Man I hope Tassie has a need for a mid sized, snail paced, Tin man that we can ship off their way
This article says that he got a salary increase along with Merrett. Why? his form has been down since he missed that goal on ANZAC Day.
2. DECISIONS TO BE MADE AT THE DONS
Kyle Langford has been one of Essendon’s most important players in recent years.
But some interesting selection decisions are on the horizon for the club with key players such as Mason Redman, Langford, Zach Reid and Jordan Ridley on the way back after the bye.
Langford has been unable to fire so far this season after scoring a recent pay upgrade on his deal which, along was alongside Zach Merrett’s increase. Another worry is Sam Draper’s unrestricted free agency status.
The unrestricted free agency status means the Bombers will be unable to match a likely bid from Adelaide for his services at season’s end.
But Langford, who is out with a quad, has booted only four goals from an average 10 touches a game so far this season.
Nate Caddy is the newest and most prized asset in the Essendon forward line after a brilliant performance in the loss to Fremantle showed exactly why there is so much hype and excitement around the goal kicker as he eyes a new two-year contract extension.
Not only is Caddy a brilliant marking forward, he is already one of the hardest-working and fittest players at the club, showing why Essendon sacrificed a second-round pick in the trade with Geelong which allowed the Bombers to secure him.
Their best-22 looks strong enough to give the club a good chance of toppling Richmond, St Kilda and Carlton on the way home, and perhaps no returning player is as important as Reid.
The centre half back was the silver lining of the season earlier in 2025 and if they can keep his body right the Bombers clearly have two outstanding bookends.
And captain Zach Merrett will want to round out the season feeling content the club will rise up the ladder next season after a long wait for finals success.
Merrett’s own position and role will be fascinating after trailing off as part of a move out of the engine room over the past two months after a blistering start to the year.
Merrett looked like a top-10 player in the competition early doors but tallies of 14 touches and 17 touches in the past three weeks have seen his impact wane.
Likewise, Archie Perkins is clinging to his spot and appears to be at an early crossroads after showing in glimpses some exciting potential as a forward half ballwinner.
Essendon traditionally fades out in the second half of the season, but with some key players not far off a return they might be able to reverse the trend over the next two months.
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Na, you watch. Just as water always finds it’s level, Brad will buck the trend to get us into 11th. Home sweet home.
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Brad would actually need to do something for that to happen.
I’m confident that would be asking a bit too much.
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We gave him an extra year and a salary bump to increase his salary. The inducement from our side is that we would have changed the cashflow profile and frontloaded the living fk out of his contract, which would give us further space in our already spacious cap over the next few years. We did the same with Ridley. It’s no doubt one of the reasons we’re a frontrunner for H Reid (rightly or wrongly) - I’ve got little doubt our offer would be the highest one he’s got.
It was pretty shrewd IMO - we weren’t to know that he’d hit the hitch(es) he has this year. Ridley, perhaps that was more risky.
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Kyles been in horrid form this year after two very good years.
Bring him in via the VFL. Mays game against Freo was better than what Langford has offered up for the entire season.
As much as anythng, talks to the inconsistancy of form our team seems to get from it’s squad.
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We could probably use Wingman Langford again soon - rotate forward/wing once hes had a vfl game or two under his belt. Having some height on the wing will help our transition.
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He’s cooked. Auction him off, no reserve price and take the highest bid.
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Trade
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Said it last year.
We need to be bold
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Bloody Dodoro
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I’ve been a big fan of Langford but he looks like he is done. Other clubs in the AFL (ie successful ones) would either work with him and find him a new home or failing that essentially just dump him. Professional sport is a cruel place to work and it’s time for EFC and Langford to part ways.
Edit: Contracted to the end of 2027. That makes things tough, I honestly can’t name 1 team that would take him due to the injury concerns.
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Pick in the 35-45 range and run.
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People going very early in here!
2 goals in round 1, then a 5 week injury and 4 and 1/2 poor games before getting re-injured is more of an indictment on our medical team’s failure to get him up and running again, rather than Langford being done in my view.
Scott initially wanted to play him as a defender in early 2023 due to his footskills. Good time to try him there again now.
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Just a touch.
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If by good clubs you mean collingwood… they’d get another 6-7 years out of him.
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Probably as a replacement for Mihocek…
No 3 on my list to trade - Hobbs and Perkins are before him.
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We are a Nice club, a Ruthless club that is rebuilding would offload him which he may be quite open to if he wants some finals success before his career ends.
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