AFL 2025: Essendon set to welcome back All-Australian midfielder

Essendon coach Brad Scott has confirmed one star will play, another could remain in his newfound position and talked about the immediate future of a veteran.

It’s a big boost for the Bombers.

Essendon will welcome star midfielder Darcy Parish back for its crunch clash with Carlton on Sunday night.

Parish has not played at senior level since the Bombers’ final home-and-away match of last season.

The All-Australian, who had sustained yet another soft tissue setback, played two matches on managed minutes in the VFL last month.

Essendon coach Brad Scott said Parish’s addition would provide further flexibility to the Bombers’ midfield.

“We planned for this for quite some time and he’s had an uninterrupted month in terms of his build,” he said.

“He played two games in the VFL, played really well, so barring an incident today he’ll be available.

“It’s probably one part of the ground where we do have great flexibility at the moment. It’s a good thing, you want to have multiple options running through the midfield.”

Darcy Parish will play for Essendon this Sunday in a welcome boost. Picture: David Crosling

The Bombers used star captain Zach Merrett across half back last week in their brave loss to reigning premier Brisbane.

Merrett found plenty of the ball but didn’t have his usual impact, recording only two clearances and one inside 50.

With their pile of injuries, particularly in defence, Scott said the Bombers could use Merrett back again.

“Look, maybe, it’s a bit of a reality, Zak Johnson came in for his first game and played in defence,” he said.

“Our VFL team had a really good performance, but we didn’t really have any AFL-listed players playing in defence.

“Merrett we would like to use in about four different places, he’s a really flexible player.

“We’ll just assess where we play him based on the opposition and what suits us best.”

Essendon star captain Zach Merrett could be used across half back again. Picture: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)

Essendon veteran ruck Todd Goldstein will have his hands full with brilliant Blue Tom De Koning on Sunday.

Scott praised the efforts of Goldstein since he resurgence back into the side and said the Bombers would only give the 335-gamer a rest “only if we need to”.

“I’ve known Goldy long enough to know what he’s capable of and we just monitor him really closely,” he said.

“I don’t think we will go down the path of pre-planning anything, obviously have some ideas in mind.

“But most of our time will be directed towards assessing how he is recovering from games, how he’s performing. I thought he was outstanding on the weekend.”

The Bombers also have Vigo Visentini and mid-season draftee Lachlan Blakiston waiting in the wings.

Originally published as AFL 2025: Essendon set to welcome back All-Australian midfielder