The issues Essendon must address to finally rise from the doldrums

March 22, 2026 — 5:00am

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At Brad Scott’s first public appearance as Essendon coach in 2022, he spoke of the need for unity at a club that had excelled in tearing itself apart.

“If you’re not united, and you’re not going in the same direction, I don’t care what players you’ve got, [or] what facilities you’ve got – none of that matters,” Scott said.

In his fourth season at “the Hangar”, those words will be put to the test again.

Not even the most optimistic Essendon supporter is expecting their side to play finals this season. Scott, himself, acknowledged after the heavy defeat to Hawthorn that there’s an obvious gap between the Bombers and the competition’s best teams.

The result against the Hawks was no surprise, though the abject manner in which they were defeated has sparked alarm at how far they could plummet and whether they have cut too deep with their list.

Club great Matthew Lloyd’s dismay at the meek manner in which the Bombers’ defence crumbled summed up the feeling among success-starved fans.

It’s 70 games into Scott’s tenure, and the Bombers are still years away from being a premiership contender. These are issues they need to address.

One of Essendon president Andrew Welsh’s first tasks in the job was to draw a line in the sand on the future of then captain Zach Merrett, who desperately sought a trade to fierce rival Hawthorn.

In the latest twist in the ongoing saga that is Merrett’s future, the Dons have tabled a multi-year, multi-million deal that would keep the six-time Crichton medallist in the red and black into his mid-30s.

The ideal result for Essendon is their best player signs and commits long term, putting the issue to bed. If not, they risk a repeat of last year’s trade period circus, which came despite Merrett having two years remaining on his contract.

A list manager at another team, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to talk about a rival side, said the Bombers need to make themselves a club that........

© The Sydney Morning Herald