Competitions Essendon's GOAT draft

boncer34 · Jan 4, 2026

For some off-season fun I'm proposing a draft of all Essendon players where posters get to name their best 23.

1,214 players have played for Essendon so entry is strictly capped at 52 posters.

Draft ordered will be a randomised snake order and of course each player can only be drafted once.

Once teams are drafted they'll be pitted against one another in series of polls until we have a winner.

Draft Order

Round 1

BomberTime - James Hird
Pweter - John Coleman
TheFrenchCut - Dick Reynolds
WN123
Stopher - Simon Madden
DapperDon - Bill Hutchinson
sup3rfish - Matthew Lloyd
Boncer34 - Ken Fraser
Vindicater - Gavin Wanganeen
TheUnicorn - Dustin Fletcher

Dustin Fletcher

Age
50

Ht

198cm

Wt
92kg

Pos.
Def

Career

Season

Last 5

D
16.0

4

K
12.3

5

HB
3.7

3

M
4.7

4

T
1.2

3

MG
301.6

4

No current season stats available

D
14.2

4

K
11.4

4

HB
2.8

3

M
4.8

5

T
1.4

4
Blind Turn - Tim Watson

Round 2
1. Blind Turn - Albert Thurgood
2. TheUnicorn - Terry Daniher
3. Vindicater - Jobe Watson
4. Boncer34 - Michael Long
5. sup3rfish - Zach Merrett
6. Dapper Don - Jack Clarke
7. Stopher - Paul Salmon
8. WN123
9. TheFrenchCut - Scott Lucas
10. Pweter - Leon Baker
11. BomberTime - Paul Vander Harr

Round 3
1. BomberTime - Marc Mercuri
2. Pweter - John Birt
3. TheFrenchCut - Michael Hurley
4. WN123
5. Stopher - Mark Harvey
6. DapperDon - Graham Moss
7. sup3rfish - Mark Thompson
8. Boncer34 - Tom Fitzmaurice
9. Vindicater - Sean Wellman
10. TheUnicorn - Joe Misiti
11. Blind Turn - Wally Buttsworth

Round 4
1. Blind Turn - Keith Forbes
2. TheUnicorn - Blake Caracella
3. Vindicater - Jason Johnson
4. Boncer34 - Barry Davis
5. sup3rfish - Alan Noonan
6. Dapper Don - Darren Bewick
7. Stopher - Gary O'Donnell
8. WN123
9. TheFrenchCut - Brendan Goddard
10. Pweter - Harold Lambert
11. BomberTime - Todd Goldstein

Round 5
1. BomberTime - Paul Chapman
2. Pweter - Ted Freyer
3. TheFrenchCut - Neale Daniher
4. WN123
5. Stopher - Joe Daniher
6. DapperDon - Cale Hooker
7. sup3rfish - Paddy Ryder
8. Boncer34 - Geoff Blethyn
9. Vindicater - Damien Hardwick
10. TheUnicorn - Sam Durham
11. Blind Turn - Roger Merrett

Round 6
1. Blind Turn - Justin Madden
2. TheUnicorn - David Hille
3. Vindicater - Anthony Daniher
4. Boncer34 - Reg Burgess
5. sup3rfish - Dyson Heppell
6. Dapper Don - Des Tuddenham
7. Stopher - James Kelly
8. WN123
9. TheFrenchCut - Adam Ramanaskus
10. Pweter - Bill Duckworth
11. BomberTime - Garry Foulds

Round 7
1. BomberTime - Ted Richards
2. Pweter - Geoff Raines
3. TheFrenchCut - Adam Cooney
4. WN123
5. Stopher
6. DapperDon - Billy Griffith
7. sup3rfish - Jordan Ridley
8. Boncer34 - Syd Barker
9. Vindicater - Adam McPhee
10. TheUnicorn - David Zaharakis
11. Blind Turn - Fred Baring

Round 8
1. Blind Turn - Merv Neagle
2. TheUnicorn - Nate Caddy
3. Vindicater - Don Mckenzie
4. Boncer34 - Ken Fletcher
5. sup3rfish - Alan Ezard
6. Dapper Don - Tom Reynolds
7. Stopher -
8. TheFrenchCut - Bachar Houli
9. Pweter - Norm Beckton
10. BomberTime - Scott Cummings

Round 9
1. BomberTime - Anthony McDonald-Tippungwuti
2. Pweter - Ian Shelton
3. TheFrenchCut - Dean Rioli
4. Stopher
5. DapperDon - Kevin Walsh
6. sup3rfish - Mal Michael
7. Boncer34 - John Barnes
8. Vindicater - Brent Stanton
9. TheUnicorn - Adam Saad
10. Blind Turn - Jake Stringer

Round 10

1. Blind Turn - Darcy Parish
2. TheUnicorn - Kyle Langford
3. Vindicater - Mark McVeigh
4. Boncer34 - Mark Johnson
5. sup3rfish - Jason Winderlich
6. Dapper Don - Nic Martin
7. Stopher - Scott Camporeale
8. TheFrenchCut - Dylan Shiel
9. Pweter - Jack Jones
10. BomberTime - Dean Solomon

