This does nothing for our future prospects.
I’m a Setters fan (when fit) but we can’t justify keeping him as well as persisting with fellow LTI regulars like Parish, Ridley and Langford while prioritising the development of the next generation.
Essendon list build -
AFL Draft: 26 (sixth most)**
Trade:** 4 (equal 17th most)**
Free agency:** 2 (equal seventh most)**
Rookie Draft/Cat B rookies:** 4 (equal 10th most)**
Pre-Season Draft/SSP:** 3 (equal fifth most)**
Mid-Season Draft:** 5 (most)
Looks pretty much what you’d want for a club in our position. Higher relative draftees & SSP and lower relative trades. (Or a sign we can’t nail our draftees and have to keep going back… )
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It frustrates me just how unbalanced our list is heading into this season.
It’s probably not until this coming off season that we will make a call on the gazillion fringe talls and medium forwards we have and transition the right amount of those list spots to zippy small forwards/high half forwards or even pacy mids. All of which are more congruent with the way footy is played now.
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We will likely see another large amount of list turnover this year too. There’s not many “must keeps” in our out of contract list
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You wouldn’t blink twice if any on that list weren’t there next season which is pretty damning, I think Dovaston will be big miss in a position we badly needed to strengthen
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I’d be a bit miffed if we axed Zak Johnson and Jayden Nguyen. They’ve both shown enough to suggest a few years of development are warranted.
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4/18 I’d sign now
I’m ok with a year like this when trying to address an urgent need by only using late picks. An extra few rolls of the dice give you a better chance of finding a high end talent.
The cream of that crop will be extended and those picks used for other areas of the ground. It also ensures that the talls are developed early enough to contribute. The alternative is to only get one or two a year, then likely take 4 years to find a good one and unbalance the age demographics.
I get flashbacks to when we knew Hurley and Hooker only had a few years to retire, but refused to allocate any resources into securing a replacement.
Ideal? No. But we are in a rebuild year and if you’re going to unbalance your list temporarily, this is the window to do it.
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Yeah there’s certainly the argument to make that there can be benefit drawn from said unbalanced list helping us suck more and that therefore get us higher draft picks.
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If I had a gun to my head and had to nominate 4 I’d 100% sign today, maybe Zak Johnson, May and Prior with a toss up between Nguyen, Perkins and El Hawli.
The rest all have some pretty significant question marks over their spots going forward.
Interesting, I’d sign 7 and Perkins, El Hawli and Prior don’t make it.
That list is a horror show
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Seems most agree that Saad won’t make it.
There is a reason why he wasn’t games he’s not very good but I got hounded on here for not rating him
Nguyen is cat b, so a no brainer.
Johnson, Hayes and Gerreyn are the other 3 for me.
May I’m certainly not signing til the end of the year. He’s basically duking it out with McMahon, Edwards, Jones, Cox for a spot in our forward line.
We surely must cut at least 2 of those names at the end of the year. So we should not be repeating past mistakes by signing any of them too soon, especially given Jones already has a contract for next year.
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I view this list as totally up in the air. Any of these guys could be signed for another year and about 4 or 5 are just about guaranteed. Likely 7 to 9 delistings which is pretty normal while we keep looking for players
Jones still have a year to run beyond this year is the ultimate list management ■■■■ up.
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Yeah I only have about 3 definitely (or at least probably) keeps from that list, 9 50/50s and 6 I’d already say probably should/will be gone. Will be an interesting year for most of them
I think Essendon has a few contenders for that title 
Point was, let’s at least wait until 2026 before starting the car..
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I had some time on my hands over a night shift at work and looked over Essendon’s younger core of players under 23. We have 22 players here in:
Jacob Farrow, Elijah Tsatas, Sullivan Robey, Isaac Kako, Archie Perkins, Dyson Sharp, Vigo Visentini, Lewis Hayes, Kayle Gerreyn, Archie Roberts, Sam Durham, Archer May, Max Kondogiannis, Nate Caddy, Zach Reid, Hussein El-Achkar, Angus Clarke, Rhys Unwin, Zak Johnson, Jayden Nguyen, Archer Day-Wicks, Cillian Bourke.
I was trying to figure out how these players would look if selected for a 22-player AFL side. Granted I have not seen some of these players in senior footy and this is more of a projected side to where they would be played.
FB: NGUYEN – HAYES - ROBERTS
HB: FARROW – KONDOGIANNIS - JOHNSON
C: CLARKE – DURHAM - BOURKE
HF: PERKINS – CADDY - ROBEY
FF: KAKO – MAY - HEA
FOL: VISENTINI – SHARP - TSATAS
INT: GERREYN – UNWIN – DAY-WICKS -MCMAHON
In my opinion this looks promising for the next few seasons, other than some obvious issues.
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I am not entirely convinced on the likes of Zak Johnson and Archie Roberts playing defensive roles. I do look at Brisbane Lions with their factory of midfielders, and using Jaspa Fletcher, which has worked for them and so maybe it can translate with Essendon as well. I do think others in Cillian Bourke who offers that bit more pace, and Jacob Farrow who seems to have that better defensive craft and accurate kick would be others to consider to that defensive mix. Clarke has also been used in defence at times out of necessity, but I feel that he is better suited as a winger.
