Review 2021 Season Review - How do you rate it?

Rate the season:

  • A+

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • A

    Votes: 5 16.7%

  • A-

    Votes: 5 16.7%

  • B+

    Votes: 12 40.0%

  • B

    Votes: 4 13.3%

  • B-

    Votes: 2 6.7%

  • C+

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • C

    Votes: 1 3.3%

  • C-

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • D+

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • D

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • D-

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  • F

    Votes: 1 3.3%
  • Total voters
    30

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Dec 14, 2015
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Jye Caldwell & Georgia Clarke
My ladder prediction was 15th, and instead we've finished 8th, 11 wins, and a ticket to finals – exceeded all expectations.

We've got 81 games of experience into 7 debutants, all of whom look likely at AFL level with 3 rising star nominations between them. Jayden Laverde played all 23 games, which is officially a miracle. Two blokes walked away with top 10 finishes in the AFLCA champion player of the year and an AA jacket – a third was robbed of his own jacket.

The culture of the group seems miles better than it was 12 months ago, despite still having a fairly disrupted season flying all over the place and in hubs at a moments notice.

Rutten has earned a fair amount of trust and respect from the supporters and the football community I think, to have galvanised the group, blooded the kids and still made finals is a fairly solid outing for a first year coach in trying circumstances.

Overall I'd probably give it an A-, always room for improvement :smilev1:
 
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Twomey's season review from the AFL/club website:
Bombers' 2021 report card: New stars rise as Dons fly up ladder
While a finals win ultimately eluded Essendon, few could have predicted its top-eight finish.
By Callum Twomey - AFL.com.au - 1 hr ago

After a horror 2020 campaign, the Bombers entered 2021 with few expectations under new coach Ben Rutten. But they surprised many by playing a reliable, consistent and attacking brand that saw them capture an unlikely finals berth.

Sunday's elimination final didn't go to plan, with the Bombers failing to kick a goal in the second half as the Western Bulldogs ran away with a 49-point win in Tasmania. But the result shouldn't dim the overall view of Essendon's season, which saw the Bombers become a more trusted team with a new breed of leading players.

What worked
Rutten backed in youth throughout the season, with NAB AFL Rising Star nominees Harrison Jones, Nik Cox and Archie Perkins all displaying high-end talent. Zach Reid, the No.10 pick from last year, also debuted while Sam Durham was a second-half-of-the-year sensation after being a mid-season rookie selection. Sam Draper and Jye Caldwell, who have played just 35 games between them, shape as long-term guns.

The Bombers were also able to score better than anyone predicted. They finished fourth in the AFL for points scored in the home and away season (averaging 89 points) and although that dropped back to 86 following their poor elimination final, they were still a five-goal better team in 2021 compared to 2020 (albeit with full quarters this year). Jake Stringer (41 goals), Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti (34), Cale Hooker (33) and Peter Wright (29) were all regular goalkickers in a functioning forward line.

What failed
The Bombers beat the sides they should have this season, a step up from recent years, but they still were well behind the best teams in the AFL. The only finals team they overcame was the Western Bulldogs in round 21 and three weeks later the Dogs flipped that result to trounce them in the wet. The Bombers came close against Sydney twice and the Demons and Giants, but were well beaten by Port Adelaide, Brisbane, Geelong. Their 2-6 start to the season meant they were behind the eight-ball from the beginning and next year they will be looking to match it with more of the flag contenders.

MVP
What a rise it was for Darcy Parish in 2021. After being used as a half-forward with spells in the midfield last year and again in the opening two rounds of this season, it took injuries for the Bombers to finally play Parish in his designated spot as a clearance and ball-winning star. He showed why he should have been there earlier, averaging 30 disposals and 7.6 clearances a game, as well as being best afield on Anzac Day, Dreamtime in Perth and the Country game against Geelong. Having been crowned a first-time Therabody All-Australian, he then gathered 35 disposals and 11 clearances in Sunday's loss to the Bulldogs to confirm himself as a big-game player.

Surprise packet
The move of Jayden Laverde from attack to defence was a masterstroke for Rutten. Laverde became one of Essendon's most consistent players across its campaign, shutting down some of the competition's best key forwards while also becoming a regular intercept weapon for the Bombers. Laverde, who was out of contract this season before reaching a trigger for 2022, put in a career-best season and will feature prominently in the club's best and fairest count.

Best moment
The Bombers' round three win against St Kilda was emphatic. After their opening two losses of the season, there was concern about how Essendon's season was shaping. But they absolutely thrashed the Saints by 75 points while recording the first of seven scores above 100 points – 22.11 (143) against St Kilda. Hooker kicked five, Stringer booted four and Parish kickstarted his season with 34 disposals and 10 clearances in Rutten's first win as coach.

Low point
With their finals hopes in the air, Essendon had the chance to really solidify their top-eight chances against Greater Western Sydney in round 19. But the Bombers put in a flat performance against a Giants side that had lost two in a row and was out of form. It left the Bombers needing to come home with a rush to register a finals performance, with their backs-against-the-wall win over the Bulldogs a turning point.

How should they approach list management?
The Bombers need a few things: a key position player at both ends, another bigger midfielder and a small forward. The lack of a groundball crumber was on show against the Dogs with McDonald-Tipungwuti missing. They should, however, be careful not to think a flag is around the corner and instead go again to the NAB AFL Draft, where they will hold pick No.11. They have salary cap space but should take a targeted approach.

Early call for 2022
Essendon has to be breaking the finals drought next year. It has lost six elimination finals since 2004, but after the development and progress of the club this season, the recommitment of key players such as Zach Merrett, Jake Stringer and Parish, and the fact this off-season it will retain its wider squad, a top-six finish next season has to be the benchmark.
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Bombers' 2021 report card: New stars rise as Dons fly up ladder

While a finals win ultimately eluded Essendon, few could have predicted its top-eight finish.
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A
Learn to play in the wet.

if you look at the losses
Swans, Giants, Dees, Rd1 & Blues - all salvageable.
Brissy & the EF - much of the same as the last 20 years. we're useless in the wet.

The Port loss is the one that shows where we have work to do. Purely outclassed.
Cats a similar story.
 
B+ for mine. We clearly performed above expectations but I can't give us an A without that elusive finals win. When we get that it will finally feel like we are truly moving forward in a larger sense. Sure it might be a bit symbolic as a finals win doesn't necessarily mean premiership but we've been stuck without one for so long that it does take on some more meaning.
 
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Fox Footy gave us an A.
8. ESSENDON (11-11, 109.1%)

Three word analysis

Truck’s perfect start

What went right

After losing six of their first eight matches, the Bombers barely put a foot wrong to make the finals. Losing Joe Daniher, Adam Saad and Orazio Fantasia looked devastating during last year’s trade period, but the onfield success of the club in 2021 has clearly dispelled any idea they were going to slump even further than last year’s 13th-placed finish. Darcy Parish was finally given a full-time gig in the midfield and has launched himself into the top-tier of the competition. Zach Merrett was superb despite appearing to fall out of love with the club over the off-season and Jake Stringer was the best rated player in the competition after the mid-season bye, with the perfect role now found for him in this side as a centre-bounce midfielder who drifts forward. Having that trio re-sign this year after all that took place last year was massive. Some fantastic signs development-wise from the kids the Bombers brought in during last year’s draft, centering on Harrison Jones, Nik Cox, Archie Perkins and Zach Reid.

What went wrong
Their start to the season had alarm bells going off everywhere, but credit to them for steadying. Some brutal injury blows in Round 2 threatened to derail their season. It would’ve been great for the Bombers to have Michael Hurley on the field but he has had a torrid run with a hip injury that looked to threaten not only his career but his livelihood. It’s bizarre to say given how low expectations were for them heading into the year, but it was a pretty disappointing performance against the Western Bulldogs in the Elimination Final, kicking a paltry four goals for the entire match and getting smacked by a team they’d beaten earlier that month.

What they need
They need more from a couple of senior players in Devon Smith and Dylan Shiel. While injuries have interrupted their seasons, the rapid development of the players around them has put their positions in a bit of doubt. The massive development of Darcy Parish has put Shiel and Smith in the background, while the trademark pressure Smith applied in his first season at the club is nowhere to be found three years on. Peter Wright has shown glimpses of the considerable talent he has but is still to inconsistent to truly command the forward mix of the Bombers, who still lack that genuine elite target going inside 50 barring Jake Stringer, who is now often at centre-bounces. Cale Hooker was fantastic for much of the year, which helped cover for the forward deficiencies.

What time is it on the premiership clock?
5pm: The Bombers have shown success isn’t as far away as many of us thought given their run to the finals was arguably the shock of the season. There’s clearly the possibility for them to build on this year’s results in 2022. The worry, as expressed by Essendon great Matthew Lloyd, is that they don’t stumble or get complacent now that they’ve put together a great body of work. The young brigade will only improve with another full pre-season, but a flag tilt is at least another year away and probably most likely a couple.

Season grade
A
- David Zita
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A​

  • Re-signed 3 out of the top 40 players in the comp to long-term deals. This should pretty much seal the A grade on its own. Not many expected us to retain Merrett, let alone develop the list-wide buy-in we've seen in '21. This was the goal out of 2021, and we surpassed it well and truly.
  • Rejuvenated the list by not only blooding youth (the rise of Jones & Draper, the debuts of Reid, Perkins, Cox, Durham), but also giving players like Laverde, Stewart new leases on life down back and unlocking the potential of Hind.
  • Beat the teams we should beat convincingly enough to earn our finals spot. Eighth best is nothing to scoff at.
  • Played a good, exciting brand of team-oriented footy. Have seen more shepherds this year than probably the last 10 combined.
  • Fans are back on board and proud to support this great club after a 2020 many thought to be the cliff edge.
  • The boys are having fun playing for our club again. An awesome young group you can see the bond between ↓↓↓
​
 
Solid B+

Highlight: The Kids!

7 debutants this year who have played at least one game in the season is a huge effort! 4 of these guys played the majority of the year, and all at some stage had some positive impact. Cox, Perkins, Jones & Durham.

Cox
Perkins
Jones
Reid
Durham
Waterman
Bryan

All will be even better with another pre season! Get excited peeps.
 
B+

Found some kids.
Zerrett and DP3 amazing.
I love the Draperman.
Hindu is a jet.

Need to go on with it though.
 
B.

Start of the season I wasn't as pessimistic as many pundits in general. I thought with a decent run injury wise compared to last year we could finish 9-12 range. Losing Daniher & Fantasia meant 4/5ths of * all given they hadn't played for pretty much three years. Losing Saad was going to hurt us with McKenna leaving, or so I thought.

To make finals, particularly after the start and the injuries we had to pretty much our entire midfield unit was a terrific effort. Won pretty much all the games we should have against the teams that finished below us, rd1 and * carlton aside. Downside was that we got smacked about by most of the top 4 and only managed 1 win against the top 8.

Parish & Merrett's seasons, brilliant.
Big Sammy :hearteyes:
Nick Hind
A game plan
A selection policy that didn't have us shaking our heads (mostly)
The belief within the group

Looking forward to what next season will bring.
 
B+
Basic view- scraped into 8th, lost winnable games early, beaten convincingly in the final game and failed to beat many quality sides.

