An optimistic man may have thought that the AFL scripted things to play out this way.
The last game of the season with a finals spot on the line. A skilled administration may have been good enough to manufacture such a situation.
But this is the AFL we’re talking about, and they sit around on their elbows a little too much… because they cannot tell the difference between their arses and their elbows.
Anyway, the Suns needed to win to play finals and the Bombers needed to win because… well, let’s be honest, they didn’t need to win, at all.
And the game opened that way, with the Suns opening up a monster 40-point lead after one quarter.
And so it went. The Bombers lacked the firepower and the talent to overcome the deficit, whist the Suns didn’t have to kill themselves to maintain it.
To review this one, we went in a different direction.
Disco Monagle wanted to cover the Bombers, with a more overarching view on where they’re at, where they’re headed, and what things look like for the club as a horror season ends.
HB got the nod to cover the Suns, with a focus on how their team got the win in this one, and how the club is stacking up heading into finals.
The styles will be different, and who cares? You’re getting two parts of the same article – it’s a win, baby!
With that, let’s jump in.
GOLD COAST – HB MEYERS
A WARNING SHOT
When I think about the teams in the finals, I started to wonder about what the best of each team looks like.
We’ve seen it from Adelaide, and they are scary. We’ve seen it from Geelong, Collingwood, and at points, we’ve seen it from Brisbane.
I’m not sure we’ve seen Hawthorn’s best, or that of GWS. I’m also unsure of Freo.
But I think I just saw the best of the Suns in this game, and it was very, very good.
They had Sam Collins being the gorilla in defence, crashing and bashing into Peter Wright. They had Bodhi Uwland, who has far surpassed any expectations on him this season, and they have Bailey Humphrey, back from injury and using his core strength to out-body opponents in marking contests.
You’ll note, they aren’t the biggest names in the team, right?
Add in Joel Jeffrey, Lachie Weller, and John Noble… this team now has all the right pieces in all the right places.
Almost.
SO, WHAT’S MISSING?
I worry about their defence, and it is the talls that worries me most.
Sam Collins is fantastic – he was one of our 2024 Defensive Player of the Year winners, after all. However, Mac Andrew as the player taking responsibility for the second forward is a matchup I can see troubling the Suns.
The Suns have an excellent mid-size/small defender combination, with Wil Powell one of the most underrated players in the competition. His combination with Joel Jeffrey, Bodhi Uwland, Dan Rioli, and John Noble gives the Suns plenty of drive…
… but they’re a little small, overall. The absence of Charlie Ballard and his intercept marking will test the Suns against the best the league can offer. They’ve hung in all season, but weeks on end, facing the teams that are at, or above the level they’re travelling at… I’d much prefer to have Ballard holding down a key position, and Mac as the third up.
A GLIMPSE OF WHAT COULD BE
The first quarter was an exercise in dispelling doubts. There were people who gave Essendon a chance in this one, but if you’d watched the Bombers this season, you’d know that this was wishful thinking. They were capable of one yelp – the second quarter, and even then, all they were able to conjure was a break-even thirty minutes of footy.
They couldn’t hang with the Gold Coast, as the Suns used defensive pressure, combined with power running from Matt Rowell, Noah Anderson, and Daniel Rioli to break the game open.
Firstly, we must understand that they were playing an outfit that simply wasn’t up to it. Essendon have not won since Saad El Hawli only had bumfluff on his chin, and there are several players in red and black who won’t be there next season. But the Suns were ruthless, and they hammered the Bombers in the contest and on the outside.
Coming into this game, I mused that Dimma Hardwick should pull out the tape of the first Gold Coast game against Essendon. You remember the one? The Suns were embarrassed by the Bombers, as Essendon smelled blood and piled on 15 goals in the first quarter. That’s the same instinct I wanted to see from the Suns in this one. I wanted to sense blood in the water, and see them bury the vulnerable Bombers.
Seven goals wasn’t 15, but it did the trick. You get the feeling it could have been much worse but for a couple of fumbles and double-grabs from the Suns inside 50. Despite some Essendon resistance in the second, the Suns kicked 14 goals in the second half to spifflicate their opposition.
