Rating Essendon’s rebuild: Are Bombers on track under Brad Scott?

Brad Scott and the Bombers won’t admit it — but they are in rebuild mode. Glenn McFarlane delves into the key decisions Essendon has made and whether its improvement is on track.

Essendon spent part of the pre-season preaching patience, ongoing development and delicately dancing around the ‘r’ word — rebuild — without actually having to say it.

No one from the club used the word, but the narrative was clearly centred on how the Bombers were committed to the long haul rather than sugar-hit fixes of the past that tempted the tastebuds but ultimately left a bad taste in the mouth.

The message from Brad Scott as he headed into his third season as Essendon coach was there would be no shortcuts this time around.

Only hard work, bridging a gap between the club’s best and worst, a greater depth of young and older players working together and a better leadership balance that wasn’t so reliant on Zach Merrett would suffice – even if he conceded there would be some bumps along the way.

What no one could have foreseen was the injury chaos that followed, including the loss of the club’s two main ruckmen Sam Draper and Nick Bryan, a wipe-out season so far from Darcy Parish and more soft tissue woes for Jordan Ridley.

Has that changed the goalposts for Essendon in 2025?

Does it give the club an out?

Are the same pre-season goals still attainable?

That’s something we will find out very soon as the Bombers prepare to take on Sydney at Marvel Stadium on Saturday night, with a 4-3 ledger but with still so many unanswered questions.

Scott remained buoyed this week when asked about the Bombers’ aspirations in a competition so tight that anything is possible.

“Coaches are pretty harsh judges,” Scott said. “I think we are progressing, we are making some improvements in some areas but we still have a lot of work to do.

“We’ve had some good periods (in) games … and I put Sydney in this category, when we play the really good teams, there is a gap between where they are and where we are at the moment. We’ve just got to bridge that (gap) as quickly as we can.”

Here’s how the Bombers have shaped up so far in 2025 against some of the KPIs they collectively set during the pre-season.

Zach Reid’s emergence has helped strengthen Essendon’s defence.

FIX THE LEAKY DEFENCE

On face value, there are some green shoots but we’re still a long way short of declaring this is a problem solved for the Bombers.

Having ranked 15th in points against and scores per inside 50s against last year, there is a slight uptick in 2025, which is encouraging but far from definitive.

In seven games, they have risen to 12th in points against and 11th in scores per inside 50s against, with the damage done in the first two games, coughing up scores of 111 and 161 against Hawthorn and Adelaide.

Zach Reid pic.twitter.com/vwH9Jnq22w

— The Caddy Shack (@CharlieDons) April 27, 2025

But since round 3, the Bombers have only conceded one score of 100 points or more – against Collingwood on Anzac Day.

A deeper dive into what has come after those first two losses shows their average points conceded dropping to 72.2% (ranked third in the AFL since round 3) and 41% in scores per inside 50s against (ranked second since round 3).

It’s a small sample, and it could get tougher with Ridley on the sidelines potentially for two months, but the defensive work of Zach Reid and co has shown some improvements.

VERDICT: ISIT SUSTAINABLE? THAT’S YET TO BE DETERMINED.

Isaac Kako has added spark to Essendon’s front half.

GETTING MORE BANG FOR BUCK IN ATTACK

Essendon’s problem last year wasn’t getting the ball inside 50, it was its inefficiency turning an entry into a score.

The Bombers were ranked 16th for scores per inside 50 in 2024, which was as much about the system and skill execution as anything else.

There has been a marked improvement here. They are now the AFL’s 6th ranked team – after eight completed rounds – for scoring when going inside 50m.

Isaac Kako is a star in the making ⭐️

The No. 13 pick has kicked his fourth.#AFLCatsDonspic.twitter.com/FNmVO6l1dC

— AFL (@AFL) February 25, 2025

They are doing it a different way this year, in part due to the injuries to key big men and work of small forwards – including first-year Bomber Isaac Kako – to fight at ground level.

Essendon was the second worst team last year in forward ground balls; so far this year they are third best.

In many ways the Bombers have had to rely on mediums to smalls in attack, having dropped from ninth in forward 50m marks to 15th so far.

VERDICT: IMPROVEMENT? TICK

WHO’S GOING TO KICK THE GOALS WITHOUT STRINGER?

This was always going to be a vexed question, even before the injury woes which took Draper out of the equation.

As Code AFL Stats show, Jake Stringer twice kicked 40-plus goals for the Bombers – including 42 last year – but is not having the same impact with his new club, the Giants.

Still, the Bombers have had to share the load this year, given young gun Nate Caddy is still learning his craft, and Kyle Langford and Peter Wright have each played only three games this season.

Jake Stringer’s goal by season. After booting 42 for Essendon last year, he has just six so far at the Giants. Source: CODE Sport AFL Stats

Essendon is the only club so far in 2025 to not have a player kick 10 or more goals.