From a more detailed view it's a lot of what has been mentioned.
Young players,
Apparent turn in culture,
Consistent dependable game style (for this alone makes up a bulk of happiness with the year),
A modern coaching panel,
Unity from top to bottom with the club.

But a B+ year is nothing if it's backed up by C and D performances in the following.
We need to consolidate this and make this our floor. This is the level we hit going forward with this group at a bare minimum.

Next step forward is boost the win total against higher ranked teams and hopefully qualify for the 8.
We don't have to win that final, I'm more looking for a more well rounded roster in the next 12 months vs a big jump in on field success. We will be media and expert darlings headed into next year so will be a year where the pressure will be magnified.
Think this year with the travel was a good test so hoping going forward we can be a strong road team and hoping for a more consistent year player availability wise on the park.
 
A-

Would have been A+ if we'd won a final.
 

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Essendon list analysis: Every Bomber rated and when they are next out of contract
The Bombers were the surprise packet of 2021. But are they really on their way to being a contender? Check out our ratings of every player on the list

Essendon will be bolstered by two lockdown defenders who will tighten the backline and allow gamebreakers Jordan Ridley and Nick Hind to be unleashed as rebounding weapons.
The Bombers expect to be significantly stronger from the team eliminated by Grand Finalist Western Bulldogs, even though their list will become younger without Cale Hooker, David Zaharakis and Paddy Ambrose.
Defenders Jake Kelly (Adelaide), Zach Reid, and Hind, midfielder Kyle Langford and forwards Harry Jones, Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti and Nik Cox should all walk into coach Ben Rutten’s 22.
Fatigued teenager Archie Perkins had just two kicks against the Dogs after a long season while Jye Caldwell returned 22 weeks after hamstring surgery to play his 14th game.


If you count Perkins and Caldwell then Rutten can bank on nine players powering up his team before the draft (Essendon has pick 11) or Michael Hurley’s attempt to come back from a hip infection.

McDonald-Tipungwuti took a break for personal reasons before Round 22.

But it’s believed the cult hero is certain to return and could’ve made a shock semi-final appearance if the Dons had progressed.

Kelly and Reid are the new clamps who will allow Hind and, in particular, best-and-fairest winner Ridley to shine even brighter.

Ridley was forced to mind matchwinners Robbie Gray (goalless) and Toby Greene (two goals) this year and was undersized against Aaron Naughton (three goals) in the final.

The Bombers were thrilled to land Kelly as a free agent because he will play on the small forwards who have inflicted so much damage.


Three of the five four-goal hauls kicked against Essendon since Round 2 were by players under 180cm — Tom Papley (Sydney), Cody Weightman (Western Bulldogs) and Jamie Elliott (Collingwood).

Harry McKay (Carlton) and Matt Taberner (Fremantle) were responsible for the others.

While Kelly doesn’t play sexy football, at 26 and after 110 games his prime seasons as a stopper be as a Bomber.

The son of Collingwood premiership player Craig Kelly could play against younger brother Will on Anzac Day.

Reid could quickly slot in at fullback despite the 19-year-old undergoing surgery in July to fix a stress fracture in his lower back.

That setback kept Reid to just one AFL game in his first season and denied him the chance to join Cox, Perkins and Jones as Rising Stars.

The 202cm Leongatha lad is being groomed to play on the 200cm monster forwards, such as the King twins and McKay.

Rutten wants a stiffer backline after the Bombers were the easiest team to move the ball against and ranked 11th for scores conceded from inside 50s (43 per cent).


Essendon also spoke to midfielder Dylan Stephens but he is now expected to re-sign with Sydney, with Jordan Dawson and George Hewett likely to free up salary cap space for Stephens by leaving the Swans.

The Bombers desperately need a power forward to partner Jones but are unlikely to find one this year.

But have a wildcard in Kaine Baldwin, who was on track to be top five pick in last year’s draft before suffering two ACL blows to his right knee.

The Bombers handed the 194cm spearhead a rookie lifeline in March and Baldwin made a heartwarming return in August, playing two reserves games.

Baldwin’s first goal set up by a brutal tackle showcasing his toughness and drew a wild celebration from those who appreciated his comeback.

The resilient goalkicker can now draw on three Grand Final combatants for inspiration — Max Gawn, Jake Lever (Melbourne) and Roarke Smith (Western Bulldogs) have all overcome two knee reconstructions.

BOMBER BIBLE: EVERY ESSENDON PLAYER RATED
Essendon will expect to be significantly stronger next year from the team eliminated by Grand Finalist Western Bulldogs, even though their list will become younger without Cale Hooker, David Zaharakis and Paddy Ambrose.

Defenders Jake Kelly (Adelaide), Zach Reid, and Hind, midfielder Kyle Langford and forwards Harry Jones, Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti and Nik Cox should all walk into coach Ben Rutten’s 22.

Fatigued teenager Archie Perkins had just two kicks against the Dogs after a long season while Jye Caldwell returned 22 weeks after hamstring surgery to play his 14th game.

If you count Perkins and Caldwell then Rutten can bank on nine players powering up his team before the draft (Essendon has pick 11) or Michael Hurley’s attempt to come back from a hip infection.

McDonald-Tipungwuti took a break for personal reasons before Round 22.

But it’s believed the cult hero is certain to return and could’ve made a shock semi-final appearance if the Dons had progressed.

Jake Kelly and Zach Reid are the new clamps who will allow Hind and, in particular, best-and-fairest winner Ridley to shine even brighter in season 2022.

Here is the most comprehensive analysis that we have ever compiled on the entire Essendon playing list from 2021.



1. Andy McGrath Age: 23 Games: 93 Status: Signed to 2022

Getting McGrath back to his best shapes as one of Essendon’s biggest priorities this off-season. Knee surgery cost him eight matches – where his rehabilitation was hurt by spending 14 days in isolation – and the energetic wingman was a little off the pace for his final three games. The 2016 draft dux remains a brilliant clubman and was remarkably named vice-captain at the tender age of 22. Next captain?

2. Sam Draper. Age: 22 Games: 21 Status: Signed to 2023

The kid who spent six years guarding soccer goals in England has transformed into one of the AFL’s most watchable big men. Draper was 17 when he decided to give the Sherrin a go at South Australian club Reynella Wineflies and nine months later the Bombers pounced. Champion Data rated Draper’s 13 games this season as elite for centre bounce clearances and above average for hit-outs-to-advantage, clearances and score involvements among all ruckmen. But it is the vigour which flows as freely as his mullet which captures Draper’s importance. Safe hands – perhaps helped from a childhood spent protecting a soccer net – and plenty of oomph, you can see why the Bombers wanted Tom Bellchambers to be ruck coach rather than player in 2021.


3. Darcy Parish. Age: 24 Games: 116 Status: Signed to 2023

Reputations are forged in finals – just ask Gary Rohan and Tom Boyd – and Parish has this year’s Anzac Day medal, Yiooken Award and Tom Wills Medal hanging in his house to prove he was built for the big ones. Parish was also on world-record pace at halftime of the elimination final with 23 disposals before last year’s wannabe Bomber Josh Dunkley was sent to tag. Parish was one of just three midfielders to rate elite for disposals, clearances and score involvements this season. Coach Ben Rutten forecast 30 per cent improvement after watching Parish’s running ability soar last summer, setting up a long overdue return to the midfield. But this is the quote from Darcy which excites the most: “I can be a much better player than I am now with my execution and decisions off the ball”. Scored a big pay rise with a two-year deal which takes him to restricted free agency in 2023.

4. Kyle Langford. Age: 24 Games: 98 Status: Signed to 2022

James Hird answered Langford’s phone call in 2018 and agreed to mentor the utility whe just enjoyed his best season. In Hird’s eyes, Langford was the most exciting kid on the list. The AFL’s decision to scrap the pre-finals bye cost Langford (hamstring) a place in Essendon’s line-up for the knockout contest against Western Bulldogs. He was sorely missed, although after straining the same string twice in one season playing it safe was a smart decision.

5. Devon Smith. Age: 28 Games: 174 Status: Signed to 2023

Will Devon be a Don beyond this deal? It is a question which surfaced this season as Garry Lyon questioned Smith’s place in the 2021 team. The little man lacks the engine to transform into a proper midfielder and undisciplined moments have left supporters – and surely teammates – frustrated. Remember the 50m for umpire abuse, which cost a goal against Melbourne? Smith was excluded from the leadership squad this season, but glowing praise from Will Snelling and Kaine Baldwin show Smith is still a strong source of support. And while there is pressure building on Smith, he remains one of the game’s better pressure players. This season Smith ranked No. 6 of all small forwards in the AFL, applying 32.7 forward half pressure points per game.


6. Jye Caldwell. Age: 20 Games: 14 Status: Signed to 2024

GWS captain Phil Davis declared Jye Caldwell was “something really special” in 2019. “If I was going to put a 10-year contract in front of anyone, I’d put it in front of Jye Caldwell,” Davis declared. But Essendon courted Caldwell with a four-year contract in 2020, where he is on track to become that premium inside-outside midfielder coach Ben Rutten craves. This is a trade Bombers fans will look back on with a grin. Caldwell cost two second-round picks, a price that was offset by picks 44 and 74 coming with Caldwell. Clever minds think Caldwell is a better player than Fremantle’s Adam Cerra, who could cost Carlton pick No. 6 next month. Caldwell had hamstring surgery just two games into his contract in a cautious approach the Bombers believe was the right option long term. The fact the Bombers backed this 20-year-old to return in an elimination final after missing 22 weeks out shows their faith, and at quarter-time he had nine disposals and four inside 50s. Ironically, Caldwell was drafted by GWS with the No. 11 pick Essendon gave the Giants in the Devon Smith deal. Caldwell is as tough as a $2 steak and, according to Davis, has shown glimpses of greatness.

7. Zach Merrett. Age: 25 Games: 165 Status: Signed to 2027

Merrett is a man of his word. In May he told Herald Sun chief football writer Mark Robinson that wanted Essendon to show it had stabilised after a tumultuous 2020 before recommitting. Ben Rutten became Merrett’s fourth coach in eight seasons, but as this season evolved brightly Merrett rejected free agency and put pen to paper on a six-year deal worth more than $800,00 per season. Merrett’s contract year produced career highs for disposals (31.5), uncontested possessions (22.4), inside 50s (5.5) and score assists (1.7).

8. Martin Gleeson. Age: 27 Games: 95 Status: Out of contract

It is a nervous wait for Marty, who is again out of contract after another season impacted by injury. Gleeson got on the grass in only four games this season, although that included the elimination final when he returned form. The arrival of Jake Kelly probably won’t help the light defender’s contract chances and he remains three games shy of 100. Gleeson and Dylan Clarke were demoted to the rookie list last year in a decision which created two extra spots for the national draft.

9. Dylan Shiel. Age: 28 Games: 180 Status: Signed to 2024

Is Shiel in Essendon’s starting centre square? Perhaps not after a season where Zach Merrett, Darcy Parish and Jake Stringer shone at the feet of Sam Draper. Shiel shifted forward after missing 17 weeks but managed only one goal despite roughly a 70-30 split between attack and midfield. You wouldn’t want Shiel kicking for your life but despite some of the external pessimism there is a lot of love between him and the Bombers, with speculation of a trade simply false.



