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Simon Eastaugh only made one appearance on the AFL's biggest home-and-away stage, but the former Essendon ruckman made it count.

A list of injuries longer than he wishes to remember meant Simon Eastaugh never got a fair run at building a successful AFL career.

But as the first Anzac Day without an Essendon-Collingwood blockbuster in more than a quarter of a century looms, Eastaugh can look back fondly to 1999, where he helped secure the Bombers' first victory in the biggest fixture on the home-and-away calendar.

Magpies premiership ruckman Damian Monkhorst was dropped during the build-up and Eastaugh - playing just his 13th AFL game, and first since the previous year's qualifying final - took full advantage.

He had a career-best 30 hit-outs to outpoint Magpies duo Mark Richardson and Michael Gardiner, giving silver platter service to a midfield led by the brilliant Mark Mercuri as Essendon won by eight points.

"There'd been a draw and three losses (in Anzac Day contests) and Essendon had high expectations," Eastaugh told AAP.

"A game like that on the national stage, you always want to perform well."

Eastaugh did just that in what was his only appearance for Essendon on Anzac Day, before a crowd of more than 73,000.

The occasion took on greater significance for the then 25-year-old, whose two grandfathers and one great grandfather had served in World War II.

"Having been in Anzac Day marches with them, it had a fair amount of meaning to it," Eastaugh said.

"You look at the sheer size of the crowd, it certainly gives you a lift with your intensity and focus.

"You never forget the playing of the Last Post and standing there for the minute's silence.

"You've got all those people completely silent and then erupting the way they do. There's something electrifying about that."

With Eastaugh prominent in the centre square, Essendon piled on seven goals in a first-quarter blitz.

It came just seven days after they had kicked only three for an entire match in a thumping from West Coast in Perth.

Young Bombers guns Matthew Lloyd and Scott Lucas combined for nine majors and Mercuri added two as veteran goal sneak Darren Bewick celebrated his 200th game.

Essendon lost just three more matches and finished top of the ladder before letting the premiership slip when they fell to Carlton in a famous preliminary final upset.

The Bombers would make amends by giving coach Kevin Sheedy his fourth flag a year later, but things didn't pan out so well for Eastaugh, who missed out on the premiership and found his way to Fremantle via the following pre-season draft.

Injuries had earlier prevented Eastaugh playing any senior football at Richmond under the great Allan Jeans and John Northey.

There were ruptured quadriceps, torn hamstrings and knee surgeries, plus a serious hip issue that arose during the 1999 pre-season and troubled Eastaugh for years.

He managed only a dozen games for the Dockers before a failing body forced him into an early retirement.

"Like most blokes that don't end up having 200-game careers, you never forget the opportunities that you get," Eastaugh said.

"The injuries were the toughest thing to deal with. It's tough when you know you can compete but the body's not as willing as you'd like it to be."

Almost two decades on, Eastaugh is still in WA, having spent time as head coach of WAFL club Perth and an assistant at both West Coast and Fremantle.

The 46-year-old now serves as the Dockers' head of development looking after first to fourth-year players, including possible future stars Andrew Brayshaw and Adam Cerra.

"The experiences you go through shapes the sort of coach you are," Eastaugh said.

"A lot of my coaching is based around young guys making the most of their time and opportunity, and realising their potential."