Mick McGuane: The reasons behind Essendon’s rise and the challenges still ahead

Brad Scott took the Roos to two prelim finals as a coach, but MICK MCGUANE writes, it seems he’s more equipped for the job the second time around, as Essendon continues its surge.

Brad Scott has helped transform Essendon into a different looking club in 2024. Picture: Michael Klein

After many years of darkness, Essendon sits top-four on the ladder as excitement grows around what the Bombers can achieve this season.

Some 20 years on from their last finals win in 2004, can Essendon finally salute in a game this September?

AFL analyst Mick McGuane has taken a deep dive into where the Bombers have improved — and the challenges that still lie ahead.

STABILITY

An essential ingredient of any good football club is stability.

Essendon looks to finally have that after many years of turmoil, not helped by the supplements saga.

Over the past 15 years, the Bombers have had eight different senior coaches.

That dates back to Matthew Knights and James Hird, through to Mark Thompson, John Worsfold and Ben Rutten.

There were also some cameos as caretakers from Simon Goodwin (one game) and Matthew Egan (three games), before Brad Scott was appointed at the end of 2022.

Good luck building a competitive side with that amount of change.

Among the playing group, there were fractured relationships and a raft of players who wanted out following the dark times, coupled with draft sanctions.

7,189 #GoDons

— Days Since Essendon Have Won A Final (@FinalsEssendon) May 11, 2024

Off the field, Andrew Thorburn was appointed as chief executive in late 2022 before resigning a day later, adding to the mess that had been built at Tullamarine.

But as an outsider looking in now, stability appears to be one of Essendon’s biggest strengths.

David Barham has been president since August 2022 and he appointed Scott as senior coach a month later, with Craig Vozzo coming in as chief executive soon after that.

Those are three strong people in three key positions.

The stability at the top has trickled down to the playing group, too.

Over the past 12 months, there has been a real show of faith in the club from multiple players who have inked long-term contract extensions, including Andrew McGrath (2030), Ben McKay (2029), Jordan Ridley (2029), Darcy Parish (2029) and Mason Redman (2028).

Finally, Essendon is feeling like a football club again where players see a future and want to stay.

Players including Andrew McGrath have shown faith in Essendon’s new direction by signing long-term deals over the past 12 months. Picture: Michael Klein

LEADERSHIP

Brad Scott has a certain aura about him as a coach.

It’s not dissimilar to the aura that some of the great coaches have had, including Leigh Matthews, David Parkin and Kevin Sheedy.

Scott made two preliminary finals in charge of North Melbourne, but I get the impression that he is better equipped for the job the second time around.

He’s a good communicator who can simplify roles for players and he is empowering the playing group to take ownership of the club with the relationships that he is forming.

Just look at what the Essendon players did during their break in the off-season.

Rather than going overseas to party hard, about 15 Bombers headed to Arizona for a player-led training camp to try and get ahead on the rest of the competition.

Mick McGuane says Brad Scott has an aura as coach. Picture: Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images

Scott has also been able to identify and help grow the leaders that Essendon already had.

Zach Merrett was dumped from the club’s leadership group in 2020, but sits alongside Melbourne captain Max Gawn in vying for All-Australian captain honours this year.

His demands for professional standards to be adhered to were previously rejected by his peers and fell on deaf ears.

Merrett may have been seen by some as too confronting in the past.

What rubbish and how weak by others.

He is now leading from the front, averaging career-high numbers for contested possessions (10.7 a game), ground ball gets (7.4 a game) and clearances (5.1 a game).

Along with vice-captain Andrew McGrath — who must also be in All-Australian conversation as he too enjoys career-best form — the leaders are turbo-driving the Bombers forward with force.

Zach Merrett has gone from being dumped from the leadership group to one of the AFL’s best captains. Picture: Sarah Reed/AFL Photos via Getty Images

RECRUITING & LIST MANAGEMENT

Veteran list manager Adrian Dodoro has long been a punching bag for frustrated fans and some sections of the media.

Much of that criticism has been unfair.

Let’s be realistic.