Round 11
1. BomberTime - Scott Camporeale
2. Pweter - Greg Anderson
3. TheFrenchCut - Mark Jamar
4. Stopher
5. DapperDon - Alwyn Davey
6. sup3rfish - Courtney Dempsey
7. Boncer34 - Brian Walsh
8. Vindicater - Hugh Mitchell
9. TheUnicorn - Andrew McGarth
10. Blind Turn - Darren "Daisy" Williams

Round 12
1. Blind Turn - Glenn Hawker
2. TheUnicorn - Isaac Kako
3. Vindicater - Geoff Leek
4. Boncer34 - Frank Maher
5. sup3rfish - Devon Smith
6. Dapper Don - Alec Epis
7. Stopher -
8. TheFrenchCut - Matthew Stokes
9. Pweter - Norm McDonald
10. BomberTime - Michael Hibberd

Round 13
1. BomberTim - Chris Heffernan
2. Pweter - Gordon Lane
3. TheFrenchCut - Jake Carlisle
4. Stopher
5. DapperDon - Steven Alessio
6. sup3rfish - Dean Wallis
7. Boncer34 - Damian Cupido
8. Vindicater - Billy Griffiths
9. TheUnicorn - Andrew Welsh
10. Blind Turn - Tony Buhagiar

Round 14
1. Blind Turn - Bryan Wood
2. TheUnicorn - Leroy Jetta
3. Vindicater - Len Bowe
4. Boncer34 - Bill Brittingham
5. sup3rfish - Justin Blumfield
6. Dapper Don - Ron Evans
7. Stopher -
8. TheFrenchCut - Andrew Lovett
9. Pweter - Gary Moorcroft
10. BomberTime - Paul Weston

Round 15

1. BomberTime - Sean Denham
2. Pweter - Phil Carman
3. TheFrenchCut - Mark Williams
4. Stopher
5. DapperDon - Paul Bardnard
6. sup3rfish - Mason Redman
7. Boncer34 - Derek Kickett
8. Vindicate - Charlie Payne
9. TheUnicorn - Zach Reid
10. Blind Turn - Bill Busbridge

Round 16
1. Blind Turn - Shane Heard
2. TheUnicorn - Archie Roberts
3. Vindicater - Davis Shaw
4. Boncer34 - Ryan Crowley
5. sup3rfish - Connor McKenna
6. Dapper Don - Orazio Fantasia
7. Stopher -
8. TheFrenchCut - Mark Baguley
9. Pweter - Jack Garden
10. BomberTime - Jake Melksham

Round 17
1. BomberTime - Chris Daniher
2. Pweter - Neil Clarke
3. TheFrenchCut - Ricky Dyson
4. Stopher
5. DapperDon - Glenn Manton
6. sup3rfish - Angus Monfries
7. Boncer34 - Justin Murphy
8. Vindicater - Bill Sewart
9. TheUnicorn - Damien Peverill
10. Blind Turn - Greg Stockdale

Round 18
1. Blind Turn - Dale Kickett
2. TheUnicorn - Sam Draper
3. Vindicater - Greg Sewell
4. Boncer34 - Harry Hunter
5. sup3rfish - Che Cockato Collins
6. Dapper Don - Ernie Cameron
7. Stopher -
8. TheFrenchCut - Justin McCarthy
9. Pweter - Les Gardiner
10. BomberTime - David Grenvold

Round 19
1. BomberTime - Heath Hocking
2. Pweter - Howard Okey
3. TheFrenchCut - Massimo D'Ambrosio
4. Stopher
5. DapperDon - Russell Blew
6. sup3rfish - David Myers
7. Boncer34 - Darryl Gerlach
8. Vindicater - Geoff Gosper
9. TheUnicorn - James Stewart
10. Blind Turn - Max Crow

Round 20
1. Blind Turn - Tony Elshaug
2. TheUnicorn - Nick Hind
3. Vindicater - Percy Ogden
4. Boncer34 - Stewart Crameri
5. sup3rfish - Peter Wright
6. Dapper Don - Trav Colyer
7. Stopher -
8. TheFrenchCut - Danny Jacobs
9. Pweter - Wally Chalmers
10. BomberTime - Peter Somerville

Round 21
1. BomberTime - Jye Caldwell
2. Pweter - Neville Fields
3. TheFrenchCut - Brad Plain
4. Stopher
5. DapperDon - Rene Kink
6. sup3rfish - David Calthorpe
7. Boncer34 - Rick Olarenshaw
8. Vindicate - Paul Hills
9. TheUnicorn - Ben Howlett
10. Blind Turn - Alan Stonehan

Round 22
1. Blind Turn - Ron Andrews
2. TheUnicorn - Angus Clarke
3. Vindicater - John Williams
4. Boncer34 - Jack Baggot
5. sup3rfish - Jeff Gamble
6. Dapper Don - Nathan Lovett-Murray
7. Stopher -
8. TheFrenchCut - Tom Bellchambers
9. Pweter - Percy Bushby
10. BomberTime - Frank Dunnell

