After climbing back into finals in 2017 and adding Jake Stringer, Adam Saad and Devon Smith to its list, Essendon was expected to be back in September action in 2018 but a disastrous first eight rounds put paid to those aspirations.
There was no problem with the three recruits, especially Smith who had a stunning year that culminated in winning the club’s best and fairest award, but the rest of the team failed to click until it was too late.
Injuries weren’t to blame with Joe Daniher and Orazio Fantasia the only big names to miss sizable chunks of the season, and in Daniher’s case it was when they were winning that he was absent.
This post-season saw the Bombers being the quietest club in the AFL, with gun midfielder Dylan Shiel the only experienced player brought in. Presumably the belief is the players are there already, they just need to play!
List changes
In
Dylan Shiel (GWS Giants), Irving Mosquito (Gippsland Power, pictured), Noah Gown (Gippsland Power), Brayden Ham (Geelong Falcons)
Rookies
Tom Jok (Collingwood VFL), Matt Dea (Essendon)
Out
Travis Colyer, Brendon Goddard, Josh Green, Jackson Merrett, Matthew Leuenberger
Best Brownlow chances
Dylan Shiel $26, Dyson Heppell $51, Zach Merrett $51, Devon Smith $101
New recruit Shiel may be the shortest-priced Bomber, but he hasn’t really threatened to take home the Brownlow in past years with a personal high of 11 votes in 2017.
Dyson Heppell has twice notched 14 votes (2014, 2017) and 13 in 2018, so as long as he keeps the hairdo, the skipper might be the man to put a few dollars down on.
Players to watch
Jake Stringer, Joe Daniher, Dylan Shiel
While his first year in red and black may not have been stunning, Jake Stringer is probably still the individual player with the most potential to have an influence on the Bombers’ fortunes. John Worsfold seemed determined to redesign the enigmatic Stringer into a midfielder, but eventually conceded the former Bulldog does his best work in front of goal, and will most likely keep him there for the majority of 2019.
Fast and through the middle!
— AFL (@AFL) June 21, 2018
The Bombers are red hot!#AFLEaglesDons pic.twitter.com/Dt4BJy13iQ
Whether Stringer can become a forward force has a lot to do with whether he and Joe Daniher can work in tandem. Daniher was expected to stake a claim as the league’s best key forward in 2018, but even before he was injured in round seven things were not going well, with just eight goals to his name. The only time the pair each kicked multiple goals was in the round four win over Port Adelaide, suggesting that Joey and Jake need to learn to work together to get this team higher.
Being the one big recruit in the off-season will have a lot of eyes on Dylan Shiel. The 25-year-old was given plenty of time on the ball at GWS, but sat behind Josh Kelly and Stephen Coniglio in the star ratings, and was then overtaken by Lachie Whitfield. Shiel doesn’t mind being the centre of attention and will thrive in front of much bigger crowds than he has been used to with the Giants.
A last chance to watch?
Jake Long, Aaron Francis
Being the son of a club legend can make life hard at times, but it could also be the only reason Jake Long is still on the Essendon list. Recruited as a rookie in 2015 Long played three games the next year before being elevated to the senior list, but went gameless in 2017 and added just two matches in the season just gone. Coming out of contract at the end of 2019, he will need to spend a lot more time on the field if he’s to get another contract.
No one questions Aaron Francis’ football ability, but his body and mind have had their moments in his short career to date. The way he finished the 2018 season, dominating in the air across half-back through the last five rounds, leaves no doubt he can forge a long and successful AFL career, but the biggest worry for Essendon fans is he may choose to do it back in his home state of South Australia. His deal at Tullamarine finishes in 12 months and his re-signing will be a priority.
