AUSTRALIAN football fans who watched the NFL Superbowl on Monday afternoon would have had a familiar feeling when the lights went out in the third quarter.

As the San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens wandered around confused in near darkness, it brought back memories of the 1996 clash between the Saints and Essendon at Waverley Park.

The Bombers were leading by 20 points with five minutes remaining in the third quarter when the lights flickered and went out due to a nearby car crash into a power pole.

Players and umpires were ushered from the ground with no one quite aware of what procedure to follow.

Fans entered the arena with some dismantling a point post while others lit fires on the ground in a worrying show of mob mentality when normal routine is disrupted.

The two teams returned to Waverley later in the week to finish off the game, with Essendon running out eventual winners 13.11 (89) to 9.13 (67).