Well, what a turnaround at The Hangar on Friday morning, as the Tigers got the jump on the Bombers, only for a powerful second quarter to completely flip the script, with Essendon piling on seven-straight goals to pull away from Richmond.
Despite the lopsided final score, it was a solid hit out for both teams, with several players catching the eye, including some of the new faces.
I’m leaving this review open, as it is running late – I didn’t realise the match was being shown on a different channel to Fox Footy, and my IQ series link, which I figured was intelligent given its name, failed to record it. So I was off to… alternate sources to watch it.
Let’s jump into the review of this one.
NEW FACES
DYSON SHARP
Had a couple of decent moments, but didn’t set the world on fire. I know a lot of Bomber fans are very high on him, and are expecting big things, but from watching him in this one, I think he will take a little while to work into the system and find his place in the team.
BRAYDEN FIORINI
Was solid through the first half, playing on the wing, and gave the Bombers some hard run on the outside to counter what the Tigers were providing in the first quarter.
I can see him making the wing role his own at the club over the first half of the season. Looks very fit.
SAM GRLJ
If you didn’t like what you saw from Grlj in this game, I don’t know what you’re looking for. Maybe a vowel or two?
He displayed every aspect you’d want to see in a first-gamer, with his foot skills, vision, and composure with the ball in hand putting some of the more senior players on both teams to shame. This is a kid who knows his game, trusts his skills, and makes good decisions. You’ve found one, Tiger fans.
His decision to look inboard to end the first quarter and find his fellow draftee, Sam Cumming, was his game in a microcosm. A keeper.
SAM CUMMING
Played a tougher role than Grlj, working mainly from half-forward, and then moving into the middle later on. Had a quiet start but as tends to happen, once he shifted into the guts, he started to find more of the footy. Will be much better for the run.
HUSSEIN AL ACHKAR
Almost as impressive as Grlj, and that’s saying something.
Playing the small forward role, Al Achkar was lively all game. He is solid through the torso and tough to push out of the contest. Add in a bit of pace around the stoppages, and the Bombers may have gotten a steal with him.
Kicked two last-quarter goals, but he was genuinely impressive the whole game. A forward line with both him and Isaac Kako would be interesting.
PATRICK RETSCHKO
We only got to see him in the second half, but he did some nice things and collected a goal assist to go with his ten-or-so touches.
Like most, he will have to find a spot in the team to call his own, but at the moment, you get the feeling he could slot in as a flanker.
JACOB FARROW
A subdued outing, but a controlled one. Didn’t try to do more than he was capable of, or comfortable with, and used the footy well when he had it.
Also picked up a goal assist late in the game as a reward for effort.
NEW ROLES
LACHIE BLAKISTON INTO THE RUCK
Now, this is an interesting one, and I’ll spend a bit of time on it.
When people ask about how the new ruck rules and interpretations will impact things, I am going to point them in the direction of the first half of this game.
Why?
Because Lachie Blakiston beat Toby Nankervis at the centre bounce consistently, and gave his mids first use. Furthermore, it caused the Tigers to stagnate at stoppages, and that, in turn, starved their forwards.
Blakiston’s athleticism was excellent, and I was half-surprised that Nank didn’t just raise a knee into his guts at some stage to slow him down, as we saw the later on Friday evening when Lachie McAndrew took a big hit in the game against Port.
But no… maybe Nank can’t get his leg up that high, or maybe he tucks that one away fro the real stuff? Blakiston owned the centre bounces with his athleticism. Eyes on the footy, jumping over the older ruckman, this was the best example of the preseason to date, of how to make the new rules work for a team.
Also, kudos to one of our readers, who I am sure will take the credit he deserves, for pointing out to me that Blakiston will excel in the ruck when I questioned how the Bombers would cover this role until Nick Bryan returns.
Blakiston has become the Mr Fix-It at Essendon, after slotting in as a key defender last season due to injuries, and now into the ruck because he is needed there. He may have just found his calling, and if he teams up with Vigo Visentini or Bryan, his value in defence gives the Bombers a win on two fronts.
MYKELTI LEFAU AS BACKUP RUCK
Another interesting one – moving Lefau is like attempting to move a small block of flats. He’s just wide, from his thighs all the way up to his shoulders, and when he leans on a tall ruck, it makes it close to impossible for the opposition to jump and get a hand on the footy.
So, what that does, is it turns his stoppage contests into a battle of strength.
I’m not sure he is going to lose too many battles of strength.
With a bit more ruck craft added to his game, he could be a valuable backup option this season, particularly if he finds himself matched up against the opposition’s backup, as well.
All that said, I do hope the Tigers have zero plans to use him at centre bounces – that would negate that strength advantage pretty quickly.
ARCHIE ROBERTS ON THE BALL
Is this the next logical step for him, after such a fantastic second half of 2025?
Roberts seemingly did as he pleased for the Bombers, slotting in a kick behind the footy as the frantic Tigers attempted to clear their defensive fifty, collecting the footy and resetting the Bombers’ offence.
His ball use is fantastic, and when it is his turn to go, he does not even think about shirking the issue.
When Merrett returns, he might revert to his half-back role, but given how good he was in his time onball in this game, he could become that running outside damaging player that Nic Martin was earmarked as being.
A POINT TO PROVE?
In each game of the Match Sims, I have nominated one or two players before the game starts, that I thought had to show their value. I reckon I did alright with it in this game.
