By Marc McGowan
Essendon thought Massimo D’Ambrosio was sticking around, on a modest one-year rookie contract.
The mid-season draftee fell out of favour under new Bombers coach Brad Scott in 2023, and did not play a senior match after round 13. But they wanted to retain him, based on the impressive glimpses he had shown.
The problem was Hawthorn liked D’Ambrosio even more.
Hawks star and former Bomber Massimo D’Ambrosio.Credit: Getty Images
They were willing to give him a two-year deal, whereas Essendon handed fellow rookies Jye Menzie and Kaine Baldwin only one each, so were reluctant to give D’Ambrosio double that.
According to an industry source with knowledge of the situation, the Hawks’ interest surprised Essendon, and their list boss Mark McKenzie’s trump card was a little-known AFL rule.
As a second-year rookie, D’Ambrosio had the right to reject another such deal, become an unrestricted free agent and walk to the Hawks. Hawthorn generously agreed to still negotiate with Adrian Dodoro and the Bombers, before giving up pick 61 and a future fourth-rounder.
Ben McKay (pictured right, playing against twin brother Harry) picked Essendon over the Hawks.Credit: AFL Photos
In the same period, North Melbourne’s restricted free agent defender Ben McKay chose to sign with Essendon over the Hawks (as well as Port Adelaide and Sydney).
McKay grew up a Bombers fan, and his prior relationship with Scott, friendship with Jordan Ridley and Andrew McGrath, and Essendon’s hefty, front-ended offer swayed him to Tullamarine. His agent is ex-Bomber Adam Ramanauskas, too.
The 202-centimetre backman also could not reconcile with going from 17th-placed North Melbourne to 16th-ranked Hawthorn, a source familiar with negotiations who wished to remain anonymous told this masthead. Essendon were 11th that year.
Much has changed ahead of tonight’s round one clash between the Hawks and Bombers.
D’Ambrosio played 16 games over two seasons with Hawthorn’s arch nemesis, Essendon.Credit: Getty Images
D’Ambrosio, stuck as an emergency at Essendon in the second half of 2023, made the All-Australian squad of 40 last year, while Hawthorn soared from an 0-5 start to win a final in coach Sam Mitchell’s third season in charge since replacing Alastair Clarkson.
That last bit must rankle Bombers fans most, given the club has infamously not saluted in a final since beating Melbourne in 2004.
“[The Hawks’] second half of the year was outstanding, and they’ve carried that form through to the first game of the season,” Scott said. “So, yeah, it feels quick, but it’s been a four- or five-year process to get to that point.
“I still think, and they would say, I assume, that they’re still developing, and have got to bridge the gap as well to the best. But, yeah, they’ve done a terrific job, and all credit to them.”
Scott and Mitchell have fast-tracked change since being appointed ahead of the 2023 and 2022 seasons, respectively.
If four-time premiership coach Clarkson was guilty of clinging to the past for too long, then Mitchell and McKenzie have been the opposite. Their power move of trading Tom Mitchell and Jaeger O’Meara – both of whom were Clarkson recruits – to go younger in the midfield paid unexpectedly immediate dividends.
They have aggressively sought improvement via free agency and trade, while still prioritising the draft.
Will Day, Josh Weddle and Nick Watson are Hawthorn’s major first-round hits, Cam Mackenzie and Josh Ward have had solid starts to their careers, Denver Grainger-Barras was a bust, and Will McCabe is yet to play a game.
What has become obvious is that Essendon have taken a very similar “reset” approach to their brown-and-gold rivals, in raw numbers but also in philosophy. The Hawks have just done it better to date.
Both clubs have had seven first-round draft selections since 2019 – the Bombers have had five top-10 picks to Hawthorn’s four – each has brought in double-digit players via free agency or trade, and they have turned over 50 or more players apiece in delistings and retirements in that time.
Essendon tall forward Nate Caddy looks a future star, as does fellow first-round pick Isaac Kako, who will make his AFL debut tonight.
However, Elijah Tsatas has had to overhaul his kicking technique; Ben Hobbs played fewer AFL games in his third season than his first two; and the jury is out for various reasons on Nik Cox (lack of a position/concussion), Archie Perkins (impact) and Zach Reid (injuries), who were picks eight to 10 in 2020.
Isaac Kako and Nate Caddy were close friends before they became Bombers. They’ve already shown glimpses of their star potential.Credit: Getty Images
The Bombers’ band of recruits, including McKay, Jade Gresham, Jye Caldwell, Dylan Shiel and Xavier Duursma, don’t stack up either with Hawks counterparts D’Ambrosio, Karl Amon, Tom Barrass, Lloyd Meek, Josh Battle, Mabior Chol, Jack Scrimshaw, Jarman Impey, Sam Frost and Jack Ginnivan.
All 10 of those recruits featured in Hawthorn’s 20-point victory over the Swans in Sydney last week.
Scott, entering his third campaign at the helm, is bullish that Essendon are finally ready to “launch” after turning over about half of their list in his time at the club and even shipping veteran Jake Stringer to the Giants.
“We’re not going to sit back and wait for it to happen ... the competition continues to trend into being very tight, and so that’s a challenge, but it presents opportunity as well,” Scott said.
“It’s not like it was decades ago, where it would take a really long time to rebuild a list – and there’s plenty of evidence of that around the competition of clubs that have been able to do that.
“We felt that the last two years have been a necessary reset, and now we go forward with real optimism.”
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