Round 10 – Essendon v Fremantle: The Bombers a victim of their long term success in the 1980s and 1990s

Round 10 (Sir Doug Nicholls Round)

Essendon v Fremantle

1.10pm, Sunday 17th May 2026

MCG

By Dan Lonergan

In my time alive, Essendon had a competitive 25 years in fact a very successful 25 year period from 1979 to 2001, regular finals appearances and six Grand finals. In that time the Bombers qualified for the finals 21 times and were a powerful juggernaut winning four flags.

However, a much talked about stat is the Bombers have not tasted success in a final since a narrow win by less than a goal against Melbourne in an elimination final in 2004 when one of the club’s best ever players James Hird dragged them over the line virtually single handedly.

The cupboard has been bare since and another damning stat is that Kevin Sheedy, who coached the club for 27 years, which I think was at least 2 years too long, was told by then CEO, Peter Jackson that 2007 would be his last season. But ‘’Sheeds’’ was still defiant and was determined to hang on and has been the only coach to win a final for Essendon since the late great Jack Clarke who coached the Dons to a win in the 1968 Preliminary Final.

I was a few months from being born and I am 57 and starting to feel old. That is an extraordinary record for a powerful team that has won the equal most number of flags in the league and yet another 10 coaches since Clarke, outside Sheedy, have not won a final or even guided the Dons into one.

You can therefore understand why Sheedy had a desire to stay on as coach, but it was certainly time as those last three years under his control had seen them progressively go backwards. He then moved to the Board after his brief tenure as the first coach of the Giants and to me was still looking at the past, which was also a criticism of the strong and influential Essendon Coterie groups, who are rumoured to probably have too much of a say in the club, particularly on field matters.

Carlton has been in the same boat and I am convinced that attitude is way in the past. Both clubs to me have not embraced the changes in the game, the draft and the salary cap, with Essendon’s recruiting record from the draft leaving so much to be desired.

Long time former recruiting boss, Adrian Dodoro was constantly criticized for the way he handled the trading period wanting way too much when clubs were keen on their players and offering very little when chasing good players from the opposition. In the end free agency suited him best because the Bombers wouldn’t lose their draft capital and they got St Kilda star, Brendon Goddard, whose best footy was behind him and he was again in my view not that effective.

Then recently, in one of Dodoro’s last trading periods, he snapped up all free agents, Jade Gresham from St Kilda who is shadow of the good player at the Saints and North Melbourne full back, Ben McKay, who hasn’t kicked on and many of their top end draft picks inside the top ten have struggled to have the impact their draft number indicated.

A prime example of that, and it’s not entirely Essendon’s fault, but in 2020 where there was no footy in Victoria except the AFL due to covid, and three Victorians were chosen by the Dons as consecutive selections at seven, eight and nine, Nick Cox, Archie Perkins and Zack Reid.

Cox has athleticism and size but been unable to nail down a spot and he has had concussion issues. Perkins as a small forward has been a regular, but has not dominated matches. Key defender, Zack Reid, who I think can play and on the rare occasions when he has, his talent has stood out, but he can’t get over a long list of injuries.

Ben Hobbs another top tenner is no longer at the club and Elijah Tsatas chosen at pick 5 can’t establish a spot. His kicking is a concern for a player picked so high, but he has shown his inside work at the contest is excellent, but he plays a few games and then is dropped.

This year the wheel may have turned with the impressive Sullivan Robey showing already he belongs and was close to the Bombers’ best in their poor loss to Fremantle on Sunday. There is also key forward, Nate Caddy from a few years ago. He can certainly play. Robey certainly looks the goods and so does Jacob Farrow, but Essendon kicked just one goal 8 in a half of footy in front of one of Essendon’s smallest crowds ever over 25,000 at the MCG, which tells you even their passionate and most ardent supporters, who would go in thick and thin times, are dropping off at an alarmingly speedy rate and that the talent and depth overall is scarce.

Fremantle is one of the best sides in the league having won nine on the trot and could have won by much more than 43 points, but the Bombers at least won a quarter, the last kicking five goals. But the horse had well and truly bolted by then.

Brad Scott did a solid job at North Melbourne getting them into two preliminary finals in a row in 2014 and 2015, even though it would be fair to say it wasn’t a great playing list talent wise, but role players everywhere supporting the stars like Harvey, Cunnington, Higgins and Waite all gelled.