The final margin was 95 points, and it was the ruthless, savage, and unrelenting Suns that their supporters wanted to witness. Good sides put lesser sides to the sword. Look what Geelong have been doing for the past month or so. They have cut the opposition to ribbons.
The ribbons on this occasion were all red and black, and they lay all over the turf of People First Stadium, as the Suns spared no one. It is exactly the ruthlessness we needed to see.
POTENTIAL SEPTEMBER STARS
DANIEL RIOLI
Those runs through the middle… the Suns have missed them.
They have got a fairly decent number of them from Joel Jeffrey in his absence, but when Rioli gets the footy, tucks it under his arm, and goes… the opposition goes into panic mode. He becomes a chaos merchant.
A fit and firing Rioli, who needed this run, will give the Suns a springboard from defence. He’ll have missed September footy.
BEN LONG
He’s my favourite Sun. He just does not take a backwards step, and as he clattered into Jayden Laverde in the first quarter, he sent a strong message – the Suns meant business.
I reckon he is built for September. He plays in such a way that leaves some people on the fence about him, and there is a big chance that at some point, he’ll topple over the fence into territory that’ll get him in trouble, but I would not have him any other way.
He made the AA team this season, but I doubt he’ll make it. He’s a bit too physical for the league’s liking.
MATT ROWELL AND NOAH ANDERSON
Holy shit, they were good.
They combined for 65 touches, 16 clearances, and five goals, as the pair ripped through the Essendon midfield like a pair of knives through some pretty soft butter.
Of course, they’re not going to be able to do that in September – not to that level, anyway – but what the Suns have done is built the midfield around them to the point they have some big bodies (Miller/Humphrey/Davies) in the mix to grapple with some of the opposition’s big ball winners. This permits these two the opportunity to get off the chain.
What do I expect from them against Freo?
Inside monstering from Rowell, and power-running from Anderson. If they get that, you know that Touk Miller will do his job, and if that job means he goes to someone like Caleb Serong, then we may see the Suns able to get on top.
Oh, as an aside, it is quite evident that Rowell has done a ton of work on his burst speed. The way he can generate power off one or two steps is now a very real weapon. He wasn’t running away from too much, but the way those first few strides were able to extract him from the pack… that was impressive.
JARROD WITTS
Next week, the Suns face the ruck combination of Sean Darcy and Luke Jackson, and if I was asked to name someone on the Gold Coast team they simply could not lose, it’d be Witts.
I’ve mentioned this to my fellow Mongrel writers, but Witts is a ruck anomaly. He is beaten sometimes, but he is never dominated. He is just too big to be pushed around by Darcy and puts himself in the spot where the opposition ruck (Jackson) cannot jump over him.
KNOW WHAT’S GREAT?
I know heading to WA to face Freo is a long trip for the Suns, but really, I found any talk of them wanting a “lesser” win over the Bombers to secure a trip to face GWS instead to be ludicrous. You never, ever flirt with form. You never NOT feast on a live kill.
The Suns get Freo next Saturday evening, and it should be a ripper. The reason I am so excited, as these two teams have been ones I’ve watched closely all season. I genuinely enjoy the type of footy these clubs play, and to think that I am guaranteed seeing at least one of them in the second week of September… it just makes me happy.
I have no dog in the fight – Freo or Gold Coast… I am just happy to see one get through.
What a cop-out, huh?
I’d genuinely love to see two of the bottom four in the eight make it throygh the Prelim week. If one of them is the Suns, I’ll be all-in.
WHAT THIS MEANS, EVEN TO SOMEONE LIKE ME
As some of you know, I am invested in footy. Possibly more than I am invested in my own team. I love the game, I love seeing history made, and I love seeing firsts.
This was a “first” that I was rapt to witness.
On a day when we had another issue dominating headlines, and we were told how much it mattered, what I saw from the Suns actually mattered to me. I don’t barrack for the team, but I had a tear in my eye watching how much it meant to the players, supporters, and staff of the club. It has been such a tough road to get to this point, and the unbridled joy on Jarrod Witts’ face as he set sail for the final goal of the game… it was almost perfect.
