All things Essendon
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You do what you can when you can. Looking at some of the most basic stats on paper, this looked like a game all Essendon fans would dread in the wide-open expanses at the home of football, with the highest-scoring team coming up against the team that had conceded the most. Sydney had scored 100 or more points 13 times this season, while Essendon’s opposition had done so 12 times. The uncontested…
It’s been a long time. Essendon headed down the highway this week chasing their first win over Geelong since 2018, while it had been well over a generation since the Bombers last won at the Cats’ home ground in 1990. There was therefore plenty of trepidation, with the competition’s fifth-highest scoring side to this Round coming up against the team that had conceded the most points this season.…
Counting down the days. Things certainly haven’t been easy for Essendon this year, and that hasn’t eased on field, with a three-game stretch against opponents who not only have almost every aspect of their game in order, but are also building the momentum needed to take them deep into September. Conversely, for Essendon, the winter has felt long enough and the season’s end couldn’t come quickly…
This is what it’ll be to finish 2026. When I first set out to review Essendon games, I planned to look through the ‘process’ lens rather than purely the outcome. While that was absolutely possible in the early days, the longer this season has gone on, the harder it has become, as an identifiable brand in both aspects of the game, with and without the footy, has been broken down to the point where…
A pleasant surprise. I found some time to squeeze in a replay and review while away on holidays, and why not after Essendon brought up just its second win of the season in what has been a harrowing year of football to date. This week saw a much more complete team effort, starting with selection on Thursday night, followed by the coaching on game day, the experienced leaders and, of course, the…
I’ll be away for the next couple of weeks, so there won’t be any Essendon reviews during that time. If possible, I’ll look to get some retrospective pieces up once I’m back, otherwise, I’ll resume for Round 20 against Hawthorn or Round 21 against Adelaide. Go Bombers!
Here we go again. Another disappointing weekend for everyone associated with Essendon, with the game effectively over before the first break. With every passing week, the reality of where the club currently stands becomes clearer. There is no quick fix, and there is unlikely to be much short-term relief on game day. The final score will be what goes into the record books, but the numbers below…
Where it all comes from (mainly) Time to look at how efficiently teams generate a scoring shot from two of football’s three score sources — clearances (both centre bounces and around-the-ground stoppages) and opposition turnovers. (The third is from kick-ins.) Below is a comparison of 2025 (to Round 24, excluding finals) and 2026 (to Round 16), showing where each team ranked last season and where…
Expectations. The bye arrived at a good time for Essendon after a disappointing first half of 2026, hopefully providing an opportunity for the coaching staff, the players and everyone associated with the football club to reset before what will no doubt be a defining period for its future. What I’ll be looking for in the back half of the season is whether the Bombers can begin consistently meeting…
The game is simple. During the mid-season bye I spent some time going back through a number of figures that I’ll expand on over the coming weeks, before pulling everything together in my end-of-season review. One area that continues to stand out is Essendon’s defensive game. For too long the Bombers have simply been too easy to play against, allowing opposition sides to find uncontested marks,…
