By Jake Niall
Had Essendon been amenable to trading Zach Merrett, the first draft choice on offer from the Hawks was the pick the Bombers later used to recruit South Australian Dyson Sharp.
That same pick was in the sights of the Crows, who rated Sharp highly enough to have multiple stabs at acquiring that fateful pick – originally No.9, which travelled from Hawthorn to Carlton like a Melbourne University law student, before landing at Essendon.
Essendon’s 2025 first-round selections (from left), Jacob Farrow, Sullivan Robey and Dyson Sharp.Credit: Justin McManus
So, whatever comes of the Merrett non-trade – and it will be debated for as long as Zach kicks left foot – at least the Bombers can say that they ended up with the same pick and likely drafted the same player if they’d granted Merrett his wish (though Hawthorn swapped that pick No.9 for No.10 on the penultimate day of trading).
Mindful that the top 10 of this draft was compromised with academy prospects and one gun father-son (Carlton-bound Harry Dean), and dubious about the depth of talent, some clubs either avoided the draft or were minimal investors.
But Essendon bucked that trend. They had given up a first-rounder in 2024 to gain Melbourne’s first choice this year, as part of their Isaac Kako dealings. Then, they traded up, handing the Blues a cluster of second-rounders to pay for Dean; the view seemed to be that if you’re going to invest in this draft, it’s better to get in early.
Just five years ago, following a post-season of even greater tumult, when Joe Daniher, Adam Saad and Conor McKenna fled Tullamarine, the Bombers had a similar draft haul of three choices inside the top 10.
As with this year, the 2020 draft was compromised. Not by northern academies or father sons, but by the once-in-a century pandemic, which turned drafting in the early rounds into something closer to blind dating than conventional recruiting. Too many prospects didn’t play that year.
The Bombers, alas, did not get lucky in a draft that produced few top-liners in the top 20 (Max Holmes an exception) but saw some excellent players picked later – Josh Treacy and Jack Ginnivan among those who were rookie picks.
Zach Merrett and Andrew McGrath share a laugh back in April. Merrett could yet cede the captaincy to McGrath before next season.Credit: AFL Photos
Due to injury and other factors, the Dons’ top-10 picks that year – Nik Cox, Archie Perkins and Zach Reid – have been unable to perform at the level the club needed. Reid, it must be said, is an excellent tall defender when he sets foot on the field.
Having forsaken Ben Hobbs from the 2021 first round, and with Elijah Tsatas (pick No.5, 2022) as yet unable to cement a spot, the Bombers cannot afford to strike out in this year’s national draft. Since 2023, they’ve gotten on base more often, and hit a home run in Nate Caddy.
Of necessity, their strategy in Brad Scott’s time has been to hold on to their high picks, take the long road and try to build a list to the level that will make them attractive to free agents and seasoned A-graders from 2026 onwards. The acquisitions of free agents Ben McKay, Jade Gresham and Todd Goldstein and Xavier Duursma in 2023 was the exception, and they did not cost any draft capital.
Zak Butters, if he’s leaving Port for a contender, is long odds to choose Essendon over, say, Geelong and the Bulldogs – even though he could easily get from Tullamarine to Bacchus Marsh.
Essendon have to create a base of serious talent before they can land someone of that quality.
It’s not happenstance that the Dons’ first three picks of Sullivan Robey (192 centimetres), Jacob Farrow (187) and Sharp (187 and a beast) have size. Sharp, judging by the scouting reports, also redresses another Essendon deficit: leadership. Essendon’s midfield, headed by Merrett, Darcy Parish and the departed Dylan Shiel, has been one of the AFL’s smaller divisions. Sam “Bull” Durham stands out like Gulliver.
A crucial difference between 2020 and 2025: unlike 2020, when the Dons were blindsided by the exits of Daniher and Saad and forced to scramble trades, this year’s draft haul was planned during 2024.
The Bombers held their nerve on Merrett, defying the convention that you shouldn’t hold a player against his will.
They’ve held their nerve on preferring to draft, rather than pursuing the likes of Dan Houston. The draft might be compromised, the Bombers haven’t.
The upshot is that the resurrection project in Scott’s time hinges on execution of the plan, not the plan itself.
Keep up to date with the best AFL coverage in the country. Sign up for the Real Footy newsletter.