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Hayes and Kondogiannis are real defensive tall options, who I have selected over Kayle Gerreyn. Gerreyn has been used in the VFL as a defensive tall option although he was drafted as a tall forward/ruck. From what I gathered, this change isn’t uncommon and has been helpful to build forwards’ craft in understanding defensive work (like a ‘know your enemy’ approach), but I would also just rather see Gerreyn play forward and ruck as that is more of a need and option over a potentially injured Peter Wright.
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Tsatas and Farrow, are both options in that defensive midfield role. 2026 will be a real test for Tsatas to see if he works in this position. Sharp is that inside-bull option to win first possession and be a link in the transition chain (likened to Tom Liberatore, Jobe Watson, and Joel Selwood). Durham offers that outside run and has been that real ‘crash and bash’ type of midfielder. This outside role can also be shared, rotating with Robey or even Kako (should he be looking to break into more midfield minutes). This seems to be a growing trend in Melbourne Demons using Kysaiah Pickett and Hawthorn using Nick Watson similarly.
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Caddy and May as the tall forward options. I would like to see May as that Tom Hawkins (Geelong Cats) type player, but he needs to be much better at his contest and marking. Kako is an obvious pick as a small forward, who I have with Hussein El-Achkar.
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There are players I have here such as Unwin, Day-Wicks, Mcmahon, and Perkins, that I think are ones that I just don’t see still at the club in the next season or two. Perkins for one, has had plenty of chances and for whatever reason seems to disappear in games and not have that consistency and impact, which is unfortunate because I really enjoy watching him as a player when he is playing his best. Mcmahon offers goal kicking but not much else, and may lack what other tall forward options can bring to the table. Unwin I also feel is still developing and will need to show improvements or could end up going the same way as Jye Menzie.
Now, if I expand the age bracket that little more, to 25 and under, there are some real inclusions in:
Jye Caldwell, Nik Cox, Jaxon Prior, Nick Bryan, Harrison Jones, Xavier Duursma, Nic Martin, Saad El-Hawli, Thomas Edwards.
Again, this changes the team selection somewhat (and I am able to fill the 23-player side).
FB: NGUYEN – HAYES - PRIOR
HB: FARROW – KONDOGIANNIS - ROBERTS
C: CLARKE – DURHAM - DUURSMA
HF: MARTIN – CADDY - ROBEY
FF: KAKO – JONES - HEA
FOL: BRYAN – CALDWELL - TSATAS
INT: SHARP – COX – JOHNSON – PERKINS – EL-HAWLI
Noticeable outs: Thomas Edwards, Liam Mcmahon, Cillian Bourke, Archer Day-Wicks, Rhys Unwin, Vigo Visentini, Kayle Gerreyn, Archer May.
In my opinion:
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I am not sold on the tall forward mix. I feel that Caddy should be supported with another tall option that can eventually replace Wright (if injured or form). Gerreyn is still young and developing, and others in May, Jones, and Cox haven’t really established themselves in that role. I haven’t even considered the likes of Thomas Edwards and Liam Mcmahon.
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I don’t mind Essendon’s defensive depth. I think this is more of a strength here in who we have with Hayes especially. I do think that it is slower paced however and lacks that run off from half-back. This is probably an area for Cillian Bourke to develop and break into, but I would like to see other options over a Category B rookie that is learning the craft and game of AFL.
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Outside of Kako, Essendon doesn’t have that skilled or elite small forward either. With HEA here, and again still developing and no sample size to go off from senior games, I feel that another option is still needed. Looking at some of the better teams who have multiple small forward options such as Geelong Cats (Tyson Stengle, Jack Martin, Brad Close, Shaun Mannagh). Essendon need that chaos at times, and goal crumbing in the forward contest, and a small forward that can do that, whilst taking on the odd uncontested mark and tackle pressure inside 50.
Looking ahead at Essendon’s NGA draft prospects, we have some promising options in 2026 and 2027.
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Blake Justice is an option in 2026, a 190cm utility option likened to Nic Martin in some ways. Check out the Lunchtime Catch Up Podcast where they interviewed him, and he spoke and wanting to break more into the midfield and modelling his game after the likes of Isaac Heeney.
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Moustafa Darwish, a 179cm small forward. Darwich appears to be that lower possession, high impact forward. Eligible in the 2027 draft.
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Koby Bewick (The son that was promised). Bewick is a 177cm midfielder likened to Nick Daicos (not necessarily in talent – more in his style as a midfielder). Rookie Central described him as ‘a terrific ball user with great running power, making him a threat off half-back, through the middle, and even as a resting forward’. Bewick is eligible in the 2027 draft.
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There is also Tevita Rodan, who is also an Essendon NGA draft prospect eligible in 2027, however I think the consensus is he is more likely to nominate Port Adelaide as a father/son prospect instead.
Apologies for the rant, and it is heavily based on my opinion, but I feel that it is relevant looking at Essendon’s depth and player’s ideal role.
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