AFL round 24: Essendon to make tough list calls after fading out on 2023 season

A shameful fortnight has exposed Essendon’s lack of depth amid injuries to key players and coach Brad Scott has pledged to wield the axe.

Zach Merrett.

Essendon coach Brad Scott says the Bombers will take “extraordinary measures” to improve over the off-season as he urges his players to harness the “sick feeling” from a humiliating end to the season.

The Bombers managed to score only 67 points and conceded 263 in a torrid final fortnight, which Scott said exposed his side’s lack of depth amid injuries to key players, and a pressing need to improve their training standards.

Scott said expanding the Bombers’ core of senior players was a priority, alluding to the significant salary cap room they have available ahead of the trade and free agency window and saying the hard list management decisions ahead would become easier after the heavy defeats.

It came as an angry Zach Merrett said “tough conversations” would be held at the club (see below) in the wake of the 70-point loss to Collingwood, the Bombers’ heaviest against the Magpies since 2013.

Essendon senior coach Brad Scott. Picture: Getty Images

“It’s time to get past being a mediocre club, and a club that falls away like that,” the Essendon captain told Channel 7 after the game.

Scott praised the Bombers’ leaders, including Merrett, for their influence on teammates during the season, but said more players needed to assume responsibility for driving standards next season.

“We need a bigger core group of leaders who can set the example for what the very best look like, and what they train like … this is not having a go at the group, it’s just the reality of where we are at,” Scott said.

“We have had it rammed home to us really clearly that there’s a gap between us and the best sides, and we have to take extraordinary measures to bridge that gap.

“The hard (list) decisions become easier … what that means in terms of list management, it’s too early to tell, but we’re certainly in a strong position to be able to improve our list.”

An in-depth chat with Essendon skipper Zach Merrett, talking about:

- The group being 'sick of ending their season in August'
- How it's time to 'get past being a mediocre club'
- Still believing they're on the right track
- A message for the fans pic.twitter.com/EzF2h9bGZw

— 7AFL (@7AFL) August 25, 2023

Scott said he would look at how he could improve a range of on and off-field behaviours over summer to help the Bombers bridge the gap to the best teams.

“In a perverse way, the players leave with a sick feeling in their stomach, and that should drive their off-season,” Scott said.

“This is the first opportunity I’ve got to drive an off-season – not even a pre-season – an off-season, as to what that looks like and the expectations that we have.

“The observations of the last nine to 12 months … it’s nowhere near where it needs to be.”

Scott said he remained confident free agent Darcy Parish would choose to remain with the Bombers.

“He’s really committed to us and we’re really committed to him, so they’ll sort it out I’m sure,” he said.

PLENTY FOR PIES TO BE PROUD OF

Collingwood coach Craig McRae says the Magpies are still pursuing better football but was pleased with a “step in the right direction” in the 70-point win over Essendon on Friday night.

The Magpies’ defence tightened significantly to restrict the Bombers to only three goals after coughing up 100 points in each of the previous three games, with the coach lauding his team’s commitment to cleaning up its game.

McRae said Jamie Elliott would be fine after sustaining a corky in the second quarter, while he would not rule Nick Daicos out of the qualifying final but conceded the star playmaker was “up against it”.

The coach said he was proud to finish on top of the ladder, which he considered a mark of strong resilience after the first ever 24-game season.

“I feel like the hunger within our group has been questionable, and tonight I wouldn’t have thought you could question that part of our game,” he said.

Craig McRae gives instructions from the boundary during the round 24 AFL match between Essendon Bombers and Collingwood Magpies. Picture: Getty Images

“I still believe our best is in front of us … if you get some parts of your game right can move the ball differently, and you can defend better.

“We’re getting to work on those parts, and then you get to see our expression out of (defensive 50), or we explode and use our numbers – it’s a real weapon of ours.”

He said the Magpies’ defence, which he confirmed would be bolstered by captain Darcy Moore in the first final, had responded well to pressure he had deliberately applied through the media.

“We came here with a clear plan to improve parts of our defence, we’ve said that out loud for everyone to hear, so we can be held accountable to it,” McRae said.

“I felt we did that – 3.13, yeah they missed a few, but it’s a step in the right direction.”

Jack Ginnivan was singled out for praise by McRae. Picture: Getty Images

McRae said Jack Ginnivan’s commitment to training during a difficult mid-season period when he struggled to stand out in the VFL had laid the foundation for his superb 17-disposal, three-goal performance against the Bombers.

“I was really pleased with the way he got to positions that we needed him in. That’s one element of his game, he’s creative, he got a (high tackle) free kick, which was great for us,” McRae said.

“He finishes the goals well and he’s important to us … I strongly believe (his improvement) came down to his training standards.

“There was a real shift – you can get caught up in form again, but at VFL he wasn’t playing above the level, and then he got busy with his training … he just stuck at it, an opportunity presented, and he came to light tonight and showed what he’s capable of.”

He praised Finlay Macrae’s resilience after the young midfielder earned his first senior game of the season as the sub, revealing he had approved a post-game request from the 21-year-old to play in Collingwood’s VFL final on Sunday despite playing the entire second half.

‘PRETTY S***’, ‘MEDIOCRE’: SAVAGE REACTION TO DONS’ HORROR FINISH

Essendon captain Zach Merrett has given a damning assessment of the club’s horror finish to the season, declaring it must “get past being a mediocre club.”

The Bombers won only two of their last seven matches after being fifth on the ladder at round 17 and could finish as low 13th depending on other round 24 results.

“It’s obviously very disappointing. We set ourselves up in a really good position, probably round 17, to compete and make and challenge finals,’ Merrett told Channel 7 after the club’s season finished with a 70-point hiding from Collingwood.

“To fall away so poorly late in the year was obviously very disappointing. It’s hard to look at the positive of the first 17 rounds at the moment with the emotion.”

Merrett lifted the lid on a player-driven meeting in the aftermath of the loss.

“(Coach Brad Scott) was pretty clear, I think that needs time to review and we’ll come back,” he said.

“It was more player driven players feel like we need to be working harder and challenge each other harder come the off-season and make sure we set ourselves up for a really good year next year.

“Players are sick of ending their season in August. It’s no fun. It sucks to watch other teams having their season alive. Some pretty strong messages from some of the players.”

Kyle Langford said the Bombers’ woeful finish to the year was “pretty s***”.

Merrett also conceded the Bombers were “still clearly a long way off the top six and probably the top eight.”

“As the players spoke about in there, time to get past being a mediocre club and a club that falls away like that,” he said.

“It’s something we’re going to keep working hard on and for our fans, as leaders, as players, we’re going to certainly try to keep driving each other as hard as we can.

“There’s going to be a lot of tough conversations the next couple of days, I’m sure.”

Forward Kyle Langford told 3AW emotions were “pretty raw” after the loss to Collingwood and it was a “pretty s*** feeling”.

“I was absolutely gobsmacked kind of last week (after the GWS loss) and then obviously the first quarter this week,” he said.

“It’s just one of those things. You don’t prepare for it and when it happens, it kind of hits you straight between the eyes. As a group we have so much to work on. There’s no worse feeling than going into the off-season like this. It’s just going to sit in everyone’s’ guts. It really does hurt.”

Langford said the club’s collapse at the end of the season had left him “searching for answers”.