10. Aaron Francis. Age: 24 Games: 50 Status: Signed to 2022

Francis played 100 per cent of gametime as a defender in Rounds 1-12, missed eight weeks and then played 100 per cent time forward in the final five games. Francis entered having completed a full pre-season, but the question remains unanswered. Where does Francis fit in? There won’t be room for him in the backline and his forward venture returned only 2.6, going goalless in four out of five games. Could the 192cm South Australian make it on a wing, where there is less pressure on his disposal? Make-or-break year in 2022, when his contract ends.

11. David Zaharakis. Age: 31 Games: 226 Status: Delisted

Delisted by the Bombers 10 years after winning their best-and-fairest, but remains desperate to go on. Will there be a suitor? Early signs suggest the Zaharakis story will end on 226 games, which included nine this season. Will forever be remembered for booting the Anzac Day winner as a teenager in 2009 and perhaps for refusing to partake in the supplements program due to a fear of needles, sparing him from the world-enforced suspensions.

12. Tom Cutler. Age: 26 Games: 85 Status: Signed to 2022

The keen chess player showed he was no pawn by playing 10 out of the last 11 matches, averaging 15.5 disposals, 10.9 uncontested possessions, 302 metres gained and 4.2 marks. That charge earned Cutler – the man with a big body and an even bigger kick – a contract for next season. Cutler grew up a Lions supporter but was told to pursue rival offers in 2019 and when none had landed late in trade period his career sat on a knife’s edge. Brisbane also hadn’t tabled its wingman anything and on deadline eve panicked phone calls were made. But the Bombers put a bid in about two hours from the buzzer and, after some stressful negotiations, Cutler cut it fine before making it to Tullamarine with 20 minutes left on the trade clock.

13. Nik Cox. Age: 19 Games: 20 Status: Signed to 2022

The Victorians drafted in 2020 were given a free pass because they had missed a full season of development as 17 or 18-year-olds. Look at the Rising Star podium – all second-year players. But Cox didn’t claim his and remarkably he even polled a vote from talent boss Kevin Sheehan. At 200cm athlete who runs like the wind, Cox is unlike any other player. Burst out of the blocks playing on the wing before fatigue set in. But this boy could, quite literally, be anything.

14. Jordan Ridley. Age: 22 Games: 48 Status: Signed to 2024

Required to play as a key defender, Ridley relished the challenge to keep his momentum rolling after last year’s remarkable best-and-fairest. Lost just 15 per cent of his defensive one-on-one contests this year – the second-best percentage recorded in the AFL. But there will be more razzle dazzle from Ridley next year with Jake Kelly’s arrival set to free up the defensive architect.

15. Jayden Laverde. Age: 25 Games: 69 Status: Contracted for 2022

Laverde hit a contract trigger to guarantee a place on the 2022 list, but, really, he deserves much more. From approaching the scrap heap to first picked defender it was an astonishing turnaround, which should be reflected with a top-five finish in the best-and-fairest, perhaps even on the podium. For all of Darcy Parish’s richly deserved praise, is there an argument that Laverde should be crowned the club’s most improved player? Laverde had spent six seasons suffering shoulder, ankle and several hamstring setbacks while languishing in the forward line without making a mark. He had kicked three goals in a game just once and had never recorded more than 21 disposals. But the 190cm flanker floated behind the ball for the second half of last year’s loss to Western Bulldogs. That small sample caught Rutten’s eye and in last season’s exit meeting Laverde learned his pre-season would be spent in defence under new assistant Daniel Giansiracusa, who was also observing last year’s spontaneous two-quarter trial. Suddenly, Laverde was the AFL’s new super stopper as the undersized backman still on his L plates yet beating the best goalkickers in the land. Just ask Ben King, Lance Franklin, Tom Hawkins and Jack Riewoldt, who were all kept to two goals or less. The fantastic fullback also formed part of an all-time no-frills spine. Rutten rolled out Jayden Laverde, James Stewart, Aaron Francis and Peter Wright and played finals. On paper that is nowhere near big Blues Harry McKay, Charlie Curnow, Jacob Weitering and Liam Jones.

16. Archie Perkins. Age: 19 Games: 21 Status: Signed to 2022

Like Cox, Perkins wasn’t expected to produce what he did this season. The powerful midfielder played 21 games as his ability to keep his feet stood out. Marches to the beat of his own drum and plays with just as much personality.

17. James Stewart. Age: 27 Games: 72 Status: Signed to 2022

Kevin Sheedy marched into Adrian Dodoro’s headquarters and declared: “Don’t miss him”. James Stewart had requested a trade home and Sheedy – having coached Stewart at the Giants – wanted Essendon to pounce. “I’d be disappointed if he doesn’t play 200 games. His rate of improvement is as good as any player at (Essendon) since he debuted,” Sheedy said. It has been a slow burn for Stewart, but the flame is now hotter than ever. Another Rutten success story, Stewart stopped Josh Bruce, Harry Himmelberg and Tom McDonald this season – keeping them to one goal or less – after being switched to defence. The 200-game milestone appears out of reach, but Stewart played the final 17 matches in 2021. He had never played that many in any of his previous eight AFL seasons, the first of which ended with a shock debut that was given by Sheedy in his coaching farewell.

18. Michael Hurley. Age: 31 Games: 193 Status: Signed to 2022

It was a wipe-out year for Hurley as he dealt with a frightening hip infection that could’ve cost him a limb. Hurley is contracted next season and the Bombers will back in their man who wants to make a comeback. It would be an incredible achievement given Hurley lost 10kg, was bedridden for a month and has had multiple operations. Could a fit Hurley be the wildcard up forward? That’s where Rutten had him training last summer before the health scare.

19. Nick Hind. Age: 27 Games: 43 Status: Signed to 2023

Nick Hind will wind up the answer to a trivia question. Which AFL footballer played all 22 home-and-away games but missed a final because they visited a supermarket to purchase a roast chicken? But there is nothing trivial about this run-and-gun weapon’s importance to Essendon. It was when Hind was ruled out of that elimination game due to his hotspot chicken trip that club great Matthew Lloyd gave up hope of an upset win. The kid who didn’t like the TAC Cup, preferring to work as a plumber during the week and turn out for Clunes where his dad was coach, is a human highlights reel. Hind’s mind defaults to offence and he took 40 running bounces this year, several of which led up to his jaw-dropping goal against Hawthorn.



20. Peter Wright. Age: 25 Games: 87 Status: Signed to 2023

Wright probably paid off his cheap three-year contract in two hours when he booted seven goals against Grand Finalist Western Bulldogs, even if he didn’t get a single kick when the clubs met again in a final and Alex Keath had returned. It remains hard to envisage Wright reproducing that dominance he showed against the Dogs in September and so he probably remains more of a back-up option rather than bankable big man.

21. Dyson Heppell. Age: 29 Games: 191 Status: Signed to 2022

Dyson Heppell is not a midfielder. He is a halfback, and this year he proved that. Queries over his pace were quickly answered as Champion Data rated Heppell elite for disposals, uncontested possessions, marks and intercept possessions among all general defenders this season. Heppell has also helped the Bombers become a happy club once again. As he told teammates after a gut-wrenching loss to Sydney in Round 4: “I know we are hurting right now, but f---, I have loved playing with you boys. Everyone is so committed for the first time in a long time.”

22. Irving Mosquito. Age: 21 Games: 4 Status: Delisted

Sadly, Mosquito has buzzed off for good as the pull of home and laborious rehabilitation to overcome a knee reconstruction conspired to make playing AFL again too tough. List boss Adrian Dodoro let out a fist pump when he used pick 38 (2018) to pinch Mosquito – an Essendon supporter – from Hawthorn’s academy, likening him to Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti. Mosquito’s left knee gave way in his fourth AFL game and after that setback the Bombers said he lacked the desire and motivation to play AFL again.

23. Harry Jones. Age: 20 Games: 16 Status: Signed to 2023

The way Harry moves and floats across the pack to mark – while wearing a long-sleeve Essendon jumper – is reminiscent of a young James Hird. Jones made his AFL debut in Round 1 and jagged 20.6 from 16 games. Is he ready to lead Rutten’s forward line from Round 1 next year? It’s one of the key questions for 2022. The answer is probably not, but he might have to anyway because star goalkickers are hard to find. Jones became Essendon’s third Rising Star nominee with far less fanfare than Cox and Perkins before having foot surgery in August, which cost him a place in the elimination final. But Jones should be fully fit by the start of pre-season. He scored a goal 18 per cent of the time when he was targeted inside 50 this season, which was ranked No. 17 in the AFL.

24. Nick Bryan. Age: 19 Games: 1 Status: Signed to 2023

Outpolled Nick O’Kearney to claim the VFL best-and-fairest as a 202cm ruckman who had more taps than a plumbing warehouse and says he has met Michael Jackson. Bryan’s hit-out craft at throw-ins and ball-ups which spiked hard, which would excite young midfielders such as Jye Caldwell and Darcy Parish. Bryan averaged 32 hit-outs, 15 disposals and nine marks in nine VFL games, ranking second in the competition for hit-outs as he gave his midfielders first use. Received a rushed debut this year when Andrew Phillips and Sam Draper were injured and then rejected offers from rivals to re-sign for two years.



25. Jake Stringer. Age: 27 Games: 157 Status: Signed to 2024

Some sharp minds at the Bulldogs were stunned at Stringer’s midfield transformation as he became the AFL’s No. 1 centre-bounce player. At times it was like watching Dustin Martin as Stringer crashed through contests and kicked it long as a genuine match-winner. In 2015 Stringer exploded onto the scene with 56 goals as a 21-year-old All-Australian forward. He then sat in a slump for portions of the next five seasons. But the 2016 premiership player’s special powers returned in a contract year, which jammed his price north – perhaps beyond what had been budgeted for – as a three-year deal was inked. Stringer became the AFL’s best exponent at the ‘money kick’, with the Bombers retaining possession from 65 per cent of his kicks inside 50.

26. Cale Hooker. Age: 32 Games: 219 Status: Retired

Swingman wanted to play on but decided to hang them up after Essendon told him a contract offer was not coming. Despite the injury to Jones, Hooker was dropped after Round 19 in what was the full stop on a 219-game career. But by no means did Hooker crawl to the line – his 33 goals was only behind Stringer (41) and McDonald-Tipungwuti (34). West Coast considered bringing Hooker home when Eagle Mitch Brown explored a trade in 2013, but Hooker wanted to stay at the club he loved and that spurred him on. Hooker was an All-Australian defender the following season and won the best-and-fairest playing predominantly a forward the season after that. Heppell and Hurley now remain the last links to the drugs saga.

27. Mason Redman. Age: 24 Games: 60 Status: Signed to 2023

The defender who enjoys scuba diving spent 2020 trying to stay afloat. Redman – a social butterfly – hated hub life and worried his body would break down because of a niggly groin. But in 2019 Redman was Essendon’s most improved player in 2019 and in 2021 he was wildly underrated. Played a career-best 22 games and inked a two-year contract extension, confirming he is part of Rutten’s plans.

28. Ned Cahill. Age: 20 Games: 6 Status: Delisted

The Mt Eliza kid who rocks Shane Crawford’s 1999 Brownlow Medal looks quickly broke into Essendon’s team and has been delisted just as fast. It was Round 7 last season when Cahill and Cody Weightman – good mates and goalsneaks – made their AFL debuts in the same match. But the Bomber who lights up Tik Tok made just five more appearances and his draft contract has not been renewed.

