‘In the wilderness’: Are the Blues or Bombers in a better position to rise?

April 2, 2026 — 4:00am

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When it comes to regularly finishing top four on the ladder, let alone winning premierships, A-grade talent is a must.

Geelong, the Brisbane Lions and Collingwood have been the teams to beat because they boast on-field “influencers” – those who get the job done when it matters most. Think Nick Daicos, Patrick Dangerfield, Lachie Neale and Will Ashcroft.

As Carlton and Essendon languish near the foot of the ladder, it’s clear the Bombers do not (yet) have such an asset. As great as Zach Merrett has been, he’s never played in a winning final. Will the latest batch of draftees emerge? We’ll see.

Across town, it appears Patrick Cripps can no longer will the Blues over the line. As robust as Cripps has been, he’s only played in one (losing) preliminary final. Can Sam Walsh be that man? Will Jagga Smith morph into that role?

‘It’s an easy fix’: Caldwell says Bombers are not rebuilding

It shapes as a tough road ahead for both the Blues and Bombers, potentially still with more potholes than many of Victoria’s highways. So, who can bounce first and, perhaps, seriously chase for what would be a 17th premiership?Who would you rather be – Essendon or Carlton?

One argument in favour of the Bombers, given by a senior football figure from a rival club who wished to remain anonymous, is that they are honest about bottoming out and can only rise from here.

“They know where they are really at,” the rival club figure said, pointing to coach Brad Scott’s comments on Saturday of having prioritised youth over experience in the past three years.

That’s backed up by the Bombers, who say they are looking to the future, and point to their overall average age (24.7 years – the second youngest in the AFL) and games played (81.7 – fourth least) as evidence.

However, they still had 14 first-round picks in their line-up against North Melbourne last weekend. And a........

© Brisbane Times