Review

This is what it’ll be to finish 2026.

When I first set out to review Essendon games, I planned to look through the ‘process’ lens rather than purely the outcome. While that was absolutely possible in the early days, the longer this season has gone on, the harder it has become, as an identifiable brand in both aspects of the game, with and without the footy, has been broken down to the point where Essendon is now simply searching for the basics from week to week, quarter to quarter and contest to contest.

That education has centred around supporting teammates in contests and tackling, with certain opposition game styles allowing Essendon to take a more hands-on approach. GWS, with its chaos-based method last week, was a perfect example for the Bombers’ young and inexperienced list to scrap, fight and keep the game dirty.

Hawthorn, however, is not one of those sides, once again exposing Essendon’s struggles once the ball gets out of congestion and is controlled with foot skills to hit up marking targets.

So, to finish off this extremely challenging year for Essendon, it’s best that I simplify what took place through the key performance indicators that matter most.

Hopefully, a new dawn in the new year shows us what the plans are for this next generation and how the club intends to extract the most from them.

Unfortunately, this week there was very little green on my screen to be positive about, and far too much red. It may be best to read last week’s review first, or even revisit it as a reminder before going any further.

There’s not much to be impressed with, but here’s what we’ve got.

• Essendon’s 16 front-half intercepts by halftime were the most they have had in a first half this year. Their next best was 15 against Melbourne in Round 5, followed by 14 against North Melbourne in Round 3 and GWS in Round 9.

• Six of Essendon’s first seven scoring shots came from turnovers, with the other going end to end from a kick-in.

• Essendon had 13 one-on-one contests in the front half, second only to the 17 they had against GWS in Round 9, winning just over 45% of them. Coming into this game, the Bombers averaged only 9.5 front-half one-on-one contests per game at a win rate of less than 17%.

• Mason Redman had six score involvements for the second time this year, equalling the fourth-highest total of his 155-game career.

Now we move onto some of the bad, with the worst still to come.

There were only 38 possession chains in the third quarter, the fewest in any quarter of an Essendon game over the last four years. The Bombers started with the football only 18 times, also their lowest in that time.

• Essendon’s five inside 50s in the third quarter were their fewest in any quarter this year, while the combined total of 13 across the second and third quarters was their second lowest through consecutive quarters. (They had 12 in Q2 and Q3 against Collingwood.)

• The AFL average for marks inside 50 per quarter is 3.02. Hawthorn took eight in the third term, the 16th time Essendon has conceded six or more in a quarter this year.

• Hawthorn’s ruck combination converted just under 47% of their hitouts into clearances. Only Richmond in Dreamtime, Collingwood on Anzac Day and the Western Bulldogs in Round 4 have had a better conversion rate against Essendon this year.

• Essendon lost centre clearances by nine, their second-worst result in any game this year. Their worst was -11, which has happened three times: against Port Adelaide in Round 2, Collingwood on Anzac Day and Brisbane three games ago.

• The Bombers took only four marks on lead this week, their lowest total in any game over the last two years. The Hawks, meanwhile, found 24, easily the most by an opponent in that same period.

• Essendon finished with only two goal scorers, Nate Caddy and Peter Wright, their fewest in the last four years.

Here is where it gets really ugly.

• Until three-quarter time, Essendon hadn’t scored from any of their 18 clearances. Conversely, Hawthorn converted over 41% of their 26. By game’s end, the Bombers generated just two scoring shots from 26 clearances, their lowest over the last six seasons.

• Hawthorn’s midfielders got their hands to the ball first at stoppages 14 more times than their counterparts, the Bombers’ equal second-worst result of the year behind only their performance against Melbourne at the MCG. Essendon has won this head-to-head battle only twice this season, against West Coast and GWS last week.

• By halftime, Hawthorn had taken 66 uncontested marks, equal second most conceded by Essendon this year. The most was in Round 8, when Brisbane took 79.

• In Q3, Essendon had only 51 disposals, 69 fewer than Hawthorn. That was the biggest differential in any quarter of an Essendon game since the beginning of 2025.

• In the third quarter, Essendon lost the territory count by 671 metres, following a loss of 527 in the previous quarter. The combined differential of 1,198 was Essendon’s worst in back-to-back quarters this year.

• In the third term, Hawthorn averaged over 87 metres per possession chain, the most Essendon has conceded in any quarter over the last four years and almost 30 metres above what their opponents have averaged in that time.

• Coming into this game, Hawthorn was the third-best team at converting possession chains into scores, behind only Fremantle and Brisbane, going at just under one in every four. In Q3, one in every two ended on the scoreboard, Essendon’s worst result in any quarter in the last four years.

• The Hawks were +145 possessions by three-quarter time, the biggest differential in any game by any team this year. By game’s end, Essendon finished with 177 less, their biggest differential in more than 15 seasons.

• The Bombers won 19 groundballs in the defensive 50, but Hawthorn won 21 in the same zone. It was the second time this year, and the second time in the last three weeks, that an opponent has won more contested possessions at ground level in this area. (Brisbane won 27-24 in Round 18.)

• In the second half, Hawthorn had 100 handball receives (an uncontested possession gained from a teammate’s handball) and finished with 175 by game’s end, the most against Essendon in the last two years. The Bombers finished with only 99, their lowest total in that same period.

• Saturday was only the second time since the start of 2023 that Essendon has conceded 22 or more scoring shots in its defensive half from clearances and turnovers. The only other occasions were against the Bulldogs in their first clash last year and Port Adelaide in Round 8, 2023.

• Of the 77 points Hawthorn scored from their front half, 51 came from Essendon turnovers, with 40 of those after halftime.

• Essendon went inside 50 on 36 occasions, while Hawthorn finished with 37 scoring shots. It follows their earlier clash, where Essendon had 40 inside 50s and Hawthorn had 40 scoring shots.

Four games to go.

It’s going to be an extremely challenging finish to the season, with three games against top-nine opponents, including two against teams currently inside the top six, all of whom are capable of putting significant scores on the board.

How Essendon finishes the year will be telling, not only for individual players but also for the coaching group, with the foundations for 2027 needing to be laid well before the season begins.

There were some rightly deserved rewards last week, recognising the hard work and resilience shown through what has been an incredibly difficult year.

Hopefully, that recognition helps set the standards required for the next generation who will wear the red and black moving forward.

Go Bombers!