29. Patrick Ambrose. Age: 30 Games: 88 Status: Retired

Paddy Ambrose was a keen surfer who juggled studies with part-time work pouring beers at the Skinny Dog in Kew and playing for Old Xaverians not long before he became a Bomber. Ambrose had slipped through the TAC Cup cracks – a broken arm sabotaged a shot at Oakleigh’s under-16 squad – and he joined Coburg when schoolmates Dan Hannebery and Alex Johnson (who he ran the 4x800m relay with) were drafted by Sydney. Then, whoosh. Ambrose’s elite endurance helped make him the VAFA’s best athlete and a sizzling seven-game stint alongside brother Murphy at Essendon’s VFL team in 2012 scored him a rookie contract as a 22-year-old. It is time for Ambrose to embrace family life with partner Ali and daughter Summer after toiling hard to get his opportunity as a 22-year-old. Then, Ambrose rose the standards owing to his outstanding professionalism while his unwavering courage and refusal to be beaten one-on-one earned instant respect. In fact, Ambrose was the premier athlete on the list as he showed up most of his AFL mates for strength and power. Ambrose has been sighted once since the pandemic started – a Lisfranc injury wiped 2020 and wrecked most of 2021 – and his journey ends after 88 determined game. Now it is time for Ambrose to embrace family life with partner Ali and daughter Summer.


30. Brandon Zerk-Thatcher. Age: 23 Games: 17 Status: Signed to 2023

Adrian Dodoro once said Zerk-Thatcher moves a lot like his good mate Stephen Silvagni – the defender’s reach, spoil and long torso drawing comparisons to the Carlton great – and remains encouraging. But Zerk-Thatcher played just six games under new coach Ben Rutten as Jayden Laverde and James Stewart rolled back on the field and went past him this year. Next year Zach Reid and Jake Kelly might do the same and so while it is worth remembering talls take time and ‘BZT’ is contracted for another two seasons, it is time to get a wriggle on. Saddled up next to Tigers champion Alex Rance in a VFL outing against Southport.

31. Zach Reid. Age: 19 Games: 0 Status: Signed to 2022

Christmas Day fell on December 9 for Essendon last year as it entered the draft holding three golden picks, and it was like coach Ben Rutten spent so long playing with his first two presents (Nik Cox and Archie Perkins) that he ran out of time to enjoy the third. The wrapping paper was ripped off in Round 5 – and there must’ve been a lot of it – but after just one game this 202cm fullback was carefully resealed back in the box. Reid was ruled out for the season in July and underwent surgery on a stress fracture in his lower back. But the Leongatha lad is licking his lips at launching into a full pre-season and looms as the trump card next season. Reid has mimicked the AFL entry made by “Gatha” greats Dyson Heppell and Jarryd Roughead, who were also grabbed in the top 10. Reid resembles Harris Andrews while his right shoe is a weapon. Built to play on the biggest forwards, such as 200cm twins Ben and Max King, and boasting a beautiful kick, he was bagged by the Bombers with the No. 10 selection received from Carlton for Adam Saad.

32. Josh Eyre. Age: 18 Games: 0 Status: Signed to 2022

Bombers fan with a booming left foot based his game on idol Joe Daniher and also loved Matthew Lloyd. Eyre lobbed last year when Essendon matched Richmond’s bid for its academy member with Indigenous heritage at pick No. 39. The 198cm swingman also has the athleticism to play on a wing and can run 20m in under 3sec. Started forward in the VFL this year and thumped a 55m goal against Southport when Alex Rance was a teammate before moving to defence where he stood goalkickers with AFL experience. Worked hard on his aerial craft this year and was a regular in the coaches’ offices as a keen learner eager to get better.

33. Brayden Ham. Age: 22 Games: 32 Status: Signed to 2022

Brayden Ham had to carve up the TAC Cup as a 19-year-old to get a slice of draft action as Essendon brought in the kid who finished runner-up to Sam Walsh in Geelong Falcons’ best-and-fairest with its last draft pick (No. 7 in 2018). Ham weighed just 68kg but had beefed up to 77kg before this season and that summer of strength work was swiftly rewarded with a contract for next season. Ham’s last TAC Cup pre-season wasn’t far off AFL standard, helping him settle in at Tullamarine. He has gone five games (2019), 10 games (2020), 19 games (2021), although would be disappointed that a quiet game in Round 19 ended his season. The hard-running wingman’s hurried snap from 45m floated through to finish off Fremantle in Round 7 and he harbours dreams of playing as an inside midfielder after thriving there at junior level.

34. Andrew Phillips. Age: 30 Games: 52 Status: Signed to 2022

The Bombers are 7-4 when Sam Draper’s experienced understudy plays, and the two losses this year were against GWS by two points and Richmond after the Dons led in the last quarter. Classy tap work, competitiveness and forward craft are his strengths and, quite remarkably, Adrian Dodoro thinks some of the 30-year-old’s best footy is in front of him. Perhaps Phillips is the AFL’s ultimate journeyman. The one-year contract king from Tasmania has toiled away for 52 games in 10 years, drifting from the Giants to the Blues to the Bombers. Phillips played 16 games for Carlton and in every other season he has managed less than 10.


35. Matt Guelfi. Age: 24 Games: 60 Status: Signed to 2022

Not many 20-year-olds get a look in these days, but when Guelfi the apprentice electrician got to Essendon at pick 78 in 2017 it was because the club knew a broken leg at 17 had short-circuited the Claremont midfielder’s development. Guelfi can plug in to most parts of the ground and played with extra spark this year, peeling off 20 matches with plenty of effort.

36. Lachlan Johnson. Age: 20 Games: 0 Status: Delisted

The son of Brisbane Lions Hall of Famer Chris Johnson returned from an ACL injury sustained playing for Scotch College to play 10 VFL games this season, but it wasn’t enough to stay on the list.

37. Dylan Clarke. Age: 23 Games: 24 Status: Out of contract

Clarke collected 25 touches in three quarters of his VFL comeback match this year. He had missed six months with an ankle injury. But coach Ben Rutten gave him just three games in the run to the finals, demoting Clarke to the substitute in Round 23 and then out of the team for the final, despite conditions appearing to suit him. That leaves the uncontracted running machine in limbo. If it is the end for Clarke he might just be best remembered for his AFL debut. It was Round 11 in 2019 when the Ferntree Gully kid was told to tag Patrick Cripps and he went and took the Carlton captain to the cleaners. Cripps had just two kicks – perhaps his worst performance – and the 41-point loss cost Brendon Bolton his coaching career.

38. Cody Brand. Age: 19 Games: 0 Status: Signed to 2022

Another Bomber fanboy who has found his way inside the locker room courtesy of the club’s academy. Brand was brought on to the Bombers’ list when they matched the Bulldogs’ bid at pick 53 last year. Was it a dummy bid lodged to keep Essendon accountable as payback for pursuing Josh Dunkley? Or did the Dogs really want Brand, only to be blocked by the Bombers? Perhaps it was on brand following tense talks over the failed Josh Dunkley trade, where the Bulldogs refused to budge on their contracted star. Brand’s indigenous roots through his grandfather qualified him for the Dons’ academy and the 196cm the defender loved learning from his hero Dustin Fletcher at Melbourne Grammar.

39. Kaine Baldwin. Age: 19 Games: 0 Status: Signed to 2022

The AFL’s rescheduled draft night clashed with Westminster School’s valedictory dinner last year. As school captain Kaine Baldwin addressed the busy function as surely his nervous mind wandered to the virtual footy event. Two years earlier Baldwin captained South Australia’s under-16s as this 194cm high-marking forward who was all the rage. Baldwin was only a boy, but after averaging 9.6 marks and 2.8 goals for SA he was regarded as a future top-five pick. But Bladwin hasn’t played since. His right knee then went pop in a SANFL reserves game and on return last season the same ACL suffered a new tear. Recruiters loved Baldwin and hoped somebody would back in their medical department and take a punt. But they also knew it wouldn’t be their club, and as the national and rookie drafts elapsed Baldwin had graduated Year 12 without being enrolled on an AFL list. He moved to Gold Coast to study a health science degree and complete his rehabilitation with the Suns’ academy before the Bombers swooped, signing Baldwin as a rookie in March. It was a shock. But Joe Daniher was in Brisbane and bringing Baldwin in was worth a crack. The wildcard might one day be a bargain replacement and if not little has been lost. Right now they are bullish. Baldwin’s rehab is over and, after returning for two reserves appearances in August, the Bombers believe they have fixed his knee. Club psych David Reid helped allay Baldwin’s fears over a third reconstruction while Dyson Heppell and Devon Smith have also whispered advice to the luckless teenager. Maybe Reid should point Baldwin to the Grand Final sides, where dual ACL victims Max Gawn, Jake Lever and Roarke Smith will do battle. Baldwin’s first goal in his comeback game this season was brought about by a big tackle showcasing his toughness. The mix-and-match scrimmage at Windy Hill where some Dons pulled on Suns jumpers was a long way from the main stage Baldwin appeared destined for. But after darkness on draft night the road to the top had been illuminated again.


40. Will Snelling. Age: 24 Games: 42 Status: Signed to 2023

Orazio Fantasia has gone and Will Snelling has gone whoosh this season. The childhood Bombers fan who wore James Hird’s No. 5 growing up in Adelaide loves Kane Lambert and it is not hard to see why. The state-league recruits work their backsides off and Snelling’s pressure has soared so much this season it is almost as if his sash is yellow. Snelling’s 30 tackles laid inside 50 ranked No. 8 in the AFL this year. In his comeback from a thumb injury the happy handballer’s GPS clocked 1km of high-intensity running as he covered 15km, which was his best data for the year. Snelling played one AFL game for Port Adelaide in 2016 and then waited 1056 days to play a second after winning a mid-season lifeline in 2019. Marked on much more than goals, which Bomber fans have grown to appreciate. As Snelling said “It’s not going to win a Brownlow, but everyone brings their own strengths”.

41. Cian McBride. Age: 20 Games: 0 Status: Signed to 2022

Conor McKenna ran like the wind and countryman Cian McBride rises through it. The 197cm target who is knew to the code recorded a running vertical leap of 87cm. Carlton, Richmond and Melbourne also considered McBride but he signed at Essendon after coming across from the same Gaelic club as Hawk Conor Nash. But players in development mode have been cruelled due to the VFL largely being parked for two seasons, a frustration voiced by premiership coaches Chris Scott and Damien Hardwick. Unofficial scrimmages where players swap jumpers and play with less than 18 don’t exactly deliver high intensity match scenarios equipped to accelerate improvement, let alone if you’re an 18-year-old Irish kid who is missing home and barely held a Sherrin. McBride has been retained on the rookie list and lined up behind the ball in the scratch matches staged in the AFL’s central Gold Coast hub last year but the Bombers now think he is a key forward.

