Don The Stat

22 years. No finals wins. No premiership challenge. So how did Essendon get here?

On September 4, 2004, Essendon defeated Melbourne by five points in an elimination final at the MCG. It remains the last time the Bombers have won a game in September.

With Essendon now entering another rebuild under Mark McVeigh, this is an attempt to explain how the club went from the powerhouse of the 1990s to more than two decades of frustration — and, more importantly, what needs to change.

There isn't one person to blame. There isn't one decision that explains everything. Across the past quarter of a century there have been poor decisions, missed opportunities, bad timing and plenty of bad luck.

But there is one recurring theme:

Impatience.

Every time Essendon appeared to be getting back on its feet, the club seemed to make a decision designed to accelerate the process. Sometimes those decisions were understandable. Some even appeared to work initially. But time and again, the shortcuts ultimately pushed the Bombers backwards.

We look at the major turning points across the past 25 years, including:

🔴 The luck that helped build the 1990s powerhouse
⚫ How stagnation after 2000 contributed to the club's decline
🔴 The drafting failures of the early 2000s
⚫ The Matthew Knights era
🔴 The decision to appoint James Hird
⚫ The Essendon supplements saga and its enormous consequences
🔴 The post-Saga rebuild under John Worsfold
⚫ The trades for Smith, Saad, Stringer and Dylan Shiel
🔴 The loss of Joe Daniher, Adam Saad and Orazio Fantasia
⚫ The impact of COVID and the 2020 draft
🔴 The decline and rebuilding of the VFL program
⚫ The Rutten/Worsfold succession
🔴 The Brad Scott era and the decision to finally embrace the draft
⚫ What went wrong — and what actually went right — under Scott
🔴 And finally, the enormous challenge facing Mark McVeigh

The key lesson isn't that Essendon needs another saviour.

It needs patience.

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The 2026 season is over but a new Essendon era has already begun. 🔴⚫

We review the narrow final-round loss to Port Adelaide, Nate Caddy’s brilliant six-goal performance and the costly centre-bounce collapse that allowed the Power to escape with the win.

Then it’s onto the week’s biggest news: Mark McVeigh is Essendon’s new senior coach. We assess the process, the strengths Spike brings to the role, the support he’ll need around him and our experience interviewing him shortly after his appointment.

Plus, we thank Dean Solomon for his impact as interim coach, share our immediate reflections on a difficult but important season, celebrate the development of Essendon’s young core and preview the VFL elimination final at Windy Hill. 🎙️🏉

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Watch 'The Moment that Mattered' and listen to our Post Match First Thoughts exclusively on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/donthestat

Don The Stat Website: https://www.donthestat.com/

Follow Us on Twitter and Bluesky:

Jono at twitter.com/JonathanJWalsh / https://bsky.app/profile/jonathanjwalsh.bsky.social

Ian at twitter.com/Kyptastic1 / https://bsky.app/profile/kyptastic.bsky.social

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New Essendon Senior Coach Mark McVeigh joins Don The Stat, along with Scooter from Lunchtime Catch up and Fiona from Bomber Banter for his first interview since taking the job.

McVeigh discusses what it means to return to the club where he played 232 games, the experiences that have shaped him as a coach and the lessons he brings from his time at GWS, the Allies and Sydney.

We also explore his vision for the Bombers, the standards he wants to establish, his approach to developing Essendon’s young list and what supporters should expect as the club begins its next chapter.

A wide-ranging introduction to the man entrusted with leading Essendon forward. 🔴⚫

The end of a long and difficult 2026 season has arrived but even the final game comes with a complicated question: do we desperately want one last win, or accept the benefits that could come with Pick 1? 😬

We review Essendon’s 36-point loss to Sydney, including the disastrous opening quarter and the pressure, tackling and turnover game that allowed the young Bombers to match the Swans across the remaining three terms.

We also discuss:

🔴 Andy McGrath’s 200th game
⚫ What could be Zach Merrett’s final appearance for Essendon
📋 The biggest calls among the club’s out-of-contract players
🏉 The VFL side’s charge into its first finals campaign in seven years
⏳ The continued wait for Essendon’s next senior coach
📊 Where an injury-hit Port Adelaide can be exposed

Can the Bombers produce one final spirited performance and send their supporters into the off-season with a win or will the wooden spoon at least deliver a valuable consolation prize?

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Watch 'The Moment that Mattered' and listen to our Post Match First Thoughts exclusively on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/donthestat

Don The Stat Website: https://www.donthestat.com/

Follow Us on Twitter and Bluesky:

Jono at twitter.com/JonathanJWalsh / https://bsky.app/profile/jonathanjwalsh.bsky.social

Ian at twitter.com/Kyptastic1 / https://bsky.app/profile/kyptastic.bsky.social

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After a competitive opening at Kardinia Park, one disastrous stretch allowed Geelong to break the game open and condemn Essendon to a 67-point defeat.

We review the loss to the Cats, examine the dramatic difference between Essendon’s best and worst periods, and look at the encouraging performance of Vigo Visentini, who produced 33 hitouts and 17 disposals in just his third AFL game.

Then attention turns to Sydney. The Swans arrive at the MCG sitting second on the ladder, fresh from a 97-point demolition of Port Adelaide and armed with the most potent attack in the competition. It’s an imposing challenge but there may be a few chinks in their armour. 👀

We break down where Essendon can disrupt Sydney’s high-speed game, why the ground-ball battle offers the Bombers a genuine avenue of attack, and the pressure standards this young side must reach to remain competitive.

Also on the agenda:

🔴 The costly collapse against Geelong
📊 What the numbers reveal about Essendon’s three coaching candidates
🏆 Tim Watson earns a Damian Barrett Award nomination
✍️ Dyson Sharp and Jacob Farrow commit until 2030
👀 Essendon’s approaches to Scott Pendlebury and Luke Pedlar
🏉 Could Bryan and Visentini form a two-ruck partnership?
💥 How do you contain Heeney, Warner and Gulden?

Plus, we preview a massive weekend across the club: the VFL playing for a finals berth, the AFLW beginning its season at Windy Hill and the men attempting to disrupt Sydney’s push towards September.

It’s the Essendon triple. Who’s taking on all three? 🔴⚫

___

Watch 'The Moment that Mattered' and listen to our Post Match First Thoughts exclusively on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/donthestat

Don The Stat Website: https://www.donthestat.com/

Follow Us on Twitter and Bluesky:

Jono at twitter.com/JonathanJWalsh / https://bsky.app/profile/jonathanjwalsh.bsky.social

Ian at twitter.com/Kyptastic1 / https://bsky.app/profile/kyptastic.bsky.social

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