- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
Late last year, Essendon welcomed back ten of its twelve suspended players back to the club following season-long suspensions resulting from the supplements saga.
Among those returning to the club in 2017 include Cale Hooker, Michael Hurley, Dyson Heppell, Brent Stanton and Jobe Watson, who along with club legend and former coach James Hird, became one of the public faces of a scandal that would drag the AFL down for the better part of four years.
Watson had just won the Brownlow Medal in 2012, less than five months before all hell broke loose when the Bombers announced in February 2013 that they had self-reported to the AFL over the alleged use of illegal supplements at their club during the previous season.
His status as Brownlow Medallist then came into question before he officially relinquished the medal last November, bringing an end to years of speculation over the honour.
The return of the banned players comes at a crucial time for the Bombers. The club endured its worst season in 83 years in 2016, finishing on the bottom of the ladder with just three wins and a percentage of just 61%.
Amidst the doom and gloom, however, there were some young stars who shone bright, including Anthony McDonald-Tipingwuti, Darcy Parish, Orazio Fantasia and the Merrett brothers, among others.
Parish showed signs of his potential when he kicked the match-winning goal against Melbourne in Round 2, earning a Rising Star nomination. It was that result which not only extinguished fears of a winless season, but showed opposition teams that the depleted Bombers were not to be taken lightly.
Fantasia kicked a career-high four goals against GWS in Round 13, as the Bombers threatened to pull off a major upset, while in the same match McDonald-Tipingwuti showed Lachie Whitfield the true definition of “tough”.
Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti flattens Lachie Whifield, then helps him up. ?: @MichaelCWillson #AFLDonsGiants pic.twitter.com/K5x0OI4gtv
— AFL (@AFL) June 19, 2016
Though the Bombers did all they could to win that match – they eventually lost by 27 points – they did not lose any fans in defeat. Neither did they after they rallied in the second half against North Melbourne in Round 8, though they lost by 14 points.
Zach Merrett was made captain in just his third AFL season, when acting skipper Brendon Goddard was injured in Round 20. The youngster led the Bombers to victory against the Gold Coast Suns at Etihad Stadium to bury a club-record 17-match losing streak.
Also beating Carlton in the final round, the Bombers finished 2016 strongly giving fans hope for the immediate future, especially with the return of the banned players for the upcoming season.
The big question now is how the returning players will fit into a starting 22 which, despite the huge challenges faced against them, showed plenty of promise in 2016.
Already coach John Worsfold has fired a stern warning to his playing squad, declaring he won’t be giving out token games especially to the players who are returning after twelve months out of the sport.
Of the ten players who have returned to the club following their season-long suspensions, only ruckman Tom Bellchambers is in doubt for the Round 1 blockbuster against Hawthorn at the MCG with injury.
Worsfold also revealed that number one draft pick Andrew McGrath would not be rushed into making his AFL debut early in the season.
It will be the first time the former West Coast premiership coach will be under any pressure to deliver results at Essendon.
The upcoming pre-season, in which the Bombers will play Collingwood, the Gold Coast Suns and Geelong, will give Worsfold the chance to tinker with his potential Round 1 side against Hawthorn in a match that is expected to be played in front of a crowd of at least 80,000 at the MCG.
Talk has also recently emerged that the AFL Women’s grand final could be played at the ground as a curtain-raiser to the Essendon versus Hawthorn match, given the overwhelming reception from the opening round of the inaugural women’s season.
According to Callum Twomey of AFL media in October last year, this is how Essendon could line-up on a regular basis in 2017:
Essendon
Backs: Mark Baguley, Michael Hartley, Matt Dea
Halfbacks: Anthony McDonald-Tipingwuti, Michael Hurley, David Myers
Centres: Darcy Parish, Jobe Watson, Brendon Goddard
Half-forwards: Travis Colyer, Cale Hooker, Aaron Francis
Forwards: David Zaharakis, Joe Daniher, Orazio Fantasia
Followers: Matthew Leuenberger, Zach Merrett, Dyson Heppell
Interchange: Tom Bellchambers, Jayden Laverde, Brent Stanton, Kyle Langford
Emergencies: Heath Hocking, Ben Howlett, James Kelly
Hurley and David Myers return to strengthen a back-line which was at times under siege, though top-up player Matt Dea did show signs of the player he could have become at Richmond before the Bombers came calling 12 months ago. The development of McDonald-Tipingwuti would also be greatly accelerated as well.
The inclusion of Watson in the middle would also help to continue the development of Parish, while Travis Colyer and Hooker would slot into a forward line which was the lowest-scoring of any side in the 2016 season.
Despite the lack of scoring power up front, as mentioned before, Fantasia had a breakout game against the GWS Giants midway through last year, while Joe Daniher played a major role in the upset win over Melbourne in Round 2.
After the chaos of the past few years – in particular, the 2016 season where the Bombers had half of their best side wiped out for the year due to doping bans – there is no doubt that the future is finally starting to look bright for the Essendon Football Club once again.
Because as the saying goes, “the only way is up”.
But will we, in the words of the club song’s lyrics, “see the Bombers fly up” once again?
Who’s in your ultimate team? Pick the best team and compete with other fans for daily prizes on Draftstars. For the best odds on the game try out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Think. Is this a bet you really want to place? Set a deposit limit.