42. Sam Durham. Age: 20 Games: 7 Status: Signed to 2022

Bombers locked eyes on Durham long before drafting him mid-season. They watched Durham develop from an outside midfielder at Murray Bushrangers and loved his two-sided foot smarts and versatility. Durham could also tag and when his impact rose playing wing and halfback for Richmond’s VFL team this season they had seen enough. Seymour Sam was a star at basketball and athletics and it was often sleepy Sam, with his alarm buzzing at 6am for work as an apprentice carpenter, clock off at 4pm and then spend 90 minutes driving one way to training. Rutten rates his poise and composure, which is rounded out by a tough edge. Has Durham made the fastest start from the June draft? It’s an unfair question, given most of the 22 players were picked as projects, but Durham was taken as a 19-year-old and played seven games in effectively eight weeks with the club without an AFL pre-season in his back pocket. St Kilda is giddy with excitement at Cooper Sharman’s footy IQ and reaction speeds and both players appear keepers. Boy, the Bombers have recycled well. Jake Stringer (Western Bulldogs), Dylan Shiel and Devon Smith (GWS) were blockbuster trades, but how many other clubs saw potential in Peter Wright (Gold Coast), Nick Hind (St Kilda), Alec Waterman (West Coast), James Stewart (GWS), Tom Cutler (Brisbane), Sam Durham (Richmond VFL) or Will Snelling (Port Adelaide)?



43. Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti. Age: 28 Games: 126 Status: Signed to 2022

‘Walla’ was walking towards All-Australian contention entering Dreamtime in Perth. The Bombers’ barometer booted five on Anzac Day to thrill 78,113 fortunate fans at the MCG and delivered multiple majors in nine out of the first 11 games. The Dons win about 80 per cent of matches when Walla kicks three. The memorable bag began with a crowd-lifting rundown tackle on unsuspecting Magpie Jack Madgen elicited a deafening roar that sadly proved to be little more than a tease as soulless silence soon returned as the AFL’s soundtrack in Victoria. But the magnificent spark started to dim before McDonald-Tipungwuti crept out of the team in Round 22, having quietly been granted personal leave. But Bombers fans shouldn’t fret as it is understood the fan favourite is certain to return to Tullamarine and might’ve played a semi-final had Essendon made it through, depending on his conditioning which had dropped in his month away. McDonald-Tipungwuti recorded a shot at goal accuracy of 65% this season – ranked No. 1 of the top-50 players for shots at goal.

45. Alec Waterman. Age: 25 Games: 14 Status: Signed to 2022

Waterman’s story is one worth reading and yet the unassuming sharpshooter doesn’t even have a Wikipedia page. In 2015 Waterman was starting his journey at West Coast when exhaustion set in. “I could hardly get out of bed, it was like a bomb going off,” he said. The son of dual premiership Eagle Chris Waterman became bed-ridden for 18 months and diagnosed with adrenal fatigue. Eagles delisted Waterman shortly after his 20th birthday as younger brother Jake landed one of the last places on their list. It took until 2018 for a healthy lifestyle to help muster the energy for footy. First came coaching Claremont’s under-16s, then he was the runner for the reserves and by early 2019 Waterman’s boots were laced for a Claremont debut that wasn’t worth celebrating for long. The Waterman brothers went head-to-head but their battle was overtaken by Alec’s ambulance ride to hospital with three broken ribs and a punctured lung. Waterman played out the match after copping a knee to his back, but by Sunday night it was clear to Chris that he needed medical attention. Waterman made it back but 2019 was never going to be his year to win another AFL contract. But Waterman then became almost as hard to miss as he was to stop. In 10 games last season he booted 26 goals as Claremont charged to the WAFL Grand Final, which Waterman almost pinched. In January Dodoro invited Waterman over for pre-season at Tullamarine and when Alec considered flying home it was the list boss who helped sway him to stay as a practice game against Carlton was dangled. The old-school full-forward bagged four goals against the Blues in just over a half. Suddenly, several clubs came calling about a luckless 24-year-old who six years ago couldn’t shake off the bed sheets let alone defenders. In Round 3 Waterman the nuggety full-forward made his AFL debut for Essendon some 2319 days after Waterman the onballer magnet was drafted by West Coast, who planned to play him on a wing. Waterman’s two seasons at the Eagles were a waste but at Essendon he is the clinical finisher who rarely lets a look at the sticks miss. Waterman’s first trip back to Perth was as the hero after he marked in space and kicked straight to bury the Eagles in Round 11. With Cale Hooker retired and Harry Jones still a baby there is an opportunity for the man who kicked 17.8 this year to cement himself next season.

49. Tom Hird. Age: 20 Games: 0 Status: Signed to 2022

The talk is Tom Hird is a chance to make his AFL debut next season in what would be front page news as a romantic story for footy purists. The last player this club would play prematurely is one carrying the famous Hird name however the recontracted rookie placed equal-fourth in the VFL best-and-fairest and is one to watch over summer, even if supporters start to scream for his selection. Finding a small forward appears to be a priority after the Bombers were linked to Gold Coast goalkicker Malcolm Rosas and then delisted similar types Irving Mosquito, Ned Cahill and Lachlan Johnson. Could the kid who wears No. 49 be that player? Hird slotted 3.1 against Sandringham and recorded 20 disposals, five tackles and a goal against Casey in what was effectively his first season of football in a very long time. Tim Watson says Hird has “unbelievable endurance and great skill” and they are qualities coach Ben Rutten likes. Tiny Tom, he stands 182cm and weighs just 74kg, is also big on hard work and Essendon coaches speak openly about his diligence, despite early injuries interrupting his AFL journey. It was Hird the defender early in the VFL although that won’t be where he winds up. It was decided that after falling back in love with the Sherrin as an 18-year-old, and then missing chunks, the blond left-footer would transition best behind the ball. The next test was a block of basic learning as Hird’s positioning and craft came into the spotlight. The Bombers attempted to tease out Hird’s versatility by releasing him up to the midfield and on a wing, and by the final few games he was in the forward line where he probably belongs. Parents James and Tania were surprised the soccer whizz signed Dodoro’s (who thinks Tom is a small midfielder) contract offer as a Category B rookie in March last year. Tom had recently tucked in his shin guards to kick the round ball for Port Melbourne in the NPL. Before that Tom was in Europe turning heads as a teenager who was technically sound as the family jetted around France and Holland. If Tom can crack coach Ben Rutten’s team he would follow in treasured footsteps of his dad James (253 matches), grandfather Allan Jr (four) and great-grandfather Allan Sr (102 of 154 matches at Essendon). Fancy that – four generations of Hirds.
 
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Essendon list analysis: Every Bomber rated and when they are next out of contract
The Bombers were the surprise packet of 2021. But are they really on their way to being a contender? Check out our ratings of every player on the list

Essendon will be bolstered by two lockdown defenders who will tighten the backline and allow gamebreakers Jordan Ridley and Nick Hind to be unleashed as rebounding weapons.
The Bombers expect to be significantly stronger from the team eliminated by Grand Finalist Western Bulldogs, even though their list will become younger without Cale Hooker, David Zaharakis and Paddy Ambrose.
Defenders Jake Kelly (Adelaide), Zach Reid, and Hind, midfielder Kyle Langford and forwards Harry Jones, Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti and Nik Cox should all walk into coach Ben Rutten’s 22.
Fatigued teenager Archie Perkins had just two kicks against the Dogs after a long season while Jye Caldwell returned 22 weeks after hamstring surgery to play his 14th game.


If you count Perkins and Caldwell then Rutten can bank on nine players powering up his team before the draft (Essendon has pick 11) or Michael Hurley’s attempt to come back from a hip infection.

McDonald-Tipungwuti took a break for personal reasons before Round 22.

But it’s believed the cult hero is certain to return and could’ve made a shock semi-final appearance if the Dons had progressed.

Kelly and Reid are the new clamps who will allow Hind and, in particular, best-and-fairest winner Ridley to shine even brighter.

Ridley was forced to mind matchwinners Robbie Gray (goalless) and Toby Greene (two goals) this year and was undersized against Aaron Naughton (three goals) in the final.

The Bombers were thrilled to land Kelly as a free agent because he will play on the small forwards who have inflicted so much damage.


Three of the five four-goal hauls kicked against Essendon since Round 2 were by players under 180cm — Tom Papley (Sydney), Cody Weightman (Western Bulldogs) and Jamie Elliott (Collingwood).

Harry McKay (Carlton) and Matt Taberner (Fremantle) were responsible for the others.

While Kelly doesn’t play sexy football, at 26 and after 110 games his prime seasons as a stopper be as a Bomber.

The son of Collingwood premiership player Craig Kelly could play against younger brother Will on Anzac Day.

Reid could quickly slot in at fullback despite the 19-year-old undergoing surgery in July to fix a stress fracture in his lower back.

That setback kept Reid to just one AFL game in his first season and denied him the chance to join Cox, Perkins and Jones as Rising Stars.

The 202cm Leongatha lad is being groomed to play on the 200cm monster forwards, such as the King twins and McKay.

Rutten wants a stiffer backline after the Bombers were the easiest team to move the ball against and ranked 11th for scores conceded from inside 50s (43 per cent).


Essendon also spoke to midfielder Dylan Stephens but he is now expected to re-sign with Sydney, with Jordan Dawson and George Hewett likely to free up salary cap space for Stephens by leaving the Swans.

The Bombers desperately need a power forward to partner Jones but are unlikely to find one this year.

But have a wildcard in Kaine Baldwin, who was on track to be top five pick in last year’s draft before suffering two ACL blows to his right knee.

The Bombers handed the 194cm spearhead a rookie lifeline in March and Baldwin made a heartwarming return in August, playing two reserves games.

Baldwin’s first goal set up by a brutal tackle showcasing his toughness and drew a wild celebration from those who appreciated his comeback.

The resilient goalkicker can now draw on three Grand Final combatants for inspiration — Max Gawn, Jake Lever (Melbourne) and Roarke Smith (Western Bulldogs) have all overcome two knee reconstructions.

BOMBER BIBLE: EVERY ESSENDON PLAYER RATED
Essendon will expect to be significantly stronger next year from the team eliminated by Grand Finalist Western Bulldogs, even though their list will become younger without Cale Hooker, David Zaharakis and Paddy Ambrose.

Defenders Jake Kelly (Adelaide), Zach Reid, and Hind, midfielder Kyle Langford and forwards Harry Jones, Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti and Nik Cox should all walk into coach Ben Rutten’s 22.

Fatigued teenager Archie Perkins had just two kicks against the Dogs after a long season while Jye Caldwell returned 22 weeks after hamstring surgery to play his 14th game.

If you count Perkins and Caldwell then Rutten can bank on nine players powering up his team before the draft (Essendon has pick 11) or Michael Hurley’s attempt to come back from a hip infection.

McDonald-Tipungwuti took a break for personal reasons before Round 22.

But it’s believed the cult hero is certain to return and could’ve made a shock semi-final appearance if the Dons had progressed.

Jake Kelly and Zach Reid are the new clamps who will allow Hind and, in particular, best-and-fairest winner Ridley to shine even brighter in season 2022.

Here is the most comprehensive analysis that we have ever compiled on the entire Essendon playing list from 2021.



1. Andy McGrath Age: 23 Games: 93 Status: Signed to 2022

Getting McGrath back to his best shapes as one of Essendon’s biggest priorities this off-season. Knee surgery cost him eight matches – where his rehabilitation was hurt by spending 14 days in isolation – and the energetic wingman was a little off the pace for his final three games. The 2016 draft dux remains a brilliant clubman and was remarkably named vice-captain at the tender age of 22. Next captain?