I was sitting back, smiling widely, almost proud of the group as they embraced and made their September dreams a reality. I can only imagine how gratifying it must be to those supporters who have been there from the start, and endured not only the tough losses, but the derision of opposition supporters.
Congrats Gold Coast. Exhale, and enjoy the ride.
CAN THIS TEAM WIN THE FLAG?
This season has been a wide open race. There have been times when I have watched Collingwood and they looked unbeatable. The Cats have blown away teams like a cyclone for the past month and a half. And the Dockers have string together a big run of wins toward the end of the season, as well.
You get the feeling that this finals series, more so than any in recent memory, could go in any direction.
Given that, yeah…why the hell not? Why not Gold Coast? Why not now?
There are points in every season when I ask the question of whether a team can capitalise on the magic they’ve created. You think about last season – I reckon Hawthorn blew a golden opportunity with the momentum they created. They could have pinched a flag. Now, they’d have to win it from eighth. Not impossible, but improbable.
The Suns celebrated after the win this game, and it was deserved, however, this is still just a step.
Yes, it is a step they have never taken before, but it remains just a step.
The Suns now need to regroup, recommit, and head into the first final of their young club’s life with the same killer instinct they displayed against what was a weak Essendon team that sported far too many VFL-Level players.
The job of making Freo look like this Essendon team will not be easy.
Nothing worth doing ever is.
EFFICIENT
You know, when I first started The Mongrel Punt, I’d be up until 3am writing articles after a game. I just wasn’t very efficient. I’d try to cover absolutely everything in minuscule detail, and I almost ended up running myself into the ground.
Mrs Mongrel told me to find five or six things that mattered to me from a game, and concentrate on those aspects of a contest. She said to “let it flow”.
So I did, and in doing so, I became more efficient.
However, I could type 120 words per minute and not be as efficient as Ben King. The bloke knows his job and doesn’t waste energy doing half of the other dumb shit people in his position think they can do, or should do.
King is in the side to kick goals. He is never going to get leather poisoning, but he does make his kicks count.
He is a bit of a throwback to a time when big forwards were in the team to hit the scoreboard and little else. He had eight kicks of the footy in this one, and ended up with 7.1 to his name. He plonks himself within 30 metres of goal and dares the opposition to stop them.
Jayden Laverde could not stop Ben King in this one. Not with some of the delivery King was receiving. He was killed in the first quarter, resurrected, and then killed again late in the game. Can you commit a double homicide if there is only one victim? If so, arrest Ben King for murder – twice!
I’ve been critical of King, at times, for not being more involved, but I’ll tell you what – he keeps converting like he did in this one, an I’ll shut the hell up. How does that sound?
Also, did he just kick himself into the All-Australian team? So many mock teams have been nominating Riley Thilthorpe as the second key position forward, but King’s seven goals now take him to 69 for the year.
I am not sure you can discount him, as Thilthorpe, as good as he has been, sits 14 snags behind him. Jeremy Cameron is the obvious number one pick, but this last round might cause a few selectors to reconsider a forward line that might have been set in their minds.
What a way to finish for King. Now, he just needs a big first week perfromance against Freo to prove he can back it up on the big stage.
THE WRAP
The Suns have been an enjoyable team to watch this season. They play fast-paced, combative footy, and with a plethora of stars at their disposal, they could really make some noise in finals.
That said, they are in the same boat as seven other teams right now – they need a lot to go right for it to happen.
Years back, the Crows proved you don’t need to finish at the pointy end to win a flag. Then the Dogs rammed that home.
Anything can happen in September, and with this team on a high heading into their first final… September is looking like a hell of a lot of fun for footy fans.
Bring it on.
ESSENDON – DISCO MONAGLE
A Bombers Tale
Schoolies Week
As Huddo would say, “Thirteen, THIRTEEN.”
Injuries have cruelled the second half of the Bombers season as they finish season 2025 with thirteen straight losses. I’ll repeat that, THIRTEEN, thirteen straight losses.