It’s not an exact science and Dodoro has brought many good players to the club, only for them to leave due to circumstances outside of his control.

But he might have left his best post-season period until last.

Credit where credit is due, Dodoro nailed the trade and free agency period last year.

The Bombers identified some areas of need and went out and secured some of the best available players in each of those areas.

Mick McGuane says it is unfair to blame Essendon’s struggles on Adrian Dodoro. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images

Long hamstrung by an undersized defence, the inclusion of free agent Ben McKay has been enormous.

McKay has taken 31 intercept marks this year (ranked equal-fourth in the AFL) and has picked up 75 intercept possessions (ranked fifth).

Essendon was screaming out for a genuine wingman — having previously tried to manufacture roles there for Dyson Heppell and Sam Durham — and landed a talented 23-year-old in Xavier Duursma.

Jade Gresham is a small forward who cannot only hit the scoreboard but can also apply great pressure, while veteran ruckman Todd Goldstein has helped the side’s stoppage game with the experience and professionalism that he has brought.

If Goldstein keeps up this form, the Bombers won’t have an issue handing him another one-year contract at the ripe old age of 36.

For those four off-season recruits — three of which were free agents — the Bombers only gave up one player in Brandon Zerk-Thatcher.

Dodoro deserves a big tick.

Ben McKay at North Melbourne:

6 seasons. 71 games. 8 ✅. 1 draw. 62 ❌

Ben McKay at Essendon:

9 games. 6 wins ✅. 1 draw. 2 ❌

13.8 disposals per game (career high)
6 marks per game (equal career high)
88.7% disposal efficiency (career high)
99.6 % game time

Has been an…

— Brad Klibansky (@BradKlibansky) May 11, 2024

Ben McKay has had a big impact on Essendon’s defence. Picture: Robert Cianflone/Getty Images

SELECTION INTEGRITY

In the past, the Bombers have been caught in the trap of playing big names when they don’t deserve a game.

Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti was just one example last year, with the forward playing a string of matches when he didn’t have the fitness for AFL footy.

Essendon has also previously rushed high draft picks into the side before they have been ready, setting them up to fail rather than succeed.

There has been none of that this year — and it has helped create a strong squad mentality with plenty of internal pressure for spots.

The Bombers have used only 29 players this season — the equal-second fewest in the competition.

Only ladder-leader Sydney (27 players) has used fewer players.

Dylan Shiel has been stuck in the VFL. Picture: Brendan Beckett

Experienced midfielder Dylan Shiel has played the past four games at VFL since returning from injury, without getting a look-in at senior level.

Perhaps it is because Shiel only laid eight tackles across the first three of those games, at a time Essendon has put a premium on its defensive actions.

Young defender Zach Reid was exceptional with 26 disposals and 10 marks in the VFL last weekend, as was Elijah Tsatas who had 31 disposals and 11 clearances.

There was plenty of excitement around forward Nate Caddy during pre-season, but is also biding his time in the seconds, as is 2022 draftee Jayden Davey.

Davey has got as much talent as any small forward on Essendon’s list and kicked 3.2 from 15 touches in the VFL last Saturday, but unless he works hard to improve his fitness he could be lost to the game.

Players know where they stand under Scott and his coaching group and they will meander away in the reserves if they don’t meet standards.

This attitude is symbolic with successful clubs.

PLAYING YOUR ROLE

I’m referring to Jake Kelly as the ‘human anaesthetic’.

He puts opposition players to sleep.

Kelly’s father Craig would do anything to stop an opponent and the apple hasn’t fallen far from the tree.

Essendon defensive coach Ben Jacobs has found a role for Kelly and he is delivering in it.

He has already taken some big scalps this year, including Greater Western Sydney captain Toby Greene last weekend.

At the other end of the ground, forwards coach Dale Tapping has also found some important role players.

Peter Wright didn’t kick a goal against the Giants last week but had a profound impact on the match, while Matt Guelfi was given a role trying to take away Lachie Whitfield’s impact.

Guelfi went out and blanketed Whitfield, while also finishing with three goals himself.