2. Sam Draper. Age: 22 Games: 21 Status: Signed to 2023

The kid who spent six years guarding soccer goals in England has transformed into one of the AFL’s most watchable big men. Draper was 17 when he decided to give the Sherrin a go at South Australian club Reynella Wineflies and nine months later the Bombers pounced. Champion Data rated Draper’s 13 games this season as elite for centre bounce clearances and above average for hit-outs-to-advantage, clearances and score involvements among all ruckmen. But it is the vigour which flows as freely as his mullet which captures Draper’s importance. Safe hands – perhaps helped from a childhood spent protecting a soccer net – and plenty of oomph, you can see why the Bombers wanted Tom Bellchambers to be ruck coach rather than player in 2021.


3. Darcy Parish. Age: 24 Games: 116 Status: Signed to 2023

Reputations are forged in finals – just ask Gary Rohan and Tom Boyd – and Parish has this year’s Anzac Day medal, Yiooken Award and Tom Wills Medal hanging in his house to prove he was built for the big ones. Parish was also on world-record pace at halftime of the elimination final with 23 disposals before last year’s wannabe Bomber Josh Dunkley was sent to tag. Parish was one of just three midfielders to rate elite for disposals, clearances and score involvements this season. Coach Ben Rutten forecast 30 per cent improvement after watching Parish’s running ability soar last summer, setting up a long overdue return to the midfield. But this is the quote from Darcy which excites the most: “I can be a much better player than I am now with my execution and decisions off the ball”. Scored a big pay rise with a two-year deal which takes him to restricted free agency in 2023.

4. Kyle Langford. Age: 24 Games: 98 Status: Signed to 2022

James Hird answered Langford’s phone call in 2018 and agreed to mentor the utility whe just enjoyed his best season. In Hird’s eyes, Langford was the most exciting kid on the list. The AFL’s decision to scrap the pre-finals bye cost Langford (hamstring) a place in Essendon’s line-up for the knockout contest against Western Bulldogs. He was sorely missed, although after straining the same string twice in one season playing it safe was a smart decision.

5. Devon Smith. Age: 28 Games: 174 Status: Signed to 2023

Will Devon be a Don beyond this deal? It is a question which surfaced this season as Garry Lyon questioned Smith’s place in the 2021 team. The little man lacks the engine to transform into a proper midfielder and undisciplined moments have left supporters – and surely teammates – frustrated. Remember the 50m for umpire abuse, which cost a goal against Melbourne? Smith was excluded from the leadership squad this season, but glowing praise from Will Snelling and Kaine Baldwin show Smith is still a strong source of support. And while there is pressure building on Smith, he remains one of the game’s better pressure players. This season Smith ranked No. 6 of all small forwards in the AFL, applying 32.7 forward half pressure points per game.


6. Jye Caldwell. Age: 20 Games: 14 Status: Signed to 2024

GWS captain Phil Davis declared Jye Caldwell was “something really special” in 2019. “If I was going to put a 10-year contract in front of anyone, I’d put it in front of Jye Caldwell,” Davis declared. But Essendon courted Caldwell with a four-year contract in 2020, where he is on track to become that premium inside-outside midfielder coach Ben Rutten craves. This is a trade Bombers fans will look back on with a grin. Caldwell cost two second-round picks, a price that was offset by picks 44 and 74 coming with Caldwell. Clever minds think Caldwell is a better player than Fremantle’s Adam Cerra, who could cost Carlton pick No. 6 next month. Caldwell had hamstring surgery just two games into his contract in a cautious approach the Bombers believe was the right option long term. The fact the Bombers backed this 20-year-old to return in an elimination final after missing 22 weeks out shows their faith, and at quarter-time he had nine disposals and four inside 50s. Ironically, Caldwell was drafted by GWS with the No. 11 pick Essendon gave the Giants in the Devon Smith deal. Caldwell is as tough as a $2 steak and, according to Davis, has shown glimpses of greatness.

7. Zach Merrett. Age: 25 Games: 165 Status: Signed to 2027

Merrett is a man of his word. In May he told Herald Sun chief football writer Mark Robinson that wanted Essendon to show it had stabilised after a tumultuous 2020 before recommitting. Ben Rutten became Merrett’s fourth coach in eight seasons, but as this season evolved brightly Merrett rejected free agency and put pen to paper on a six-year deal worth more than $800,00 per season. Merrett’s contract year produced career highs for disposals (31.5), uncontested possessions (22.4), inside 50s (5.5) and score assists (1.7).

8. Martin Gleeson. Age: 27 Games: 95 Status: Out of contract

It is a nervous wait for Marty, who is again out of contract after another season impacted by injury. Gleeson got on the grass in only four games this season, although that included the elimination final when he returned form. The arrival of Jake Kelly probably won’t help the light defender’s contract chances and he remains three games shy of 100. Gleeson and Dylan Clarke were demoted to the rookie list last year in a decision which created two extra spots for the national draft.

9. Dylan Shiel. Age: 28 Games: 180 Status: Signed to 2024

Is Shiel in Essendon’s starting centre square? Perhaps not after a season where Zach Merrett, Darcy Parish and Jake Stringer shone at the feet of Sam Draper. Shiel shifted forward after missing 17 weeks but managed only one goal despite roughly a 70-30 split between attack and midfield. You wouldn’t want Shiel kicking for your life but despite some of the external pessimism there is a lot of love between him and the Bombers, with speculation of a trade simply false.



10. Aaron Francis. Age: 24 Games: 50 Status: Signed to 2022

Francis played 100 per cent of gametime as a defender in Rounds 1-12, missed eight weeks and then played 100 per cent time forward in the final five games. Francis entered having completed a full pre-season, but the question remains unanswered. Where does Francis fit in? There won’t be room for him in the backline and his forward venture returned only 2.6, going goalless in four out of five games. Could the 192cm South Australian make it on a wing, where there is less pressure on his disposal? Make-or-break year in 2022, when his contract ends.

11. David Zaharakis. Age: 31 Games: 226 Status: Delisted

Delisted by the Bombers 10 years after winning their best-and-fairest, but remains desperate to go on. Will there be a suitor? Early signs suggest the Zaharakis story will end on 226 games, which included nine this season. Will forever be remembered for booting the Anzac Day winner as a teenager in 2009 and perhaps for refusing to partake in the supplements program due to a fear of needles, sparing him from the world-enforced suspensions.

12. Tom Cutler. Age: 26 Games: 85 Status: Signed to 2022

The keen chess player showed he was no pawn by playing 10 out of the last 11 matches, averaging 15.5 disposals, 10.9 uncontested possessions, 302 metres gained and 4.2 marks. That charge earned Cutler – the man with a big body and an even bigger kick – a contract for next season. Cutler grew up a Lions supporter but was told to pursue rival offers in 2019 and when none had landed late in trade period his career sat on a knife’s edge. Brisbane also hadn’t tabled its wingman anything and on deadline eve panicked phone calls were made. But the Bombers put a bid in about two hours from the buzzer and, after some stressful negotiations, Cutler cut it fine before making it to Tullamarine with 20 minutes left on the trade clock.

13. Nik Cox. Age: 19 Games: 20 Status: Signed to 2022

The Victorians drafted in 2020 were given a free pass because they had missed a full season of development as 17 or 18-year-olds. Look at the Rising Star podium – all second-year players. But Cox didn’t claim his and remarkably he even polled a vote from talent boss Kevin Sheehan. At 200cm athlete who runs like the wind, Cox is unlike any other player. Burst out of the blocks playing on the wing before fatigue set in. But this boy could, quite literally, be anything.

14. Jordan Ridley. Age: 22 Games: 48 Status: Signed to 2024

Required to play as a key defender, Ridley relished the challenge to keep his momentum rolling after last year’s remarkable best-and-fairest. Lost just 15 per cent of his defensive one-on-one contests this year – the second-best percentage recorded in the AFL. But there will be more razzle dazzle from Ridley next year with Jake Kelly’s arrival set to free up the defensive architect.

15. Jayden Laverde. Age: 25 Games: 69 Status: Contracted for 2022

Laverde hit a contract trigger to guarantee a place on the 2022 list, but, really, he deserves much more. From approaching the scrap heap to first picked defender it was an astonishing turnaround, which should be reflected with a top-five finish in the best-and-fairest, perhaps even on the podium. For all of Darcy Parish’s richly deserved praise, is there an argument that Laverde should be crowned the club’s most improved player? Laverde had spent six seasons suffering shoulder, ankle and several hamstring setbacks while languishing in the forward line without making a mark. He had kicked three goals in a game just once and had never recorded more than 21 disposals. But the 190cm flanker floated behind the ball for the second half of last year’s loss to Western Bulldogs. That small sample caught Rutten’s eye and in last season’s exit meeting Laverde learned his pre-season would be spent in defence under new assistant Daniel Giansiracusa, who was also observing last year’s spontaneous two-quarter trial. Suddenly, Laverde was the AFL’s new super stopper as the undersized backman still on his L plates yet beating the best goalkickers in the land. Just ask Ben King, Lance Franklin, Tom Hawkins and Jack Riewoldt, who were all kept to two goals or less. The fantastic fullback also formed part of an all-time no-frills spine. Rutten rolled out Jayden Laverde, James Stewart, Aaron Francis and Peter Wright and played finals. On paper that is nowhere near big Blues Harry McKay, Charlie Curnow, Jacob Weitering and Liam Jones.

16. Archie Perkins. Age: 19 Games: 21 Status: Signed to 2022

Like Cox, Perkins wasn’t expected to produce what he did this season. The powerful midfielder played 21 games as his ability to keep his feet stood out. Marches to the beat of his own drum and plays with just as much personality.

17. James Stewart. Age: 27 Games: 72 Status: Signed to 2022

Kevin Sheedy marched into Adrian Dodoro’s headquarters and declared: “Don’t miss him”. James Stewart had requested a trade home and Sheedy – having coached Stewart at the Giants – wanted Essendon to pounce. “I’d be disappointed if he doesn’t play 200 games. His rate of improvement is as good as any player at (Essendon) since he debuted,” Sheedy said. It has been a slow burn for Stewart, but the flame is now hotter than ever. Another Rutten success story, Stewart stopped Josh Bruce, Harry Himmelberg and Tom McDonald this season – keeping them to one goal or less – after being switched to defence. The 200-game milestone appears out of reach, but Stewart played the final 17 matches in 2021. He had never played that many in any of his previous eight AFL seasons, the first of which ended with a shock debut that was given by Sheedy in his coaching farewell.

18. Michael Hurley. Age: 31 Games: 193 Status: Signed to 2022

It was a wipe-out year for Hurley as he dealt with a frightening hip infection that could’ve cost him a limb. Hurley is contracted next season and the Bombers will back in their man who wants to make a comeback. It would be an incredible achievement given Hurley lost 10kg, was bedridden for a month and has had multiple operations. Could a fit Hurley be the wildcard up forward? That’s where Rutten had him training last summer before the health scare.

19. Nick Hind. Age: 27 Games: 43 Status: Signed to 2023

Nick Hind will wind up the answer to a trivia question. Which AFL footballer played all 22 home-and-away games but missed a final because they visited a supermarket to purchase a roast chicken? But there is nothing trivial about this run-and-gun weapon’s importance to Essendon. It was when Hind was ruled out of that elimination game due to his hotspot chicken trip that club great Matthew Lloyd gave up hope of an upset win. The kid who didn’t like the TAC Cup, preferring to work as a plumber during the week and turn out for Clunes where his dad was coach, is a human highlights reel. Hind’s mind defaults to offence and he took 40 running bounces this year, several of which led up to his jaw-dropping goal against Hawthorn.



