Part one done. Earlier this week I was fortunate to contribute Essendon’s mid-season review to good friend Mateo Szlapek-Sewillo’s One Percenters mid-season report card. Mateo’s website and weekly podcast continue to provide one of the more thoughtful looks at the game, covering tactics, interviews with people involved across football and the stories shaping each week, all through an unbiased lens. If you haven’t checked out his work before, I highly recommend giving it a look or a listen in...

Three months down. It has been a miserable first half of 2026 for Essendon, with inconsistency, injuries and off-field change combining to create a season few would have envisioned six months ago. With the bye finally arriving, the Bombers had one last assignment before a much-needed break: Melbourne, a side looking to extract some revenge for what transpired in Round 5. The return bout. In the last meeting only eight games ago, Melbourne’s midfield mix of Max Gawn, Jack Steele, Caleb Windsor...

Opposite momentum. Performances have really dropped away in recent weeks, with injuries, form, and disruptions off-field all impacting at the wrong time for a young and inexperienced Essendon side. On the other hand, Carlton’s change in direction has sparked a resurgence, and now the two arch-enemies meet with momentum heading in opposite directions for the annual King’s Birthday clash at the MCG. Would anything change here? Q1. • In the previous three games under caretaker coach Josh Fraser,...