Archie Perkins, who was touted as the player who could take over the Stringer role, shares the goalkicking lead right now (with eight goals) along with Caddy and Wright, with Perkins’ three goals against North Melbourne an equal career best. More is needed!

Zach Merrett wants the midfield to be a part of the scoring profile and has followed suit with six goals so far this season.

Sharing the goalkicking load is important, but they need someone to step up as a 40-goal forward, as Langford and Wright have been before.

VERDICT: NEED TO SEE MORE

The bottom 10 for goals kicked in 2025. Source: CODE Sport AFL Stats

IS THERE A BUNCH OF 20-SOMETHINGS READY TO LAUNCH?

Zach Reid, you’ve been worth the wait!

In a make-or-break year, the 23-year-old defender has stood up body-wise and game-wise.

The one-time No.10 draft pick has been a massive win for the Bombers. Instead of touching wood every time he goes near the ball, Essendon fans now feel confident in his ability to get the job done.

He has beaten some good forwards and given Ben McKay a much needed chop-out.

We know what Sam Durham brings, and at 23, he has helped to kickstart the midfield on occasions, but can elevate himself even further.

Archie Roberts isn’t 20 until November, but fits this category, evidenced by his Rising Star nomination and elite rating for one-on-ones and above average for pressure/interceptions.

Archie Roberts has been a find in the back half.

Caddy is 20 in two months, but he has huge upside. Already he looks like a 10-to-15 year player alongside Kako, but he still has plenty to work on honing his craft.

Ben Hobbs has played every game this year, Perkins has some cameo moments and can build on his start to 2025; while Harrison Jones is injured at the moment.

Elijah Tsatas worked tirelessly on his errant disposals in the off-season. but needs to work on his craft even more to win his spot back.

The Essendon team to take on the Swans will have eight players yet to reach 50 games – Reid, Kako, Caddy, Roberts, Jaxon Prior, Saad El-Hawli, Lewis Hayes and Archer Day-Wicks, with Hobbs only passing that tally earlier this year.

VERDICT: REID THE CLEAR IMPROVEMENT BUT WOULD LIKE TO SEE MORE FROM OTHERS

As the comparison with his skipper shows, Zach Reid is having an impact by foot this year. Source: CODE Sport AFL Stats

Can Zach Merrett match in-form Swan Chad Warner on the scoreboard on Saturday? Source: CODE Sport AFL Stats

PUMPING GAMES INTO THE KIDS

This has been a tick for the Bombers with two more debutants on Saturday night taking the tally to five for the season.

Lewis Hayes and Archer Day-Wicks will join the likes of Isaac Kako, Tom Edwards and Saad El-Hawli as those who have donned the sash for the first time this season.

Zak Johnson might make it six soon, while Angus Clarke made his VFL return last week off halfback.

Archer Day-Wicks at Bombers training. Picture: Essendon FC

Lewis Hayes battles Jeremy Cameron during pre-season. Picture: Michael Klein

Essendon could manage only two debutants in each of the past two seasons, so the experiences some of these young Bombers have had this season – even allowing for Edwards’ ACL – will stand them in good stead next year and hopefully beyond.

VERDICT: HUGE TICK

GREATER SPREAD OF LEADERSHIP TO ASSIST MERRETT

The Essendon skipper is an all-Australian captaincy contender, having lifted his team on his back, including his last quarter for the ages against the Kangaroos.

But he still needs more help.

And the Bombers were clear in their objection in the off-season to produce a player-driven leadership model who can be “the keepers and protectors of Essendon’s culture.”

Zach Merrett needs more support from his deputies such as Andrew McGrath.

McGrath is his deputy and is playing an important role in bedding down the structure and confidence of the defence; leadership group members Mason Redman, Kyle Langford and Nic Martin are evolving; and Jye Caldwell and Sam Durham don’t need to say too much to be inspirational teammates.

This won’t happen overnight, or with a click of the fingers, as Brad Scott conceded, but there are some early positive signs.

VERDICT: WORK IN PROGRESS

HARDER FOR LONGER

The Bombers rated third in contested possessions and fifth for clearances in the first 11 rounds of last year; then crashed to 14th and 13th as the bottom fell out of their season in the second half of 2025.

Until they can consistently get through a season – even allowing for the injury pressures – we can’t yet give them a tick for this.

One of the pre-season themes was ‘Be A Don’ which essentially means living the values expected of an Essendon player and being trustworthy to teammates and fans.

These sorts of things can’t be measured on a stats sheet, and only come off hard work, dedication, connection and commitment over a sustained period of time.

A club that hasn’t won a final in 20 years – and a team that is still evolving in terms of style, substance, structure and personnel – can’t be judged just seven games into a season.

VERDICT: STILL VERY MUCH A ‘WATCH THIS SPACE’.

Originally published as Rating Essendon’s rebuild: Are Bombers on track under Brad Scott?