Friday 23rd of January
- thebombersblog
- 3 days ago
- 5 min read
Sunglasses and sunscreen on.
A magnificent summer’s day to be standing on the outer wing at the NEC Hangar, watching a late-January match simulation as Essendon’s preseason continues to build.
In contrast to last Friday’s hit-out, conditions were perfect, with not a breath of wind impacting play.
After a short but sharp warm-up and run-throughs, followed by some transition drills, the group split into two for a pair of intensive 20-minute quarters using the whole ground, before finishing with further game-scenario work across roughly three-quarters of it.
The squads.
Missing from the match simulation were Jordan Ridley, Will Setterfield, Harrison Jones, Archie Perkins, Nick Bryan and Tom Edwards.
All took part in the warm-ups and kicking drills before stepping aside to continue running and sprinting while the game played out.
Outside of Setterfield, or any managed loads, each looked capable of taking part in the session.
Kyle Langford was the most noticeable absentee, not appearing on the ground at any point, while Sullivan Robey jogged for no more than ten minutes before later standing by the boundary and watching on.
Matchups.
As was the case last Friday, Dyson Sharp started on Sam Durham at centre bounces early, before Durham spent large portions as a forward pushing high up the ground.
Jacob Farrow again went head-to-head with Darcy Parish at stoppages, but from there, the two went their own way.
Elijah Tsatas and Jye Caldwell were the third pairing.
This trio rotated responsibilities, with Zach Merrett spending time through the middle in Durham’s place.
Last week Isaac Kako purely and simply gave Archie Roberts “wind burn” at ground level; this time, Mason Redman was his matchup — again a strange option, with Andrew McGrath appearing the more logical alternative, and you’ll see why later.
Peter Wright and Nate Caddy operated as the key forwards alongside the more experienced midfield group. Ben McKay was assigned to Wright and Zach Reid to Caddy early, before the two defenders later swapped opponents.
📸 Photo by The Caddy Shack @CharlieDons on X
Used with permission
Other notable matchups included Hussain El Achkar lining up alongside Kako as a small forward in preference to the more experienced Jade Gresham and Matt Guelfi. Zak Johnson and Saad El Hawli were their defenders, with Max Kondogiannis tasked with Archer Day-Wicks at the same end of the ground.
Brayden Fiorini and Jaxon Prior operated as the wingers on the same side, with Nik Cox standing Prior and VFL-listed Jaxon Binns tasked with Essendon’s new recruit.
For the second week in a row, Xavier Duursma spent his time as a permanent forward.
📸 Photo by The Caddy Shack @CharlieDons on X
Used with permission
Shining brightest
Early on it was new draftee Max Kondogiannis who showcased his best traits, using his running power both with ball in hand and when spreading to become an outlet for his fellow defenders.
While he impressed both in the air and at ground level, Archer Day-Wicks should have made him pay on several occasions, only to let himself down in front of goal. It followed on from last week, when Day-Wicks was able to better convert his work onto the scoreboard.
📸 Photo by The Caddy Shack @CharlieDons on X
Used with permission
Durham and Caldwell set the tone early through their ability to win hardball and stand up under tackling pressure, consistently getting the ball going in the right direction.
Their younger opponents struggled to match them, with Tsatas the lone exception in generating similar impact on the other side.
Up forward, Wright and Caddy were virtually unstoppable in the air.
📸 Photo by The Caddy Shack @CharlieDons on X
Used with permission
Caddy outworked Reid through his mobility, while Wright was afforded too much latitude by McKay when pushing up the ground. Even after the matchups were swapped, the trend continued — Caddy dragged McKay up the ground before doubling back to goal, while Wright again had the upper hand on Reid in one-on-ones.
Link to my review of their last battle. https://thebombersblog.wixsite.com/thebombersblog/post/pre-season
Of the ruckmen, honours went to 2025 mid-season recruit Lachie Blackiston, whose ability to follow up post-contest as another midfielder, as well as working over Vigo Visentini around the ground, made a big difference.
McGrath was the standout among the under-siege defenders, while at the other end El Hawli and Johnson caught the eye with ball in hand, combining on multiple occasions. Kayle Gerreyn continues to grow while learning on the job, both in contests and in his positioning within the high press.
Quote taken from my review of preseason training posted Tuesday January 20th
“If someone asked me who has stood out the most over this preseason — and I’ve been asked on numerous occasions — Isaac Kako is my immediate answer.
The 20-year-old, in only his second preseason, has been unmissable when the ball is in his area and almost unplayable when it’s in his hands. His quick step off the mark, combined with changes of direction, caught Roberts out multiple times on Friday. With his lightning hand-to-foot skills, he had an enormous say in the scoreboard, not just through his finishing, but in setting up teammates’ opportunities.”
I really could have copied and pasted the same assessment here, simply replacing Roberts with Redman.
In just his second preseason, the now 20-year-old has been outstanding across the last two hit-outs, treating his matchups with contempt when he has the ball, aided by his positioning to his taller teammates and to find space as a leading option.
Lose touch of him — or even sight — at the wrong moment, and he has shown no hesitation in making opponents pay the maximum penalty.
Saving the best for last, it felt like stepping into a time machine and revisiting 2021-early 2022, watching Darcy Parish remind everyone of what he is truly capable of.
📸 Photo by The Caddy Shack @CharlieDons on X
Used with permission
The All-Australian midfielder has endured an unlucky run with injury since, and it was fair to question whether we would ever see him return to his best. While it is far too early to declare him “back”, the fundamentals he displayed today were undeniably encouraging.
At stoppage he consistently took aggressive positioning in front of his opponent, attacked the drop of the ball with clean hands, and fed Merrett, Fiorini and others on the outside before spreading to become a link in the chain once again.
His ability to win, give, and then get it back brought wave-after-wave of teammates into the play, repeatedly exposing his matchup’s work rate.
Once the game moved outside congestion, his positioning and decision-making made him an obvious option in space, demanding the ball be funneled through him.
📸 Photo by The Caddy Shack @CharlieDons on X
Used with permission
Parish has never been someone who jumps straight back into form — history shows he needs continuity. After blowing out the cobwebs last week, today offered a clear glimpse of what that build-up can produce.
How it all looked.
Today provided further evidence that long and direct ball movement, by hand or foot, is shaping as Essendon’s blueprint for 2026.
There is still significant improvement required for the method to consistently succeed, particularly in contest work and striking the right balance between attack and defence through better game awareness. But that refinement only comes through training, repetition, and exposure to these scenarios, and this session was another important step along that path.
*Big shout-out, appreciation, and credit to Charlie (Caddy Shack @CharlieDons on X) for his photos from today.
For more photos from today and past training, Charlie can be found on X here:
Thanks man, appreciate you passing this on. It's a bit worrying to read how our defence is struggling to make an impact but hopefully it's just preseason malaise and they'll turn up come the real stuff. McKay had better work harder than this if he wants to keep his spot in the team.