Season Review: Essendon

It was a season that started out with such promise for the Essendon Football Club, winning four of their first five games and sitting inside the top four after six rounds.

From there it went all downhill, with the Bombers only winning a further two games from 12 starts as well as a draw with Gold Coast in Round 11.

The Dons finished the year just inside the bottom six, and watched the trio of Orazio Fantasia, Adam Saad and Joe Daniher walk out the door in the off-season.

They do walk into the draft however with three picks inside the top 10, and with Ben Rutten taking over from John Worsfold as head coach after five seasons at the helm, the only way to go is up.

BEST WIN

Round 14  vs Hawthorn – The quality of the opposition may not have been spectacular, but the manner in which the Dons won should be admired all the same.

The Dons were listless in the first half, with the Hawks running roughshod with 17 scoring shots to six telling the story. The Hawks were six goals up by half-time, but easily could’ve been much more.

That margin was worked down to single figures by the final break and by full-time the game was closed out, but not before a couple of late Hawthorn surges.

A returning Joe Daniher came into his own in the second half, kicking three goals and taking a several strong grabs, whilst Andrew McGrath and Zach Merrett combined for 68 disposals, with the former also gathering 10 clearances.

WORST LOSS

Round 9 vs Brisbane – Less than a week after barely surviving a winless Adelaide at the Adelaide Oval, the Bombers copped a huge reality check when they took on the Brisbane Lions at Metricon Stadium.

The Lions blasted them off the park with a five-goal opening quarter, almost setting up the win then and there. A stagnant second quarter was Essendon’s best chance of mounting a comeback, but the Bombers just couldn’t put it together.

The Lions eventually ran out 63-point winners on the back of a nine-goal to one second half. Lachie Neale gathered another three Brownlow votes with a 33-possession game and two goals, whilst Alex Witherden was prominent in defence and Charlie Cameron kicked four goals for the winners.

Andrew McGrath and Jordan Ridley were the only Bombers to record 20 disposals or more, whilst Devon Smith kicked two of their three goals for the night.

MVP

Jordan Ridley: It was a career-year for Jordan Ridley, with the young defender rewarded for his magnificent improvement by winning the Crichton Medal as the Bombers' best and fairest.

In just his third year at Essendon, Ridley went from being on the fringe in 2019 to playing every game in 2020, averaging 17.9 disposals, 4.2 rebound 50s and 6.4 marks per game, as well as being named in the All-Australian squad of 40.

There wasn’t a lot of positives for the Bombers this season, but the emergence of the 22-year-old has to be their biggest positive.

MOST IMPROVED

Andrew McGrath: Ridley is up there, but the permanent move from half-back to the midfield for the former No.1 draft pick Andrew McGrath should not go unnoticed after a top-five finish in the best and fairest.

In comparison to last year, McGrath’s disposal numbers are similar, but his numbers in tackles and clearances did shoot up a fair way in a season with reduced quarter duration.

McGrath averaged close to five clearances per game after averaging 1.6 last year and amassed 4.8 tackles on average, up on the 2.6 he averaged in 2019.

NEEDS TO LIFT

Devon Smith: What has happened with Devon Smith? His first year at Essendon saw him average insane tackle numbers en route to a Crichton Medal and a spot in the All-Australian squad of 40.

A debilitating knee injury meant that Smith only played the seven games for the Bombers in 2019.

In 2020, Smith played all but one game, but all of his numbers were way down as opposed to his 2018 numbers, and it showed with the lack of impact he had on the field.

Whether or not it’s the aftereffect of his knee injury remains to be seen, but Essendon fans would hope he gets a clean run in the pre-season.

INS AND OUTS

In

Peter Wright (Gold Coast)
Jye Caldwell (GWS)
Nick Hind (Essendon)
Pick 7 (Daniher Compensation)
Pick 8 (Carlton)
Pick 44 (GWS)
Future third-round pick (Port Adelaide)
Pick 77 (St Kilda)

Out

Joe Daniher (Brisbane)
Adam Saad (Carlton)
Orazio Fantasia (Port Adelaide)
Pick 29 (GWS)
Pick 48 (Carlton)
Pick 67 (St Kilda)
Pick 73 (Port Adelaide)
Future fourth-round (Gold Coast)
Pick 78 (Carlton)

2021 CRYSTAL BALL

The Dons won’t be expected to contend for finals next year. It might be another rough year or two before they begin to think about playing in September let alone win a Finals game.

They should however be looking to be more competitive in their games next year with an influx of young talent coming through the ranks.

Who they’ll pick up with their three top 10 picks will be interesting to see, plus the fact they’ll get Academy players Cody Brand and Josh Eyre as developing key position players will have Essendon fans optimistic about the club’s future

One storyline however that will intrigue both Bombers fans and AFL supporters alike in 2021 is what happens with Zach Merrett next year.

The 25-year old will be out of contract at the end of the 2021 season and is a restricted free agent. Dependant on how the Bombers travel next year, he could seek a new home.