Essendon were beaten by 95 points by the Suns at People First Stadium in a game that meant nothing to them, and they performed accordingly. Rather than dwell on a game they were never going to win, let’s turn our attention to how the Bombers ended their season with 13 straight losses, and whether there are some positives to be found amongst the gloom.
After starting the season well and looking a chance of getting some September action at Round 11, the Bombers fell of the edge of cliff into the abyss. The fall was spectacular, as the Red Sashes went from bad to worse to terrible and finally abysmal.
After an impressive win against the Swans in Round Nine, the Bombers faithful felt something they hadn’t felt in a long time, that something being hope, with a capital HOPE. Essendon’s 2025 season was alive and kicking.
There is a saying about hope – hope is the last refuge of the desperate – and sadly for Essendon and their tortured supporters, beating the Swans was the high point of the season.
A week later, the Bombers were pummelled by the flat-track bullies, the Western Bulldogs, but they did bounce back well against the Tigers the following week, and then, well… that was the beginning of the end.
By mid-July, any semblance of hope had turned into that old, all-too-familiar feeling of dread and hopelessness again.
A combination of injuries and a loss of form hampered the Bombers for the month of June, as they failed to manufacture a win and come July, Brad Scott and his men were searching for the finish line.
To rub salt into the already festering wounds at the Hangar, a cyclone in Round Zero meant the Bombers season was prolonged when that game was fixtured to be played on the Wednesday after the final round of the regular home and away series.
Essendon’s trip to People’s First Stadium to take on a Suns side needing the win to make the finals for the first time in their history was never going to end well, and it didn’t.
By halftime Matt Guelfi was subbed off, while Todd Goldstein was ruled out for the match with concussion after a head clash with his teammate Xavier Duursma. The Goldstein and Duursma head clash is symbolic of the entire Bombers attrition battle for the second half of the season.
Essendon were never going to win this preseason/regular season matchup against the Suns, all that could happen was an ugly season would get even more uglier, and that is how it played out.
Not including Guelfi and Goldstein, Essendon had sixteen players who couldn’t be considered for selection because of injury against the Suns. Out of those sixteen players at least ten of them would be considered regulars in the senior team.
Jordan Ridley, Jye Caldwell, Nate Caddy, Ben McKay, Sam Draper, Darcy Parish, Will Settlefield, Harrison Jones, Nic Martin and the unlucky Nik Cox who may have played his last match, are the senior injured players who were unavailable for some or all of the second half of the season.
Numbers like that bite.
Where is Essendon’s Class?
Even when the Bombers are at full strength their list is made up of a lot of ‘B’ and ‘C’ grade players, and as a team they are short a couple of true ‘A’ graders.
Zach Merrett has been a great servant for over 250 games, and he is clearly the best player in an average team, but from a neutral perspective is hard to describe him as a true ‘A’ grader in the same breath as players like Nick Daicos, Lachie Neale, Patrick Dangerfield, Max Gawn or Marcus Bontempelli.
Within the walls of the Hangar Merrett would be considered the top dog, but the team needs more than just Merrett as their only true on field leader if they are to move themselves from the realms of AFL purgatory.
Andrew McGrath, the former great hope for the Bombers, is yet to the live up the expectations of his number one draft pick, however, in the midst of the Essendon’s season from hell he has stepped up and been a great mentor for the young’uns coming in and out of the team.
Essendon have put a lot of faith in McGrath contracting him to the end of the 2030 season and it is time he repaid the faith.
The one Bomber player who has the potential to be the next captain after Merrett is the ever-reliable Sam Durham, who was recruited to the club in the 2021 Mid-Season Draft. At 24 and with 91 games to his name Durham has gone from strength to strength over the last couple of years, leading even when the team is down and out. He was clearly not at 100% in this game, but was out there, anyway, flying the red and black flag.
Up back, the Bomber have a few good stalwarts in Mason Redman, Jordan Ridley and Jayden Laverde leading the way, while nurturing the very impressive Archie Roberts (he has a bit of mongrel him – I like it), the promising Saad El-Hawli, midseason recruit Jayden Blakiston and Academy recruit, Jayden Nyugen.