20. Peter Wright. Age: 25 Games: 87 Status: Signed to 2023

Wright probably paid off his cheap three-year contract in two hours when he booted seven goals against Grand Finalist Western Bulldogs, even if he didn’t get a single kick when the clubs met again in a final and Alex Keath had returned. It remains hard to envisage Wright reproducing that dominance he showed against the Dogs in September and so he probably remains more of a back-up option rather than bankable big man.

21. Dyson Heppell. Age: 29 Games: 191 Status: Signed to 2022

Dyson Heppell is not a midfielder. He is a halfback, and this year he proved that. Queries over his pace were quickly answered as Champion Data rated Heppell elite for disposals, uncontested possessions, marks and intercept possessions among all general defenders this season. Heppell has also helped the Bombers become a happy club once again. As he told teammates after a gut-wrenching loss to Sydney in Round 4: “I know we are hurting right now, but f---, I have loved playing with you boys. Everyone is so committed for the first time in a long time.”

22. Irving Mosquito. Age: 21 Games: 4 Status: Delisted

Sadly, Mosquito has buzzed off for good as the pull of home and laborious rehabilitation to overcome a knee reconstruction conspired to make playing AFL again too tough. List boss Adrian Dodoro let out a fist pump when he used pick 38 (2018) to pinch Mosquito – an Essendon supporter – from Hawthorn’s academy, likening him to Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti. Mosquito’s left knee gave way in his fourth AFL game and after that setback the Bombers said he lacked the desire and motivation to play AFL again.

23. Harry Jones. Age: 20 Games: 16 Status: Signed to 2023

The way Harry moves and floats across the pack to mark – while wearing a long-sleeve Essendon jumper – is reminiscent of a young James Hird. Jones made his AFL debut in Round 1 and jagged 20.6 from 16 games. Is he ready to lead Rutten’s forward line from Round 1 next year? It’s one of the key questions for 2022. The answer is probably not, but he might have to anyway because star goalkickers are hard to find. Jones became Essendon’s third Rising Star nominee with far less fanfare than Cox and Perkins before having foot surgery in August, which cost him a place in the elimination final. But Jones should be fully fit by the start of pre-season. He scored a goal 18 per cent of the time when he was targeted inside 50 this season, which was ranked No. 17 in the AFL.

24. Nick Bryan. Age: 19 Games: 1 Status: Signed to 2023

Outpolled Nick O’Kearney to claim the VFL best-and-fairest as a 202cm ruckman who had more taps than a plumbing warehouse and says he has met Michael Jackson. Bryan’s hit-out craft at throw-ins and ball-ups which spiked hard, which would excite young midfielders such as Jye Caldwell and Darcy Parish. Bryan averaged 32 hit-outs, 15 disposals and nine marks in nine VFL games, ranking second in the competition for hit-outs as he gave his midfielders first use. Received a rushed debut this year when Andrew Phillips and Sam Draper were injured and then rejected offers from rivals to re-sign for two years.



25. Jake Stringer. Age: 27 Games: 157 Status: Signed to 2024

Some sharp minds at the Bulldogs were stunned at Stringer’s midfield transformation as he became the AFL’s No. 1 centre-bounce player. At times it was like watching Dustin Martin as Stringer crashed through contests and kicked it long as a genuine match-winner. In 2015 Stringer exploded onto the scene with 56 goals as a 21-year-old All-Australian forward. He then sat in a slump for portions of the next five seasons. But the 2016 premiership player’s special powers returned in a contract year, which jammed his price north – perhaps beyond what had been budgeted for – as a three-year deal was inked. Stringer became the AFL’s best exponent at the ‘money kick’, with the Bombers retaining possession from 65 per cent of his kicks inside 50.

26. Cale Hooker. Age: 32 Games: 219 Status: Retired

Swingman wanted to play on but decided to hang them up after Essendon told him a contract offer was not coming. Despite the injury to Jones, Hooker was dropped after Round 19 in what was the full stop on a 219-game career. But by no means did Hooker crawl to the line – his 33 goals was only behind Stringer (41) and McDonald-Tipungwuti (34). West Coast considered bringing Hooker home when Eagle Mitch Brown explored a trade in 2013, but Hooker wanted to stay at the club he loved and that spurred him on. Hooker was an All-Australian defender the following season and won the best-and-fairest playing predominantly a forward the season after that. Heppell and Hurley now remain the last links to the drugs saga.

27. Mason Redman. Age: 24 Games: 60 Status: Signed to 2023

The defender who enjoys scuba diving spent 2020 trying to stay afloat. Redman – a social butterfly – hated hub life and worried his body would break down because of a niggly groin. But in 2019 Redman was Essendon’s most improved player in 2019 and in 2021 he was wildly underrated. Played a career-best 22 games and inked a two-year contract extension, confirming he is part of Rutten’s plans.

28. Ned Cahill. Age: 20 Games: 6 Status: Delisted

The Mt Eliza kid who rocks Shane Crawford’s 1999 Brownlow Medal looks quickly broke into Essendon’s team and has been delisted just as fast. It was Round 7 last season when Cahill and Cody Weightman – good mates and goalsneaks – made their AFL debuts in the same match. But the Bomber who lights up Tik Tok made just five more appearances and his draft contract has not been renewed.

29. Patrick Ambrose. Age: 30 Games: 88 Status: Retired

Paddy Ambrose was a keen surfer who juggled studies with part-time work pouring beers at the Skinny Dog in Kew and playing for Old Xaverians not long before he became a Bomber. Ambrose had slipped through the TAC Cup cracks – a broken arm sabotaged a shot at Oakleigh’s under-16 squad – and he joined Coburg when schoolmates Dan Hannebery and Alex Johnson (who he ran the 4x800m relay with) were drafted by Sydney. Then, whoosh. Ambrose’s elite endurance helped make him the VAFA’s best athlete and a sizzling seven-game stint alongside brother Murphy at Essendon’s VFL team in 2012 scored him a rookie contract as a 22-year-old. It is time for Ambrose to embrace family life with partner Ali and daughter Summer after toiling hard to get his opportunity as a 22-year-old. Then, Ambrose rose the standards owing to his outstanding professionalism while his unwavering courage and refusal to be beaten one-on-one earned instant respect. In fact, Ambrose was the premier athlete on the list as he showed up most of his AFL mates for strength and power. Ambrose has been sighted once since the pandemic started – a Lisfranc injury wiped 2020 and wrecked most of 2021 – and his journey ends after 88 determined game. Now it is time for Ambrose to embrace family life with partner Ali and daughter Summer.


30. Brandon Zerk-Thatcher. Age: 23 Games: 17 Status: Signed to 2023

Adrian Dodoro once said Zerk-Thatcher moves a lot like his good mate Stephen Silvagni – the defender’s reach, spoil and long torso drawing comparisons to the Carlton great – and remains encouraging. But Zerk-Thatcher played just six games under new coach Ben Rutten as Jayden Laverde and James Stewart rolled back on the field and went past him this year. Next year Zach Reid and Jake Kelly might do the same and so while it is worth remembering talls take time and ‘BZT’ is contracted for another two seasons, it is time to get a wriggle on. Saddled up next to Tigers champion Alex Rance in a VFL outing against Southport.

31. Zach Reid. Age: 19 Games: 0 Status: Signed to 2022

Christmas Day fell on December 9 for Essendon last year as it entered the draft holding three golden picks, and it was like coach Ben Rutten spent so long playing with his first two presents (Nik Cox and Archie Perkins) that he ran out of time to enjoy the third. The wrapping paper was ripped off in Round 5 – and there must’ve been a lot of it – but after just one game this 202cm fullback was carefully resealed back in the box. Reid was ruled out for the season in July and underwent surgery on a stress fracture in his lower back. But the Leongatha lad is licking his lips at launching into a full pre-season and looms as the trump card next season. Reid has mimicked the AFL entry made by “Gatha” greats Dyson Heppell and Jarryd Roughead, who were also grabbed in the top 10. Reid resembles Harris Andrews while his right shoe is a weapon. Built to play on the biggest forwards, such as 200cm twins Ben and Max King, and boasting a beautiful kick, he was bagged by the Bombers with the No. 10 selection received from Carlton for Adam Saad.

32. Josh Eyre. Age: 18 Games: 0 Status: Signed to 2022

Bombers fan with a booming left foot based his game on idol Joe Daniher and also loved Matthew Lloyd. Eyre lobbed last year when Essendon matched Richmond’s bid for its academy member with Indigenous heritage at pick No. 39. The 198cm swingman also has the athleticism to play on a wing and can run 20m in under 3sec. Started forward in the VFL this year and thumped a 55m goal against Southport when Alex Rance was a teammate before moving to defence where he stood goalkickers with AFL experience. Worked hard on his aerial craft this year and was a regular in the coaches’ offices as a keen learner eager to get better.

33. Brayden Ham. Age: 22 Games: 32 Status: Signed to 2022

Brayden Ham had to carve up the TAC Cup as a 19-year-old to get a slice of draft action as Essendon brought in the kid who finished runner-up to Sam Walsh in Geelong Falcons’ best-and-fairest with its last draft pick (No. 7 in 2018). Ham weighed just 68kg but had beefed up to 77kg before this season and that summer of strength work was swiftly rewarded with a contract for next season. Ham’s last TAC Cup pre-season wasn’t far off AFL standard, helping him settle in at Tullamarine. He has gone five games (2019), 10 games (2020), 19 games (2021), although would be disappointed that a quiet game in Round 19 ended his season. The hard-running wingman’s hurried snap from 45m floated through to finish off Fremantle in Round 7 and he harbours dreams of playing as an inside midfielder after thriving there at junior level.

34. Andrew Phillips. Age: 30 Games: 52 Status: Signed to 2022

The Bombers are 7-4 when Sam Draper’s experienced understudy plays, and the two losses this year were against GWS by two points and Richmond after the Dons led in the last quarter. Classy tap work, competitiveness and forward craft are his strengths and, quite remarkably, Adrian Dodoro thinks some of the 30-year-old’s best footy is in front of him. Perhaps Phillips is the AFL’s ultimate journeyman. The one-year contract king from Tasmania has toiled away for 52 games in 10 years, drifting from the Giants to the Blues to the Bombers. Phillips played 16 games for Carlton and in every other season he has managed less than 10.


35. Matt Guelfi. Age: 24 Games: 60 Status: Signed to 2022

Not many 20-year-olds get a look in these days, but when Guelfi the apprentice electrician got to Essendon at pick 78 in 2017 it was because the club knew a broken leg at 17 had short-circuited the Claremont midfielder’s development. Guelfi can plug in to most parts of the ground and played with extra spark this year, peeling off 20 matches with plenty of effort.

36. Lachlan Johnson. Age: 20 Games: 0 Status: Delisted

The son of Brisbane Lions Hall of Famer Chris Johnson returned from an ACL injury sustained playing for Scotch College to play 10 VFL games this season, but it wasn’t enough to stay on the list.

