2024 Essendon Football Club season

The 2024 Essendon Football Club season was the club's 128th season playing in the Australian Football League (AFL). The club also fielded an AFLW side that competed in the AFLW's 9th Season. Essendon also fielded reserve teams for the AFL and AFLW in the Victorian Football League (VFL) and the VFLW. This was the club's 15th season in the VFL.

AFL

Essendon Football Club
2024 AFL season
PresidentDave Barham[1]
CoachBrad Scott
(2nd season)
CaptainsZach Merrett
(3rd season)
Home groundMCG, Marvel Stadium
Practice MatchWon by 5, Lost by 35
Home & Away11 wins, 11 losses, 1 draw (11th)
FinalsDNQ
Best and FairestZach Merrett[2]
Leading goalkickerKyle Langford (43)
Highest home attendance93,644 vs. Collingwood (Round 8)
Lowest home attendance36,283 vs. St Kilda (Round 3)
Average home attendance61,421
Club membership83,664[3]

Season summary

The 2024 season was Essendon's second season coached by Brad Scott. Zach Merrett continued as the sole captain for his third season in the role. The Bombers showed improvement from the previous year, remaining competitive for a finals spot for the majority of the season.

Essendon started the season strongly, spending significant time inside the top eight and looking poised for a finals appearance. However, a severe late-season slump, where they dropped crucial, winnable games against lower-ranked opponents, saw them miss out on finals action entirely (DNQ). They finished the home-and-away season in 11th position, recording 11 wins, 11 losses, and 1 draw. The disappointing finish mirrored patterns from previous seasons, intensifying scrutiny on the club's consistency.

Notable highlights of the season included Zach Merrett winning his fifth Crichton Medal, drawing level with James Hird for the third-most wins in club history.[4] Kyle Langford was the club's leading goalkicker for the second consecutive year, finishing with 43 goals. The club also saw strong development from younger players, with Nate Caddy winning the club's Rising Star award and Sam Durham being named Most Improved.

Pre-season

Essendon played a match simulation against St Kilda on 23 February 2024, at RSEA Park, which they lost 5.10 (40) to 16.10 (106).[5] The Bombers concluded their pre-season with an official AFL Community Series game against Geelong at GMHBA Stadium on 1 March 2024, losing a close contest 10.11 (71) to 11.17 (83).[6] Essendon's first game in the home-and-away season was against Hawthorn at the MCG.[7]

Coaching staff

Brad Scott coached his second season for the Bombers after a three-year break from coaching after stepping down from as senior coach of North Melbourne in 2019.[8]

2024 Essendon coaching staff
Role Name
Senior Coach Brad Scott
Assistant Coach (backline) Blake Caracella
Assistant Coach (midfield) Daniel Giansiracusa
Assistant Coach (forward) Dale Tapping
Assistant Midfield Coach Ben Jacobs
Specialist Coach Travis Cloke

Playing List

Arrivals

PlayerPrevious ClubLeaguevia
Ben McKayNorth MelbourneAFLFree Agency
Todd GoldsteinNorth MelbourneAFLFree Agency
Jade GreshamSt KildaAFLFree Agency
Xavier DuursmaPort AdelaideAFLTrade
Nate CaddyNorthern KnightsCoates Talent LeagueAFL Draft, Pick 10
Luamon LualGreater Western Victoria RebelsCoates Talent LeagueAFL Draft, Pick 39
Archie RobertsSandringham DragonsCoates Talent LeagueAFL Draft, Pick 54
Vigo VisentiniSandringham DragonsCoates Talent LeagueRookie Draft, Pick 8