While Essendon’s back six is certainly not the worst in the competition, the Bombers forward line is a mess.
Without Nate Caddy in the team, the Bombers cupboard is almost bare up forward, with the exception of the exciting small Isaac Kako. Kyle Langford has missed most of the season with injury, and as such the leadership role up forward fell to Peter Wright. With all due respect to Two Metre Peter, he is a handy player but not a leader.
Nate Caddy is the jewel in the Bombers team, but he needs players like Langford playing alongside him for a couple more years. Who am I kidding, the Bombers need another key forward to support Caddy, Kako and Langford.
If Sam Draper does leave as expected, then a lot of pressure will be placed on the shoulders of Vigo Visentini to mature into a bona-fide ruckman before next season. Todd Goldstein got his belted up, weary body to the finishing line this year, leaving the Bombers to make a hard decision about his future. Hell, he was barely supposed to play at all this season. Visentini would argue he is required next season, but poor old Todd is starting to look like a punch-drunk former prize fighter.
Lachlan Blakiston, who is built like a brick outhouse could be thrown in the ruck next season, especially if he gets AFL fit over the offseason.
Darcy Parish
There is a lot to like about Darcy Parish, but he is at an age where he does need to look at his future and he has a lot to think about post-season. Parish is contracted until the end of 2029, but as we’ve seen, contracts can mean nothing sometimes, and I reckon both Parish and the Bombers might be open to a trade in the coming weeks.
Parish would be the missing piece type of player in a team like Sydney, Geelong or Hawthorn, and I reckon he would relish the opportunity.
Nic Martin
When you don’t see a bloke play for a while it is easy to forget how good he is, and as such, I nearly forgot about one the Bombers best. It would have been remiss of me not to mention a word or two about Nic Martin, runner-up in the Bombers Best and Fairest last year.
At his best, Nic Martin has the potential to be one of the best wingmen in the AFL, or one of the best half-backs. Whenever he is on the field of battle, he demands the ball and he can deliver it on two-cent piece to his teammates. Without understating it, a fit Nic Martin makes the Bombers a more reliable, consistent and better team.
My co-writer, the great HB Meyers, loves a good wingman, and if I had forgotten to write this little piece at the last minute about Martin I may have had some questions to answer.
(I love him on the wing, but the Bombers seem to prefer him as a flanker, both forward and back – HB)
Essendon’s Recruiting
Players recruited into the club like Xavier Duursma, Jake Gresham and Matt Guelfi are great team players, and while they have performed okay-ish this season, they are not the type of players who will make enough of a difference to deliver the Bombers to the promised land.
Essendon need to get a couple of true ‘A’ graders to the club instead of good clubmen, and they may have to sacrifice a player like Parish to get the players they need.
I expect some hate mail for suggesting this, but Parish, Durham and McGrath are all similar type of players, while the Bombers really need a classy player who is difference maker, so something has to give.
Essendon need to enter the trade and draft period with a very open mind, to attract the players they need at the club. With the Saints securing TDK the Bombers should be standing out of Rowan Marshall’s house with a seven-year contract and a blank cheque in their hand.
List Changes Needed
Dylan Shiel has already been told he is not required next season, while Sam Draper has telegraphed his intentions that he wants out, but for the Bombers to succeed their list requires more than just two changes.
Outside of a select half a dozen players and the young guns like Archie Roberts, Nate Caddy, and Isaac Kako, every other Bomber should be made available as a possible trade.
While some players will be used as trade-bait, there are a number of Bomber players who will be delisted in the coming week.
Players who would be nervous walking in for their exit interviews this week would be, in no particular order: Elijah Tsatas, Ben Hobbs (I think he will stay), Will Settlefield, sadly Nik Cox (concussion), Archie Perkins (I think he will stay), Todd Goldstein, Lewis Hayes, Harrison Jones (he is great trade-bait), Nick Bryan, Jaxon Prior, Jye Menzie, Zach Reid, Alwyn Davey jnr, and Zak Johnson, with the rest being a couple of players in the system for a couple of years who haven’t quite made it.