37. Dylan Clarke. Age: 23 Games: 24 Status: Out of contract

Clarke collected 25 touches in three quarters of his VFL comeback match this year. He had missed six months with an ankle injury. But coach Ben Rutten gave him just three games in the run to the finals, demoting Clarke to the substitute in Round 23 and then out of the team for the final, despite conditions appearing to suit him. That leaves the uncontracted running machine in limbo. If it is the end for Clarke he might just be best remembered for his AFL debut. It was Round 11 in 2019 when the Ferntree Gully kid was told to tag Patrick Cripps and he went and took the Carlton captain to the cleaners. Cripps had just two kicks – perhaps his worst performance – and the 41-point loss cost Brendon Bolton his coaching career.

38. Cody Brand. Age: 19 Games: 0 Status: Signed to 2022

Another Bomber fanboy who has found his way inside the locker room courtesy of the club’s academy. Brand was brought on to the Bombers’ list when they matched the Bulldogs’ bid at pick 53 last year. Was it a dummy bid lodged to keep Essendon accountable as payback for pursuing Josh Dunkley? Or did the Dogs really want Brand, only to be blocked by the Bombers? Perhaps it was on brand following tense talks over the failed Josh Dunkley trade, where the Bulldogs refused to budge on their contracted star. Brand’s indigenous roots through his grandfather qualified him for the Dons’ academy and the 196cm the defender loved learning from his hero Dustin Fletcher at Melbourne Grammar.

39. Kaine Baldwin. Age: 19 Games: 0 Status: Signed to 2022

The AFL’s rescheduled draft night clashed with Westminster School’s valedictory dinner last year. As school captain Kaine Baldwin addressed the busy function as surely his nervous mind wandered to the virtual footy event. Two years earlier Baldwin captained South Australia’s under-16s as this 194cm high-marking forward who was all the rage. Baldwin was only a boy, but after averaging 9.6 marks and 2.8 goals for SA he was regarded as a future top-five pick. But Bladwin hasn’t played since. His right knee then went pop in a SANFL reserves game and on return last season the same ACL suffered a new tear. Recruiters loved Baldwin and hoped somebody would back in their medical department and take a punt. But they also knew it wouldn’t be their club, and as the national and rookie drafts elapsed Baldwin had graduated Year 12 without being enrolled on an AFL list. He moved to Gold Coast to study a health science degree and complete his rehabilitation with the Suns’ academy before the Bombers swooped, signing Baldwin as a rookie in March. It was a shock. But Joe Daniher was in Brisbane and bringing Baldwin in was worth a crack. The wildcard might one day be a bargain replacement and if not little has been lost. Right now they are bullish. Baldwin’s rehab is over and, after returning for two reserves appearances in August, the Bombers believe they have fixed his knee. Club psych David Reid helped allay Baldwin’s fears over a third reconstruction while Dyson Heppell and Devon Smith have also whispered advice to the luckless teenager. Maybe Reid should point Baldwin to the Grand Final sides, where dual ACL victims Max Gawn, Jake Lever and Roarke Smith will do battle. Baldwin’s first goal in his comeback game this season was brought about by a big tackle showcasing his toughness. The mix-and-match scrimmage at Windy Hill where some Dons pulled on Suns jumpers was a long way from the main stage Baldwin appeared destined for. But after darkness on draft night the road to the top had been illuminated again.


40. Will Snelling. Age: 24 Games: 42 Status: Signed to 2023

Orazio Fantasia has gone and Will Snelling has gone whoosh this season. The childhood Bombers fan who wore James Hird’s No. 5 growing up in Adelaide loves Kane Lambert and it is not hard to see why. The state-league recruits work their backsides off and Snelling’s pressure has soared so much this season it is almost as if his sash is yellow. Snelling’s 30 tackles laid inside 50 ranked No. 8 in the AFL this year. In his comeback from a thumb injury the happy handballer’s GPS clocked 1km of high-intensity running as he covered 15km, which was his best data for the year. Snelling played one AFL game for Port Adelaide in 2016 and then waited 1056 days to play a second after winning a mid-season lifeline in 2019. Marked on much more than goals, which Bomber fans have grown to appreciate. As Snelling said “It’s not going to win a Brownlow, but everyone brings their own strengths”.

41. Cian McBride. Age: 20 Games: 0 Status: Signed to 2022

Conor McKenna ran like the wind and countryman Cian McBride rises through it. The 197cm target who is knew to the code recorded a running vertical leap of 87cm. Carlton, Richmond and Melbourne also considered McBride but he signed at Essendon after coming across from the same Gaelic club as Hawk Conor Nash. But players in development mode have been cruelled due to the VFL largely being parked for two seasons, a frustration voiced by premiership coaches Chris Scott and Damien Hardwick. Unofficial scrimmages where players swap jumpers and play with less than 18 don’t exactly deliver high intensity match scenarios equipped to accelerate improvement, let alone if you’re an 18-year-old Irish kid who is missing home and barely held a Sherrin. McBride has been retained on the rookie list and lined up behind the ball in the scratch matches staged in the AFL’s central Gold Coast hub last year but the Bombers now think he is a key forward.

42. Sam Durham. Age: 20 Games: 7 Status: Signed to 2022

Bombers locked eyes on Durham long before drafting him mid-season. They watched Durham develop from an outside midfielder at Murray Bushrangers and loved his two-sided foot smarts and versatility. Durham could also tag and when his impact rose playing wing and halfback for Richmond’s VFL team this season they had seen enough. Seymour Sam was a star at basketball and athletics and it was often sleepy Sam, with his alarm buzzing at 6am for work as an apprentice carpenter, clock off at 4pm and then spend 90 minutes driving one way to training. Rutten rates his poise and composure, which is rounded out by a tough edge. Has Durham made the fastest start from the June draft? It’s an unfair question, given most of the 22 players were picked as projects, but Durham was taken as a 19-year-old and played seven games in effectively eight weeks with the club without an AFL pre-season in his back pocket. St Kilda is giddy with excitement at Cooper Sharman’s footy IQ and reaction speeds and both players appear keepers. Boy, the Bombers have recycled well. Jake Stringer (Western Bulldogs), Dylan Shiel and Devon Smith (GWS) were blockbuster trades, but how many other clubs saw potential in Peter Wright (Gold Coast), Nick Hind (St Kilda), Alec Waterman (West Coast), James Stewart (GWS), Tom Cutler (Brisbane), Sam Durham (Richmond VFL) or Will Snelling (Port Adelaide)?



43. Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti. Age: 28 Games: 126 Status: Signed to 2022

‘Walla’ was walking towards All-Australian contention entering Dreamtime in Perth. The Bombers’ barometer booted five on Anzac Day to thrill 78,113 fortunate fans at the MCG and delivered multiple majors in nine out of the first 11 games. The Dons win about 80 per cent of matches when Walla kicks three. The memorable bag began with a crowd-lifting rundown tackle on unsuspecting Magpie Jack Madgen elicited a deafening roar that sadly proved to be little more than a tease as soulless silence soon returned as the AFL’s soundtrack in Victoria. But the magnificent spark started to dim before McDonald-Tipungwuti crept out of the team in Round 22, having quietly been granted personal leave. But Bombers fans shouldn’t fret as it is understood the fan favourite is certain to return to Tullamarine and might’ve played a semi-final had Essendon made it through, depending on his conditioning which had dropped in his month away. McDonald-Tipungwuti recorded a shot at goal accuracy of 65% this season – ranked No. 1 of the top-50 players for shots at goal.

45. Alec Waterman. Age: 25 Games: 14 Status: Signed to 2022

Waterman’s story is one worth reading and yet the unassuming sharpshooter doesn’t even have a Wikipedia page. In 2015 Waterman was starting his journey at West Coast when exhaustion set in. “I could hardly get out of bed, it was like a bomb going off,” he said. The son of dual premiership Eagle Chris Waterman became bed-ridden for 18 months and diagnosed with adrenal fatigue. Eagles delisted Waterman shortly after his 20th birthday as younger brother Jake landed one of the last places on their list. It took until 2018 for a healthy lifestyle to help muster the energy for footy. First came coaching Claremont’s under-16s, then he was the runner for the reserves and by early 2019 Waterman’s boots were laced for a Claremont debut that wasn’t worth celebrating for long. The Waterman brothers went head-to-head but their battle was overtaken by Alec’s ambulance ride to hospital with three broken ribs and a punctured lung. Waterman played out the match after copping a knee to his back, but by Sunday night it was clear to Chris that he needed medical attention. Waterman made it back but 2019 was never going to be his year to win another AFL contract. But Waterman then became almost as hard to miss as he was to stop. In 10 games last season he booted 26 goals as Claremont charged to the WAFL Grand Final, which Waterman almost pinched. In January Dodoro invited Waterman over for pre-season at Tullamarine and when Alec considered flying home it was the list boss who helped sway him to stay as a practice game against Carlton was dangled. The old-school full-forward bagged four goals against the Blues in just over a half. Suddenly, several clubs came calling about a luckless 24-year-old who six years ago couldn’t shake off the bed sheets let alone defenders. In Round 3 Waterman the nuggety full-forward made his AFL debut for Essendon some 2319 days after Waterman the onballer magnet was drafted by West Coast, who planned to play him on a wing. Waterman’s two seasons at the Eagles were a waste but at Essendon he is the clinical finisher who rarely lets a look at the sticks miss. Waterman’s first trip back to Perth was as the hero after he marked in space and kicked straight to bury the Eagles in Round 11. With Cale Hooker retired and Harry Jones still a baby there is an opportunity for the man who kicked 17.8 this year to cement himself next season.

49. Tom Hird. Age: 20 Games: 0 Status: Signed to 2022

The talk is Tom Hird is a chance to make his AFL debut next season in what would be front page news as a romantic story for footy purists. The last player this club would play prematurely is one carrying the famous Hird name however the recontracted rookie placed equal-fourth in the VFL best-and-fairest and is one to watch over summer, even if supporters start to scream for his selection. Finding a small forward appears to be a priority after the Bombers were linked to Gold Coast goalkicker Malcolm Rosas and then delisted similar types Irving Mosquito, Ned Cahill and Lachlan Johnson. Could the kid who wears No. 49 be that player? Hird slotted 3.1 against Sandringham and recorded 20 disposals, five tackles and a goal against Casey in what was effectively his first season of football in a very long time. Tim Watson says Hird has “unbelievable endurance and great skill” and they are qualities coach Ben Rutten likes. Tiny Tom, he stands 182cm and weighs just 74kg, is also big on hard work and Essendon coaches speak openly about his diligence, despite early injuries interrupting his AFL journey. It was Hird the defender early in the VFL although that won’t be where he winds up. It was decided that after falling back in love with the Sherrin as an 18-year-old, and then missing chunks, the blond left-footer would transition best behind the ball. The next test was a block of basic learning as Hird’s positioning and craft came into the spotlight. The Bombers attempted to tease out Hird’s versatility by releasing him up to the midfield and on a wing, and by the final few games he was in the forward line where he probably belongs. Parents James and Tania were surprised the soccer whizz signed Dodoro’s (who thinks Tom is a small midfielder) contract offer as a Category B rookie in March last year. Tom had recently tucked in his shin guards to kick the round ball for Port Melbourne in the NPL. Before that Tom was in Europe turning heads as a teenager who was technically sound as the family jetted around France and Holland. If Tom can crack coach Ben Rutten’s team he would follow in treasured footsteps of his dad James (253 matches), grandfather Allan Jr (four) and great-grandfather Allan Sr (102 of 154 matches at Essendon). Fancy that – four generations of Hirds.
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