Don The Stat

We are officially 21 days out from Essendon’s Round 1 clash with Hawthorn, under lights at the MCG on March 13 and between now and then, we’re doing something a little bit different.

Leading into the 2025 Season, we counted down our Top 100 Essendon players since 1980.

In 2026, we’re kicking off a daily countdown to Round 1, 2026 but instead of just ticking off days on a calendar, we’re counting them down through Essendon’s guernsey numbers.

Who wore it first.
Who wore it most.
Which Premiership players pulled it on.
Brownlow winners, club legends, cult heroes, and sometimes the obscure one-gamer that still forms part of the story.

 

By the time we get to Number 1, we’ll be on the eve of Round 1 — and we’ll have walked through more than a century of Essendon history, one jumper at a time.

 

We’ll be back tomorrow for Day 20 and Guernsey Number 20.

_______________________

Links:

Don The Stat Website | The Official Home of Don The Stat 

Don The Stat Patreon

Don The Stat on Facebook 

Don The Stat on Instagram 

Follow Us on X / Twitter

Jono / Ian

With Essendon’s first practice match a day away, we bring in the best training watcher in the business, Rick Edwards, to break down everything we’ve learned from the 2026 pre-season.

From role changes and standout performers to new recruits and Round 1 prospects, this is your most comprehensive look yet at how the Bombers are shaping up.

We cover:

How this pre-season compares to 2025

The evolving game plan

Xavier Duursma’s shift to half forward

Archie Roberts’ midfield exposure

Brayden Fiorini’s leadership impact

Updates on Robey, Farrow, Sharp, Kondogiannis & El-Achkar

Concerns, question marks and what still needs work

And yes… the latest nomination for the Damian Barrett Lifetime Achievement Award (#DBLAA)

Balanced. Informed. No fluff.

If you want to know what’s actually happening at The Hangar, this is the episode.

🔗 Rick’s Patreon link - https://www.patreon.com/cw/RickEdwards
🔴⚫ Don The Stat Patreon Q&A next week

 

Links:

Don The Stat Website | The Official Home of Don The Stat 

Don The Stat Patreon

Don The Stat on Facebook 

Don The Stat on Instagram 

Follow Us on X / Twitter

Jono / Ian

__

We are officially 22 days out from Essendon’s Round 1 clash with Hawthorn, under lights at the MCG on March 13 and between now and then, we’re doing something a little bit different.

Leading into the 2025 Season, we counted down our Top 100 Essendon players since 1980.

In 2026, we’re kicking off a daily countdown to Round 1, 2026 but instead of just ticking off days on a calendar, we’re counting them down through Essendon’s guernsey numbers.

Who wore it first.
Who wore it most.
Which Premiership players pulled it on.
Brownlow winners, club legends, cult heroes, and sometimes the obscure one-gamer that still forms part of the story.

 

By the time we get to Number 1, we’ll be on the eve of Round 1 — and we’ll have walked through more than a century of Essendon history, one jumper at a time.

Guernsey Number 22 stands as a symbol of scoring impact and Premiership pedigree at the Essendon Football Club

We’ll be back tomorrow for Day 21 and Guernsey Number 21.

_______________________

Links:

Don The Stat Website | The Official Home of Don The Stat 

Don The Stat Patreon

Don The Stat on Facebook 

Don The Stat on Instagram 

Follow Us on X / Twitter

Jono / Ian

We are officially 23 days out from Essendon’s Round 1 clash with Hawthorn, under lights at the MCG on March 13 and between now and then, we’re doing something a little bit different.

Leading into the 2025 Season, we counted down our Top 100 Essendon players since 1980.

In 2026, we’re kicking off a daily countdown to Round 1, 2026 but instead of just ticking off days on a calendar, we’re counting them down through Essendon’s guernsey numbers.

Who wore it first.
Who wore it most.
Which Premiership players pulled it on.
Brownlow winners, club legends, cult heroes, and sometimes the obscure one-gamer that still forms part of the story.

 

By the time we get to Number 1, we’ll be on the eve of Round 1 — and we’ll have walked through more than a century of Essendon history, one jumper at a time.

 

We’ll be back tomorrow for Day 22 and Guernsey Number 22.

_______________________

Links:

Don The Stat Website | The Official Home of Don The Stat 

Don The Stat Patreon

Don The Stat on Facebook 

Don The Stat on Instagram 

Follow Us on X / Twitter

Jono / Ian

We are officially 24 days out from Essendon’s Round 1 clash with Hawthorn, under lights at the MCG on March 13 and between now and then, we’re doing something a little bit different.

Leading into the 2025 Season, we counted down our Top 100 Essendon players since 1980.

In 2026, we’re kicking off a daily countdown to Round 1, 2026 but instead of just ticking off days on a calendar, we’re counting them down through Essendon’s guernsey numbers.

Who wore it first.
Who wore it most.
Which Premiership players pulled it on.
Brownlow winners, club legends, cult heroes, and sometimes the obscure one-gamer that still forms part of the story.

 

By the time we get to Number 1, we’ll be on the eve of Round 1 — and we’ll have walked through more than a century of Essendon history, one jumper at a time.

Guernsey Number 24 - a jumper defined by endurance, Premiership success, and some of the longest-serving players the club has ever produced.

We’ll be back tomorrow for Day 23 and Guernsey Number 23.

_______________________

Links:

Don The Stat Website | The Official Home of Don The Stat 

Don The Stat Patreon

Don The Stat on Facebook 

Don The Stat on Instagram 

Follow Us on X / Twitter

Jono / Ian