Departures

PlayerNew ClubLeaguevia
Brandon Zerk-ThatcherPort AdelaideAFLTrade
Massimo D'AmbrosioHawthornAFLTrade
Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti--Retired
Andrew Phillips--Retired
Will Snelling--Delisted
Patrick VossFremantleAFLDelisted
Cian McBride--Delisted
Alastair Lord--Delisted
Rhett Montgomerie--Delisted
Anthony Munkara--Delisted
Essendon 2024 AFL Playing list and statistics[9]
Player No. 2024 AFL Statistics
Games Goals Behinds Kicks Handballs Disposals Marks Tackles Hitouts
Nic Martin 37 23 15 11 418 232 650 153 54
Zach Merrett 7 23 14 15 361 287 648 99 114
Andrew McGrath 1 23 1 311 214 525 108 62
Jye Caldwell 6 23 8 9 253 270 523 95 149
Sam Durham 22 22 10 5 235 235 470 88 97
Mason Redman 27 21 2 4 339 104 443 127 35
Dyson Heppell 21 18 1 195 188 383 102 29
Jayden Laverde 15 21 194 139 333 127 33
Jade Gresham 11 22 19 12 158 149 307 56 47
Jake Kelly 29 20 1 194 111 305 115 26
Ben McKay 32 23 162 141 303 122 32 4
Darcy Parish 3 12 2 4 146 149 295 55 52
Jake Stringer 25 23 42 25 203 88 291 89 58
Kyle Langford 4 23 43 27 193 96 289 119 59 4
Xavier Duursma 28 15 9 165 113 278 96 40
Archie Perkins 16 18 5 7 165 111 276 56 67
Nik Cox 13 20 8 3 127 114 241 70 50 11
Harry Jones 23 21 18 11 145 83 228 103 32
Jordan Ridley 14 9 1 144 51 195 73 10
Dylan Shiel 9 9 2 94 95 189 34 31
Sam Draper 2 16 11 10 122 57 179 49 31 306
Nick Hind 19 15 6 4 130 44 174 37 29
Peter Wright 20 14 19 7 91 67 158 60 19 119
Matt Guelfi 35 13 15 10 75 80 155 32 46
Ben Hobbs 8 12 2 2 77 73 150 25 35
Todd Goldstein 17 14 2 1 44 99 143 25 26 344
Jye Menzie 47 14 3 5 71 55 126 38 21
Nate Caddy 30 10 9 11 72 37 109 40 14
Will Setterfield 12 4 2 49 42 91 17 27
Archie Roberts 38 4 1 47 40 87 21 12
Elijah Tsatas 5 7 1 1 34 37 71 18 5
Nick Bryan 24 5 34 27 61 11 15 103
Alwyn Davey 33 10 5 1 38 22 60 10 16
Sam Weideman 10 1 4 5 9 2
Zach Reid 31 1 1 2 3 2 1

VFL

Season summary

Essendon Football Club
2024 VFL season
PresidentDave Barham
CoachBlake Caracella
(1st season)
CaptainsXavier O'Neill
(1st season)
Home groundThe NEC Hangar, Windy Hill
Home & Away9 wins, 9 losses (11th)
FinalsDNQ
Leading goalkickerNate Caddy (32)

Blake Caracella was appointed as the senior VFL coach of Essendon before the start of the 2024 VFL season. This was Xavier O'Neill's first season as captain of the VFL Bombers.

The Bombers finished 11th on the VFL ladder with a 9–9 record. After a difficult first half of the season, the team experienced a strong finish, winning six of their final seven games. Despite this late surge, they narrowly missed out on the wildcard finals spots. The Bombers concluded their 2024 campaign with a 38-point victory over Coburg (16.15 (111) to 11.7 (73)) at Piranha Park on 18 August 2024.

Results

Table of 2024 VFL season results
Round Opponent Score Margin Venue
1 Brisbane Lions VFL 8.7 (55) – 14.8 (92) 37 NEC Hangar
2 Sandringham 12.11 (83) – 13.9 (87) 4 Trevor Barker Beach Oval
3 Western Bulldogs VFL 12.7 (79) – 11.14 (80) 1 Mission Whitten Oval
4 Bye
5 Southport 7.11 (53) – 19.10 (124) 71 NEC Hangar
6 Box Hill 7.13 (55) – 17.15 (117) 62 Box Hill City Oval
7 Sydney Swans VFL 13.12 (90) – 15.6 (96) 6 Tramway Oval
8 North Melbourne VFL 10.6 (66) – 11.7 (73) 7 Arden Street Oval
9 Richmond VFL 13.14 (92) – 11.14 (80) 12 MCG
10 Carlton VFL 12.12 (84) – 17.11 (113) 29 Ikon Park
11 Bye
12 Gold Coast Suns VFL 10.9 (69) – 18.15 (123) 54 NEC Hangar
13 Collingwood VFL 15.10 (100) – 13.8 (86) 14 Windy Hill
14 Geelong VFL 12.11 (83) – 8.11 (59) 24 GMHBA Stadium
15 Port Melbourne 12.7 (79) – 11.11 (77) 2 Windy Hill
16 Frankston 11.11 (77) – 15.11 (101) 24 Kinetic Stadium
17 Northern Bullants 14.18 (102) – 4.7 (31) 71 Genis Steel Oval
18 Sandringham 13.14 (92) – 11.16 (82) 10 Windy Hill
19 Gold Coast Suns VFL 15.12 (102) – 9.16 (70) 32 People First Stadium
20 Bye
21 Coburg 16.15 (111) – 11.7 (73) 38 Piranha Park