Round 23
1. BomberTime - Tayte Pears
2. Pweter - Andy Wilson
3. TheFrenchCut - Patrick Voss
4. Stopher
5. DapperDon - Craig Bird
6. sup3rfish - Scott Gumbleton
7. Boncer34
8. Vindicate
9. TheUnicorn
10. Blind Turn

Blind Turn · Mar 6, 2026

sup3rfish said:
Dean Wallis - Mal Micheal - Mason Redman

Dyson Heppell - Jordan Ridley - Mark Thompson

Courtney Dempsey - Zac Merrett – Connor McKenna

Jason Winderlich - Alan Noonan – Angus Monfries

Alan Ezard - Matthew Lloyd - Devon Smith

Paddy Ryder - Justin Blumfield – David Myers

Che Cockatoo-Collins - Peter Wright - David Calthorpe - Jeff Gamble - Scott Gumbleton

Pros:
-You have Merrett delivering to Lloyd.
-Plenty of speed down the wings into the forward half.
-Filled out with solid role players.
-Your ruck will be favoured by the new centre contest rule.
-Four ex-captains gives you plenty of leadership

Cons:
-A lot of injury-plagued players.
-A lot of inconsistent performers who never reached their potential.
-Lacks a midfield star to support Zach.

ant555 · Mar 6, 2026

May not get a full team done but I will run through as many of the players not drafted as i can in the next few days. Forgive me if a get some who where drafted

Neil "Stallion" Besanko was a half-back flanker who came from from St Kilda where he played 149 games from 1968 to 1977. Prior to that he played with Mentone.

With a fine professional footrunning background, he had great pace and also was an effective stopper with great concentration. Hamstring injuries over his last couple of seasons with Essendon prevented him from showing his best form.

He won Essendon's Best Clubman award in 1979.

Besanko left Essendon for Central Districts in South Australia in 1982.

His brother, Barry, also played for Essendon (three games, 1980).
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Barry Besanko was a speedy wingman who came from Melbourne Reserves. He had joined the Demons' Under 19s in 1973 from Mentone.

Besanko played three games in late 1980 and one of these was as interchange.

He then became captain-coach of Dingley in 1983 before rejoining Essendon as a specialist coach in 1984 and 1985.

Besanko was captain-coach of Rye in 1986 and 1987, and was appointed fitness advisor at St Kilda for season 1988.

As well as being a League footballer, he was also one of Australia's fastest sprinters, winning Victorian Sprint Championships.

He served on the EFC Past Players and Officials Association committee for a number of years and was awarded life membership in 2021.

His brother, Neil, also played with Essendon (35 games 1978-1981) and St Kilda (149 games 1968-1977).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Roy Ramsay was a reliable back pocket who came from North Melbourne where he played 76 games from 1976 to 1981. He played his junior football at Broadmeadows where he won the F. H. Woods Medal as Best and Fairest in the Essendon District League Under 17s in 1972.

He could only manage three senior games in 1982, but he won the Reserves Best and Fairest award that year.

Ramsay then returned to North Melbourne in 1983 and played 47 more games there until the end of 1987.

He transferred to Port Melbourne in 1988.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
John Fanning was a follower who came up through the Under 19s where he won Essendon's Best and Fairest award in 1967. He had earlier played with St Bernard's CBC.

He couldn't get a regular senior game and of his six games four were as a reserve. He was a member of the Reserves premiership side in 1968, where he won the Best First Year Player award.

He then played 132 games with Williamstown from 1970 to 1976, and was in their premiership side in 1976. He won their Best and Fairest Player award in 1976 and was captain-coach in 1978. He was later inducted into Williamstown's Hall of Fame.

He went to Brunswick in 1977 and 1978 and Strathmore in 1979.

His uncle, Fred, Fanning was a champion player for Melbourne (104 games, 1940, 1942-1947), who still holds the record for kicking 18 goals in a game (from the team's total of 19).

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Willie Dick was a Noongar man from Northam in Western Australia. He was quick, a good kick and, like most Indigenous players, played with flair. He was 26 when he was drafted by Essendon with pick 21 in the 1991 National Draft. He had been playing with Perth since he was 18 and won their best and fairest award in 1991.

He mostly played as a rover/forward and was a member of the 1992 Reserves premiership team.

He played seven senior games for the Essendon in 1992, but returned to Western Australia in 1993, sacrificing a potentially outstanding career for family reasons.

Draft history: #21 (1991 National Draft)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

hurlygurdy · Mar 22, 2026

Get your shit together coaches and post some team analysis. I’d like to hear some pros and cons about your players dug out of history books? Some really interesting teams have been made
Call out to dapperdon for picking up one of best sliders in Alec Epis.

Love BigFooty? Join FREE to connect with footy fans everywhere.

Log In or Create New Account

Rd 4 Saturday + Club Forums »

Rd 4 Reviews + Club Forums »

Competitions Essendon's GOAT draft

🥰 Love BigFooty? Join now for free.

Recent threadmarks

boncer34

Formerly "Dos23"

Blind Turn

Uncoiled Visionary

ant555

The Oracle

hurlygurdy

Premiership Player

Recent threadmarks

Similar threads

🥰 Love BigFooty? Join now for free.

Connect with BigFooty

Forum statistics

Online statistics