It is a long list of players, but such is the position the Bombers are in that no player other than a select few should feel safe, especially if the club is to get a player like Rowan Marshall to the Hangar.
The Positives
Forgetting the Suns game, which was lost before the team even got on the plane, amongst all the gloom there has been some small wins and a few positives all the way for the Bombers fans.
The form of Nate Caddy, Archie Roberts and Isaac Kako has stood out this season, while a couple of handy Mid-Season Draft pick-ups have performed well in the limited time they have been at the club, so it not all doom and gloom.
To finish this article, Essendon have had about 19 players who have been in the system for only a year or two and their potential to the Bombers is discussed. If I was a Bombers fan looking for some positives, then some solace can be taken with a few of the new kids on the block.
The Baby Bombers and a few Mature Newbies
Elijah Tsatas – Debut: 2023, Games 2025 – 5 (career 16)
As is now the tradition at Essendon, Elijah finished this season injured after playing only five games for the season.
Managing only 16 games since his debut in 2023, the Bombers may have to make a hard decision about Elijah’s future in the AFL.
Isaac Kako – Debut 2025, Games – 23
Kako has lived up to his billing as the best small forward in the 2024 draft, and he is one of only handful of Essendon players to play all 23 games this season.
Amongst the depths of the Bombers despair this season, Kako has been a ripper, and he can only get better.
It would be prudent of the Bombers to try and sign Isaac up for a couple more years beyond his current contract as he is a ‘wish list’ player for the other 17 clubs.
Lewis Hayes – Debut 2025, Games 1
Lewis Hayes was drafted in the 2022 National Draft at pick 25, however he has only played one game since being drafted.
Hayes is 199cm’s tall and he is contracted to the end of next year, so it seems the Bombers have long-term plans for the player who was runner-up in the Bombers Reserves team last year.
Kayle Gerreyn – Drafted Pick 37, 2024 National Draft
At 200cm’s, the Bombers are giving the big man time to mature in much the same manner as Lewis Hayes.
It will be interesting to see if he gets some game time next season.
Archie Roberts – Debut 2024, Games 2025 23 (career 27)
Drafted at 54 in the 2023 National Draft, Archie Roberts has demonstrated this season he has a very healthy future in the AFL, and like Kako, he is another who the Bombers should be signing up for as long as possible.
Gotta love it when late draft picks turn into gold.
Archer May – Debut 2025, Games 7
Since being picked up by the Bombers Archer May (Happy 21st Birthday) has fit in well in his limited time at the Hangar, however, his season has ended on a bit of a sour note missing the last few weeks of the season with an ankle issue.
Archer May is one to watch next season with interest.
Nate Caddy – Debut 2024 – Games 2025 17 (career 27)
Nate Caddy is the Rolls Royce forward the Bombers have been trying to find since Matthew Lloyd hung up his boots.
Essendon can build a team around Caddy such is his natural ability and if they haven’t signed him up already to a long-term deal beyond his current contract ending in 2026, then they stand a real a chance of losing him to a club willing to offer him big dollars over many years.
If Tom De Koning is worth $1.8 million per year at St Kilda, the mind boggles at how much young Caddy would be worth on the open market.
Zach Reid – Debut 2021, Games 2025 10 (career 19)
At 23 years of age, Zach Reid has been in the Bombers system since 2021, playing only 19 games, ten of them this year.
Reid finishes season 2025 on the Bombers injury list, which is a pity as he did show a bit this season.
Reid’ contract is due for renewal, and it will be interesting to see if the Bombers give him another chance or do they shop him around or just delist him? His body has let him down, but that does seem to be the way of things at Essendon this season. Plus, when he has played, he has demonstrated that he “could” be an answer to the Bombers’ issues with key defence.
Alwyn Davey Jnr – Debut 2023, Games 2025 0 (career 20)
Taken with pick 45 in the 2022 National Draft under the father/son rule, Alwyn showed some promise in seasons 2023 and 2024, however he has not been able to get a game this season (I did check to see if he was on the injury list) and it would fair to say his time at the Bombers may have come to an end.