It’s not working though at Essendon currently, but Scott keeps saying we are on a journey and know where we are heading. Really Brad! Where is that? They played 10 good quarters in a row between rounds 4 and 6 and were fairly impressive in a close loss to the Giants, but they are not setting the world on fire at the minute.

Other than that they have been poor. The ghost of Adrian Dodoro and his hard-nosed negotiation tactics in my opinion was hanging over their head during the trade period last year when they turned down the Hawthorn offer to trade their best player for several years, Zac Merrett, who as we know was keen to get out of the Hangar.

The new President, ex player, Andrew Welsh, led Merrett’s retention to remain with the Bombers even though the multiple B and F winner had checked out and I get the feeling he is playing like that this season. The Bombers of course are playing Merrett’s efforts down and the public message is he is all in and has a contract to abide by. He needs to go in my opinion at season’s end. If someone doesn’t want to be at a football club, let him go and be as compensated as well as possible, but not unrealistically which again in my view is how Dordoro is operating.

Adrian Dodoro within the walls of the Essendon Football club has a good reputation, but as mentioned earlier his draft record is nothing to write home about. Mind you! That might also have something to do with the development of players or lack of them.

Andrew Welsh keeps saying in the public domain that Brad Scott will be the Dons next premiership coach. With all due respects that is a massive call. They have three games coming up all in a row against fellow stragglers in Richmond, West Coast and Carlton, where they are a chance to win, but if they don’t win any, and to be honest that won’t be a surprise, his tenure for the next match would have to be in doubt.

The Bombers like Carlton seem to be living on past glories and under Brad Scott have clearly gone backwards as it approaches 22 years since this once proud club last won a final.

Fremantle on the other hand in their 32 year existence have had many struggling years, but look primed to have a crack at finally winning a flag. It’s been a slow burn under Justin Longmuir, with defence his priority when he was first appointed and maybe they were too defensive, but now they have the weapons to score quickly, with all bases covered on the field containing high end talent.

Unlike the Bombers they have recruited cleverly, not just in the top ten with guns such as Serong, Young and Andrew Brayshaw along with the electric Murphy Reid, last year’s Rising Star. He is only in his second season but is already a bona fide star. There have also been rookies and diamonds in the rough including the reliable, Luke Ryan and key forward, Josh Treacy. Then there is Patrick Voss, who kicked five goals against the Bombers including four in the second term. To make matters worse, he spent two years with the Bombers and apparently did not fit in that well, but can play and no doubt would have annoyed the Bombers with his brilliance last Sunday.

They have also been brilliant in snagging excellent talent from others clubs like Luke Jackson, who keeps taking his game to another level, Jordan Clarke, who wanted to return home from Geelong, is a dashing half back and the icing on the cake has been Shai Bolton, who is having a great season. At least ten years ago if those players were from WA and wished to go home, most of them would have chosen West Coast, who were always a massive shadow hanging over the Dockers.

They are ready the Dockers having not tasted defeat since Round one against Geelong at the fortress, Kardinia Park in a game they started well in before being overhauled late. Premierships are not won in May, but they have self belief often getting behind in games so far this season, but finding a way to get over the line. They are going to be hard to beat and at this stage, I can’t see them missing top four or even higher and set themselves up for the big dance with the luxury of home finals.

As for the Bombers, in the words of that great song from the 1980s from Talking Heads, they are on the Road to Nowhere and the tunnel to get out seems miles away.

ESSENDON 1.3 1.8 3.12 8.13 (61)
WALYALUP 5.4 10.6 13.6 16.8 (104)

GOALS
Essendon: May 2, Caddy 2, Robey 2, Parish, Setterfield
Walyalup: Voss 5, Treacy 2, Bolton 2, Amiss 2, Scerri, Dudley, Jackson, Frederick, Reid

BEST (Dan’s best)
Essendon: Robey, Roberts, Caldwell, Parish
Walyalup: Voss, Reid, Worner, Serong

Crowd: 25,100 at the MCG

Malarkey Medal votes

3 – Voss (Fremantle)

2 – Reid (Fremantle)

1 – Worner (Fremantle)