After three long years of turbulence, the Essendon Football Club will be hoping for smoother sailing in 2016, as they continue to pick up the pieces from the ASADA situation.
The Bombers’ past three years have revolved around the drugs scandal, and unfortunately that will continue to be the case, as the Court of Arbitration for Sport announced that their decision in response to WADA’s appeal will be announced in mid-January.
The Bombers are hoping the WADA cloud doesn’t hang over their heads for yet another season, and are instead looking to turn their attention back to football and reshaping the club’s culture.
Players have left or refused to sign with Essendon as free agents over the past few years due to the drugs scandal, while most media sessions have revolved around it.
A situation this bad is never going to have a clean ending, as some secrets will stay in the cupboard. All Essendon can do now is push the restart button and make their club an attractive destination for footballers again.
This begins with new coach John Worsfold.
The West Coast Eagles’ 2006 premiership coach has announced that he wants to rebuild the Bombers into premiership contenders as soon as possible, but looking at their list, it might take longer then he hopes.
Essendon have a bunch of young players with many questions surrounding them. Dyson Heppell and Michael Hurley are sure-fire superstars, but the likes of Joe Daniher and David Zaharakis face career-defining seasons in 2016. The rest of the list is filled out with good-but-not-great players, and the Bombers need to decide who they want to keep and who needs to move on.
Their excellent work in the AFL draft was a shining light for Essendon was, picking up Darcy Parish and Aaron Francis. Parish is a quick mover and thinker, who plays the game with an attacking mindset and can get the ball up the ground in a hurry. Francis is as versatile as they come, able to play pretty much any position on the ground, but his fantastic marking ability and intercept mark skills make him an ideal backline fit. Both players will make strong cases to be on the field come Round 1.
Best 22
B: Mark Baguley, Michael Hurley, James Gwilt
HB: Brent Stanton, Cale Hooker, Michael Hibberd
C: Martin Gleeson, Dyson Heppell, David Zaharakis
HF: Zach Merrett, Shaun McKernan, Travis Colyer
F: Jayden Laverde, Joe Daniher, Adam Cooney
Foll: Matthew Leuenberger, Jobe Watson, Brendon Goddard
INT: Ben Howlett, Darcy Parish, Aaron Francis, Craig Brid
MVP: Cale Hooker
Who would have though that Round 2, 2015, would be a good omen for Hooker’s season. The superstar back-man was pushed forward at the end of the Bombers’ clash with Hawthorn, where he magically kicked the winning goal in the final seconds for Essendon’s best win in years.
Hooker continued to play forward throughout the year to finish with 21 goals, and was fourth in the league in contested marks, which proves his versatility both as a goal-kicking forward with a strong mark, who can easily go back to his original position in defence.
Hooker ended up winning the Bombers’ best and fairest award, and looks poised for another big season in 2016.
Future star: Dyson Heppell
Heppell is the next great superstar midfielder at the Bombers, and he backed up that statement with another huge year in 2015. His stat-line for 2015 jumps off the page – averaging 25.7 disposals, 13.8 kicks, 11.9 handballs, 4.8 tackles and 4.0 marks per game.
Heppell’s iconic blonde locks make him an unmissable target on the field, his hair flying back after he bursts through another pack of watching opponents.
There is a strong case to be made that Heppell is Essendon’s MVP at the moment, and he is sure to be the future face of the Essendon Football Club.
Make or break: David Zaharakis
After bursting onto the scene on Anzac Day in 2009, when his goal in the final seconds completed Essendon’s miracle of a comeback against Collingwood, Zaharakis has turned into a solid midfield contributor.
In 2015, Zaharakis took a step back and lost some of the consistency that had made him a lock in the Bombers’ squad over the past few years. Since 2011, he had averaged 20-plus disposals every season, but in 2015 he could only manage 18.8 per game, which reflects his drop-off in play and consistency.
Zaharakis is 25 years old, approaching the prime of his career, which means other clubs around the league will be circling him. With Essendon rebuilding, Zaharakis must regain his consistency in 2016 or else his days in a red and black jumper may be over.
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