Wow-wee! 🙌
— AFL (@AFL) August 24, 2018
Aaron Francis with a late contender for the @woolworths Mark of the Year! #AFLPowerDons pic.twitter.com/qnpYJ29sfa
Essendon Bombers’ 2019 list
| Number | Name | Games | Date of birth | Height, weight | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 | Ambrose, Patrick | 67 | 1 Sep 1991 | 193cm 95kg | Defender |
| 12 | Baguley, Mark | 124 | 21 May 1987 | 178cm 81kg | Defender |
| 16 | Begley, Joshua | 8 | 23 Jul 1998 | 188cm 89kg | Forward |
| 2 | Bellchambers, Tom | 113 | 9 Jul 1989 | 201cm 108kg | Ruck |
| 28 | Brown, Mitchell | 54 | 28 Aug 1990 | 196cm 95kg | Defender |
| 37 | Clarke, Dylan | 1 | 6 Sep 1998 | 186cm 85kg | Midfield |
| 30 | Clarke, Zachary | 101 | 28 Mar 1990 | 203cm 96kg | Ruck |
| 6 | Daniher, Joe | 100 | 4 Mar 1994 | 200cm 95kg | Forward |
| 49 | Dea, Matthew | 70 | 13 Oct 1991 | 186cm 85kg | Defender |
| 38 | Draper, Sam (R) | 0 | 28 Sep 1998 | 203cm 105kg | Ruck |
| 13 | Fantasia, Orazio | 60 | 14 Sep 1995 | 177cm 79kg | Forward |
| 10 | Francis, Aaron | 10 | 10 Aug 1997 | 193cm 92kg | Defender |
| 8 | Gleeson, Martin | 69 | 25 Aug 1994 | 191cm 86kg | Defender |
| Gown, Noah | 0 | 194cm 91kg | Forward | ||
| 35 | Guelfi, Matt | 15 | 14 Aug 1997 | 183cm 79kg | Midfield |
| Brayden Ham | 0 | ||||
| 36 | Hartley, Michael | 41 | 7 Jun 1993 | 198cm 104kg | Defender |
| 21 | Heppell, Dyson | 151 | 14 May 1992 | 189cm 82kg | Midfield |
| 26 | Hooker, Cale | 175 | 13 Oct 1988 | 197cm 101kg | Defender |
| 24 | Houlahan, Jordan | 0 | 19 Feb 1999 | 185cm 76kg | Forward |
| 18 | Hurley, Michael | 160 | 1 Jun 1990 | 193cm 92kg | Defender |
| Jok, Tom (R) | 0 | ||||
| 4 | Langford, Kyle | 47 | 1 Dec 1996 | 191cm 90kg | Midfield |
| 40 | Lavender, Luke (R) | 0 | 8 Jul 1996 | 200cm 92kg | Ruck |
| 33 | Laverde, Jayden | 30 | 12 Apr 1996 | 191cm 90kg | Forward |
| 34 | Long, Jake (R) | 5 | 3 Feb 1996 | 185cm 81kg | Midfield |
| 43 | McDonald-Tipungwuti, Anthony | 66 | 22 Apr 1993 | 171cm 79kg | Forward |
| 1 | McGrath, Andrew | 41 | 2 Jun 1998 | 178cm 80kg | Midfield |
| 45 | McKenna, Conor | 51 | 28 Mar 1996 | 184cm 84kg | Defender |
| 44 | McKernan, Shaun (R) | 62 | 1 Sep 1990 | 196cm 100kg | Forward |
| 41 | McNiece, Ben (R) | 10 | 22 Mar 1992 | 178cm 80kg | Defender |
| 7 | Merrett, Zach | 103 | 3 Oct 1995 | 180cm 80kg | Midfield |
| Mosquito, Irving | 0 | 176cm 72kg | Forward | ||
| 19 | Mutch, Kobe | 3 | 18 Mar 1998 | 187cm 83kg | Midfield |
| 23 | Myers, David | 116 | 30 Jun 1989 | 191cm 88kg | Midfield |
| 39 | Mynott, Trent (R) | 0 | 4 Oct 1999 | 185cm 75kg | Midfield |
| 3 | Parish, Darcy | 55 | 25 Jul 1997 | 180cm 80kg | Midfield |
| 27 | Redman, Mason | 5 | 26 Aug 1997 | 187cm 87kg | Defender |
| 14 | Ridley, Jordan | 3 | 20 Oct 1998 | 192cm 84kg | Defender |
| 42 | Saad, Adam | 70 | 23 Jul 1994 | 178cm 75kg | Defender |
| Shiel, Dylan | 135 | 9 Mar 1993 | 182cm 82kg | Midfield | |
| 5 | Smith, Devon | 131 | 20 May 1993 | 176cm 77kg | Midfield |
| 17 | Stewart, James | 45 | 4 Mar 1994 | 198cm 94kg | Forward |
| 25 | Stringer, Jake | 109 | 25 Apr 1994 | 192cm 92kg | Forward |
| 11 | Zaharakis, David | 187 | 21 Feb 1990 | 180cm 79kg | Midfield |
| 30 | Zerk-Thatcher, Brandon | 0 | 25 Aug 1998 | 195cm 78kg | Defender |
Taking their first steps as Bombers.