BEN MCKAY
Ask Bomber fans what their opinion of Ben McKay is at the club, and amongst the expletives, you’ll probably find a couple of negative opinions.
But he was good in this game, and if this is an indication of how he is going to be during the season, the Bombers may be about to get the defensive pillar that will make life a lot easier for the rest of the defence.
He took a handful of intercept grabs, killed multiple contests, and save for a five-minute patch in the last quarter that saw Liam Fawcett slip away from him, and Mykelti Lefau hit the scoreboard, McKay’s presence in defence was huge all game.
A big step on the way to being the player the Bombers need him to be.
JOSH GIBCUS
Firstly, I am just rapt to see him get through again, but very soon, we’re going to be at the point where getting through is expected, and becoming the player he threatened to be will be the goal.
Gibcus got the job on Nate Caddy for periods of this one, and whilst it could have been much worse, he seemed to lack the leg speed to close the gap on the Essendon forward when the ball was delivered well.
The changing nature of the modern defence means that he was not the only bloke manning Caddy up, but he did do the bulk of it, and with Caddy snagging four, there is still some work to do.
Great to see him playing four quarters, and again, love seeing him back. Now, it is time for him to be the Josh Gibcus the Tigers need.
THE STANDOUTS
DARCY PARISH
Found the footy for fun in this one.
With the Tigers pushing more of their younger players into the midfield, and Taranto going forward before sitting out the second half, Parish basically muscled his way into contests, and left with the footy.
He won clearances, kicked goals (two), and dished off three goal assists en route to a best on ground performance.
People forget the level he was at before injuries took their toll. He played a handful of games in 2025 and looked completely fit in none of them. He looks fit now, and he looks like he would like to make up for lost time.
NATE CADDY
I wrote in the section on Gibcus that things could have been worse… and I meant it.
Caddy was close to clunking a couple of big marks inside 50, only for the footy to bobble out at the last moment. On both occasions, he had his man beaten cold, and just failed to hang onto the mark…
… but the signs are there, aren’t they? You can see his potential on the horizon, it is coming in like a storm. He finished with four goals, but I do get the feeling that could have been six quite easily. Gibcus didn’t do a bad job, it’s just that Caddy has the ability to be THAT good that it doesn’t matter how well you play him – he’ll find a way.
I did read some opinions toward the end of last year that Bomber fans were “overexcited” by Caddy, and that he hadn’t done enough to warrant their levels of enthusiasm. To the critics who espoused that, I have only two words for you.
Shut up.
Caddy is a good one, and I expect him to have a sharp upwards trajectory this season.
AND THE NOT-SO-GREAT
THE BILL JOEL EFFECT
You have to learn to pace yourself
Pressure
You’re just like everybody else
Pressure
You’ve only had to run so far
So good
But you will come to a place
Where the only thing you feel
Are loaded guns in your face
And you’ll have to deal with
Pressure
The Tigers were up and about in the first quarter, and the Bombers were being blown away on the outside.
Players like Rhyan Mansel, Taj Hotton, and Sam Lalor were torching them.
The quarter-time break rolled around, and the Bombers decided to do something about it. They pushed both their half-backs and half-forwards up the ground, congested the space between the arcs, and made the Tigers work for their possessions.
And they could not handle… PRESSURE!
See, I got there. Thanks Mr Joel.
This will be something Adem Yze will need to address, and he is likely to start having his cubs attempting to take the game on switching the footy into the middle, because the Tigers were unable to get past the bigger-bodied Bombers, and turned it over far too much when the squeeze was on.
So yes, not a bad thing for the Bombers at all, but definitely something for the Tigers to look at as players like Hugo Ralphsmith (who tackled well), Jack Ross, Steely Green, and James Trezise, all went missing when the momentum swung in the Bombers’ favour.
OTHER BITS
WILD ABOUT HARRY
Harry Armstrong is the bloke I predict will be the “out of the box” player at Tigerland in 2026.
He has a lovely pair of hands, times his leap at the footy well, and is a good finisher. Obviously needs a bit of work on his body, but the foundations are good, and I am backing him to build on what we saw in this game.
He took a couple of contested grabs, kicked two, and dished off another. A great return from a young forward with minimal opportunities.
SHORT BUT SWEET
Outside of Parish, the other Bomber mid to start early was Sam Durham. Coming off signing a big extension with the club (which was a great move), Durham quickly compiled three goal assists in the first half before taking it easy after the main break.
He is one of the keys to the Bombers performing well in 2026, and his grunt and mongrel were on display through the first half of this one.
REAL QUICKIES
Interesting to hear the commentator reference Dustin Martin as the man who made the number four guernsey at Richmond. I suppose he’s never heard of Royce Hart?
I do have to admit, though, when Lalor went forward and jumped over Vietnamese Team of the Century member, Jayden Nguyen, to take a big grab, it was hard not to make the Dusty comparison.
Jye Caldwell got better as the game progressed. When all others were slowing down in the last, he was ramping it up.
And finally, I don’t know if you guys were aware of the cause Matt Guelfi is supporting, but I reckon it is a worthwhile one. I donated fifty bucks yesterday, which might be the first and last time I ever donate to an Essendon supporter… but it is well worth it. Link to it is HERE. The young lady’s goal is ten grand – I reckon we smash that easily.
As always, massive thanks to those who support this work. You can see the amount of care that goes into it. I love footy, I love writing about it, and I hope you enjoy reading it. Without you, this whole thing falls over. Sincerely… thank you – HB
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