Ladder

2024 VFL Ladder
Pos Team Pld W L D PF PA Pct Pts
1 Werribee 18 15 3 0 1504 1067 141.0 60
2 Footscray (R) 18 14 3 1 1654 1312 126.1 58
3 Brisbane (R) 18 13 5 0 1754 1467 119.6 52
4 Geelong (R) 18 12 5 1 1537 1242 123.8 50
5 Southport 18 12 6 0 1515 1257 120.5 48
6 Box Hill (R) 18 12 6 0 1465 1278 114.6 48
7 Gold Coast (R) 18 10 6 2 1652 1385 119.3 44
8 Williamstown 18 11 7 0 1404 1363 103.0 44
9 Richmond (R) 18 10 8 0 1423 1342 106.0 40
10 Frankston 18 10 8 0 1283 1304 98.4 40
11 Essendon (R) 18 9 9 0 1518 1586 95.7 36
12 Sandringham 18 8 9 1 1461 1401 104.3 34
13 Sydney (R) 18 8 9 1 1350 1322 102.1 34
14 Greater Western Sydney (R) 18 8 10 0 1439 1582 91.0 32
15 North Melbourne (R) 18 8 10 0 1310 1490 87.9 32
16 Port Melbourne 18 6 12 0 1402 1511 92.8 24
17 Casey (R) 18 5 13 0 1358 1621 83.8 20
18 Coburg 18 5 13 0 1216 1548 78.6 20
19 Carlton (R) 18 4 14 0 1492 1657 90.0 16
20 Collingwood (R) 18 4 14 0 1252 1645 76.1 16
21 Northern Bullants 18 2 16 0 1026 1635 62.8 8

Coaching staff

Role Name
VFL Senior Coach Blake Caracella
Development Coach Cam Roberts
Development Coach Brent Stanton
Development Coach Michael Hurley

AFLW

Arrivals

PlayerPrevious ClubLeaguevia
Courtney MurphyGreater Western SydneyAFLWTrade
Grace BelloniEastern RangesCoates Talent LeagueAFLW Draft, Pick 8
Holly RidewoodNorthern KnightsCoates Talent LeagueAFLW Draft, Pick 12
Taya ChambersEast FremantleWAFLWAFLW Draft, Pick 30
Sophie Strong--AFLW Draft

Departures

PlayerNew ClubLeaguevia
Amber ClarkeSt KildaAFLWTrade
Ashanti Van LoonSydneyAFLWTrade
Catherine Phillips--Retired
Lily-Rose Williamson--Delisted
Kodi Jacques--Delisted
Jacqui Vogt--Delisted

Playing List

Essendon 2024 AFLW Playing List and Statistics[10]
Player No. AFLW Stats
Games Goals
Emily Gough 1 4 0
Georgia Gee 2 11 1
Daria Bannister 3 10 3
Madison Prespakis 4 11 1
Georgia Nanscawen 5 12 2
Maddison Gay 6 2 0
Grace Belloni 7 8 5
Bonnie Toogood 8 10 1
Brooke Walker 9 4 2
Holly Ridewood 10 12 1
Brooke Sheridan 11 1 0
Elizabeth Keaney 12 5 0
Taya Chambers 13 10 0
Ellyse Gamble 14 12 0
Chloe Adams 15 12 0
Matilda Dyke 16 12 1
Georgia Clarke 17 12 1
Sophie Strong 18 5 1
Mia Van Dyke 19 2 1
Stephanie Cain 20 12 0
Maggie MacLachlan 21 11 0
Amelia Radford 22 11 0
Amy Gaylor 23 12 0
Sophie Alexander 24 12 4
Alexandra Morcom 25 12 0
Amelie Gladman 26 3 0
Sophie Van de Heuvel 27 12 0
Mia Busch 28 7 0
Jess Verbrugge 29 2 0
Stephanie Wales 30 12 4
Grace Brooker 32 0 0
Courtney Murphy 33 1 0
Brooke Brown 36 12 0
Table of 2024 AFLW season results[11]
Round Date Result Score Opponent Score Ground Attendance Ladder
G B T G B T
1 2 September 2024 Won 7 7 49 Hawthorn 4 6 30 Kinetic Stadium A 3,778 5th
2 10 September 2024 Won 6 4 40 St Kilda 4 4 28 Windy Hill H 3,195 5th
3 16 September Lost 5 4 34 Adelaide 12 9 81 Wigan Oval A 2,238 10th
4 24 September Won 7 8 50 Fremantle 4 6 30 Windy Hill H 2,822 7th
5 30 September Lost 3 6 24 Collingwood 6 8 44 AIA Centre A 1,422 9th
6 8 October Won 4 5 29 Geelong 2 7 19 Reid Oval H 2,832 7th
7 14 October Won 8 5 53 Richmond 5 6 36 IKON Park A 2,847 5th
8 22 October Lost 2 7 19 West Coast 3 5 23 Windy Hill H 2,108 5th
9 28 October Won 8 8 56 Carlton 3 6 24 Windy Hill H 3,812 5th
10 3 November Lost 3 7 25 Gold Coast 6 3 39 Great Barrier Reef Arena A 2,131 7th
Table of 2024 AFLW finals results
Round Date Result Score Opponent Score Ground Attendance
G B T G B T
Elimination Final 12 November Lost 5 3 33 Geelong 7 9 51 GMHBA Stadium A 6,678
Pos Team Pld W L D PF PA PP Pts Qualification
1 North Melbourne (P) 11 10 0 1 656 208 315.4 42 Finals series
2 Hawthorn 11 10 1 0 597 309 193.2 40
3 Brisbane 11 9 2 0 611 335 182.4 36
4 Adelaide 11 8 3 0 494 285 173.3 32
5 Fremantle 11 8 3 0 404 297 136.0 32
6 Port Adelaide 11 7 4 0 431 364 118.4 28
7 Richmond 11 6 4 1 442 337 131.2 26
8 Essendon 11 6 4 1 376 359 104.7 26
9 Melbourne 11 6 5 0 369 420 87.9 24
10 Geelong 11 4 6 1 479 437 109.6 18
11 St Kilda 11 4 7 0 379 396 95.7 16
12 Western Bulldogs 11 4 7 0 291 461 63.1 16
13 West Coast 11 4 7 0 320 509 62.9 16
14 Carlton 11 4 7 0 266 532 50.0 16
15 Sydney 11 3 8 0 395 538 73.4 12
16 Greater Western Sydney 11 1 9 1 374 531 70.4 6
17 Gold Coast 11 1 9 1 311 569 54.7 6
18 Collingwood 11 1 10 0 245 553 44.3 4
Source: afl.com.au
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) percentage; 3) number of points for
(P) Premiers