— Essendon FC (@EssendonFC) November 25, 2018
Our draft class of 2018 💫 pic.twitter.com/vuUYB4sGox
Essendon Bombers’ 2019 Fixture
| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sunday 24 March 3:20pm | GWS Giants | Showground Stadium |
| 2 | Saturday 30 March 4:35pm | St Kilda | Marvel Stadium |
| 3 | Friday 5 April 7:50pm | Melbourne | MCG |
| 4 | Saturday 13 April 2:10pm | Brisbane | MCG |
| 5 | Friday 19 April 4:20pm | North Melbourne | Marvel Stadium |
| 6 | Thursday 25 April 3:20pm | Collingwood | MCG |
| 7 | Sunday 5 May 3:20pm | Geelong | MCG |
| 8 | Friday 10 May 7:50pm | Sydney | SCG |
| 9 | Saturday 18 May 7:25pm | Fremantle | Marvel Stadium |
| 10 | Saturday 25 May 7:25pm | Richmond | MCG |
| 11 | Sunday 2 June 3:20pm | Carlton | MCG |
| 12 | BYE | ||
| 13 | Friday 14 June 7:50pm | Hawthorn | Marvel Stadium |
| 14 | Thursday 20 June 6:10pm | West Coast | Optus Stadium |
| 15 | Thursday 27 June 7:20pm | GWS Giants | Marvel Stadium |
| 16 | Saturday 6 July 1:45pm | Sydney | MCG |
| 17 | Saturday 13 July 4:35pm | North Melbourne | Marvel Stadium |
| 18 | Friday 19 July 7:20pm | Adelaide | Adelaide Oval |
| 19 | Sunday 28 July 4:40pm | Gold Coast | Metricon Stadium |
| 20 | Saturday 3 August 1:45pm | Port Adelaide | Marvel Stadium |
| 21 | Saturday 10 August 7:25pm | Western Bulldogs | Marvel Stadium |
| 22 | Saturday 17 August 6:10pm | Fremantle | Optus Stadium |
| 23 | TBC | Collingwood | MCG |
Games played on
Thursday: 3
Friday: 5
Saturday: 9
Sunday: 5
Teams played twice
Fremantle, Collingwood, North Melbourne, GWS Giants, Sydney
2019 Preview and premiership odds
A strong finish to 2018 has seen the faith in Essendon reinstalled, with the Bombers starting equal fifth favourite for the 2019 flag at $12.
It’s hard to see exactly what went wrong with their most recent campaign, which in turn makes it hard to know what to fix.
Will a better understanding between Daniher and Stringer lead to an unstoppable offence, or are their showmen’s personalities not made for sharing the big stage?
Is overconfidence an issue throughout the list and will the addition of a cocksure character like Shiel only add to concerns, or is it time for the group to throw away the worries of recent years, puff out their collective chests and start strutting about as only Essendon teams can?
The talent is certainly there and well spread around the ground, with Shiel adding to a midfield that should be bolstered by the maturing Andy McGrath and Darcy Parish, while the forward and back halves are as qualified as any in the competition.
It’s just a matter of whether the 2019 Bombers are more the ‘blitzing’ or ‘suicide’ kind.