Essendon’s assistant coaches have found suitable roles for players. Picture: Michael Klein

DON’T UNDERESTIMATE THE CHASE

There is one statistic that coaches are increasingly being drawn to this year — post-clearance pressure.

Since round 5, Essendon ranks second in the AFL for that stat behind only Sydney.

I commend the Bombers for this — which is a facet of the game that they clearly look invested in.

As soon as the ball clears a stoppage, they want to apply instantaneous pressure through chasing with intent and a higher work rate than we have ever seen from this team before.

When this occurs up the field, it builds trust from your defenders as they don’t have to come forward off their opponent to defend when even numbers present.

When a desire to chase does exist it doesn’t open you up to be leapfrogged by the opposition and give up goals out the back.

This is one reason why Essendon has significantly improved in defending opposition ball movement and limiting scores when the footy enters their defensive 50.

Over the past five games, the Bombers rank third for inside-50s against and fourth for points against.

That is a profile of a strong top-eight team.

With the post-clearance pressure, it is again Merrett leading the way.

Darcy Parish has also joined in, realising his position in the team is not about ball accumulation.

Jye Caldwell and Sam Durham are also on-board, having changed the dynamic through the midfield.

Durham’s hardness and willingness to compete and chase as a midfielder has given the Bombers an edge they desperately needed.

Don’t underestimate the chase.

Essendon captain Zach Merrett is setting standards with his pressure and tackling. Picture: Getty Images

THE CHALLENGE AHEAD

The next two weeks will tell us a lot about the Bombers.

They face games against the bottom-two sides in North Melbourne and Richmond, both of which they will be expected to win.

But given their lowly percentage of 98.3, they wouldn’t want to be narrowly scraping across the line.

Essendon’s pressure must continue to rise — or at least stay the same.

Does this group have the maturity to bring a ‘foot on the throat’ mentality and stamp itself as a genuine top-four side?

Let’s not forget what happened last year when the Bombers almost lost to the lowly rated and injury riddled West Coast Eagles in round 21.

The two following games — against Gold Coast (away) and Carlton — leading into the bye are also winnable.

However, the last thing Essendon can afford to do is get too comfortable, even if it hits the mid-season break comfortably inside the top-four.

The Bombers must continue to move the ball at speed once they win it back, along with doing all the little things like chasing, blocking and screening which have made them look so impressive over the past month.

Scott also has some selection headaches on the horizon.

Jayden Laverde could be the unlucky one to make way for returning defender Jordan Ridley, while the coaching group will need to decide whether they play Sam Draper, Todd Goldstein and Peter Wright in the same team when Draper returns from injury post-bye.

Reid will be a star when continuity of playing is on his side, but how tall does Scott want to go?

Will going tall compromise their manic pressure — a key reason behind the form of the past month?

It’s still early days in a long season, but there’s no doubt the Bombers are on an upward trajectory and there is more improvement to come as this group plays more games together.

They look as well-placed as ever to finally break the two-decade long September drought.

MICK’S HOT TAKES

GOOD

No more handouts. I loved what I heard from North Melbourne football boss Todd Viney on RSN radio during the week, where he declared the club would not be asking for any more AFL handouts ahead of this year’s draft. It’s refreshing to hear that the Roos understand the predicament that they have put themselves in and they are ready to get themselves out of the hole they’ve dug.

BAD

Richmond. Yes, the Tigers have had some horror luck with injury. However, they still fielded 11 premiership players in what was an embarrassing and humiliating loss to the Western Bulldogs last weekend. Where’s the pride? Those premiership heroes look happy to simply go through the motions at the moment.

UGLY

Another concussion victim. This time it was a young man yet to play an AFL game in Western Bulldogs running machine Aiden O’Driscoll. It is sad to see a career ended in an instant from one training mishap, after much hard work and sacrifice to make it to the big league. However, I hope we don’t get to the point where we can’t have some level of physical contact at training.

Originally published as Mick McGuane: The reasons behind Essendon’s rise and the challenges still ahead