Luamon Lual – Debut 2025, Games 12
Luamon Lual, pick 39 at the 2023 National Draft, was given time to find his feet in the bigtime playing the 2024 season in the magoos, before making his debut this season and playing 12 games.
Lual is an exciting prospect, and while he still needs to improve in some areas, he has shown enough this season that his contract should be extended.
Angus Clarke – Debut 2025, Games 6
Angus Clarke has shown potential in his limited game time since being pick 39 in last year’s National Draft.
The Bombers would have preferred to give young Angus a year in the two’s this season, but with necessity being the mother of invention, the injury list at the Hangar saw him given a few games this year.
Clarke is a watch player next season.
Rhys Unwin – Debut 2025, Games 3
Like Angus Clarke, the Bombers probably didn’t expect pick 69 from last year’s National Draft to play a senior game this season, but young (he looks really young in his photo) Angus Unwin has been given a few games this season due to the Bombers being injury riddled.
Unwin another watch player next season.
Vigo Visentini – Debut 2025, Games 2
Vigo Visentini made his debut this season, and showed he has some promise as fledgling ruckman when he was flung into to the deep end of AFL football this season due to injuries to nearly every other Bomber big man.
At 203cms, and still under the age of 19, Visentini is a project player the Bombers need to nurture over the next couple of seasons, or he needs to develop real quick given Draper leaving and Goldie possibly being nudged out the game.
Zak Johnson – Debut 2025, Games 9
Pick 70 from the 2024 National Draft, Zak Johnson was another Bomber player who was chucked in the deep end as the Bomber’s season went from bad, to worse, to horrid.
Nine games for any late draft player is admiral, and possibly Essendon may have discovered another rough-cut diamond.
Johnson is another watch player next season.
Saad El-Hawli – Debut 2025, Games 9
Clubs underestimate the mid-season draft, but since Richmond picked up Marlion Pickett midseason 2019 there has been a number of mature aged players to make an impression in the bigtime, and Saad El-Hawli is one of them.
El-Hawli’s contract should be extended without much fuss.
Jayden Nguyen – Debut 2025, Games 5
I might be a bit biased here given I once lived in Vietnam, but in his debut year Jayden Nguyen has been impressive in his five games, without necessarily standing out.
Jayden made his way to the bigtime the hard way via the Next Generation Academy system and he is the first AFL player of Vetnamese heritage to debut in the AFL.
It is good to see Essendon have seen enough this year to extended Nguyen’s contract for two more years.
Archer Day-Wicks – Debut 2025, Games 5
Like a few in this list, Archer Day-Wicks has entered the AFL via the Rookie Draft (pick 6 2025) and due to the injury crisis at the Bombers he was afforded the opportunity to make his debut this season.
Hopefully the Bombers give him another year or two.
Thomas Edwards – Debut 2025 – Games 2
Thomas Edwards is a mature aged recruit who ruptured his ACL this season a mere two games after his debut.
Wish him a speedy recovery.
Lachlan Blakiston – Debut 2025, Games 11
Lachan Blakiston is another example of an AFL ready mature aged player to be picked up in a mid-season draft.
In a year bereft of highlights for the Bombers, the big bodied tall man, Lachlan Blakiston has been a standout since his debut.
Blakiston’s form demands he is part of the Bomber’s aspirations next season and beyond.
Oskar Smartt – Debut 2025, Games 4
Oskar Smartt is another 2025 midseason to debut for the Bombers this season.
Unlike Blakiston, Oskar is still only 19 years of age, however it looks like he needs a full pre-season behind him to meet the demands of AFL football.
I’ll be interested in his progress next season.
Liam McMahon – Debut 2025 – Games 7
Some players make it to the AFL the hard way, and in the case of Lachlan McMahon he finally got lucky after years of perseverance through the midseason draft, and good luck to him.
Liam McMahon has shown enough in his short stint at the Hangar to be a part of the Bombers long term plans.
The Bombers did well in the midseason draft getting both McMahon and Blakiston to the club.
If you read this far you are a hero – thank you!
