan and went out on the full.
A quick pass in-board from Daniel Harris ended in a mark for Wells, who lined up a shot from outside 50, up against the boundary on the southern side of the ground as the clock ticked past 30 seconds remaining.
Needing a point for a draw and a goal to win, Wells launched his kick – only his fourth of the day – from 55m and watched it sail over the fingertips of Carlton's defenders on the goal line, just his 13th career goal the most important of his young career that sealed a five-point win.
The close nature of the match was an accurate reflection of the two clubs that season, who both missed finals with a 10-12 record.
That 2004 campaign would prove to be a rare bright spot in a horror period for the Blues, who would finish last or second last five times in six seasons between 2002 and 2007.
A fate that would have likely been very different had Wells – and Goddard – pulled on the navy blue in 2002 instead of ending up elsewhere.