VFLW

Essendon Football Club
2024 VFLW season
PresidentDave Barham
CoachTravis Cloke
(2nd season)
CaptainsEl Chaston
(1st season)
Home groundThe NEC Hangar
Home & Away7 wins, 6 losses, 1 draw (6th)
FinalsElimination Final
Best and FairestEl Chaston
Leading goalkickerMia Rae-Clifford

Season summary

Travis Cloke was appointed senior coach of Essendon's VFLW side for the 2024 season. El Chaston captained the Bombers VFLW side. Essendon competed in their seventh VFLW season, finishing in 6th place and reaching the finals for the fourth consecutive year, where they were eliminated by North Melbourne.[12][13]

The Bombers started their seventh VFLW season with a draw against Box Hill. Essendon kicked four goals to Box Hill's three goals. The Bombers then lost their next two games against the Southern Saints and Carlton. Essendon then won their next five games from rounds four to eight.[14]

In the last round of the season Essendon needed a win to make the finals. The Bombers defeated the Western Bulldogs in the last round to make the finals. The final score was 6.5 (41) to 4.4 (28).[15][16]

In the first round of finals the Bombers defeated Box Hill by 10 points. Their 10-point win against the Hawks put them into the semi-finals against Collingwood which they lost to by four points.[17] The Bombers' loss to Collingwood put them into the Preliminary Final against Port Melbourne. Essendon lost by five goals against the Boroughs eliminating them from the 2024 VFLW season.

Coaching staff

Retired Collingwood and Western Bulldogs player Travis Cloke was appointed senior coach of the Bombers VFLW team. Cloke coached with four other coaches including former AFLW player Kirby Bentley.

2024 VFLW coaching staff
Role Name
Senior Coach Travis Cloke
Assistant Coach (midfield) Brett Pollard
Assistant Coach (defensive) Jacara Egan
Assistant Coach (forward) Kirby Bentley
Development Coach Jarrad Campbell

Results

Home & Away

Key
H Home game
A Away game
Table of 2024 VFLW season results[14]
Round Date Results Score Opponent Score Ground Ladder
G B T G B T
1 26 March 2024 Draw 4 3 27 Box Hill 3 9 27 The NEC Hangar H 7th
2 2 April Lost 2 5 17 Southern Saints 6 6 42 Trevor Barker Beach Oval A 9th
3 8 April Lost 2 2 14 Carlton 10 8 68 The NEC Hangar H 10th
4 16 April Won 4 13 37 Casey 5 5 35 The NEC Hangar H 9th
5 22 April Won 4 7 31 Collingwood 2 3 15 Victoria Park A 8th
6 30 April Won 4 6 30 Williamstown 3 3 21 DSV Stadium A 6th
7 7 May Won 2 8 20 Southern Saints 1 2 8 The NEC Hangar H 5th
8 13 May Won 5 3 33 Box Hill 1 9 15 Box Hill City Oval A 3rd
9 20 May Lost 4 2 26 Geelong 4 4 28 The NEC Hangar H 5th
10 28 May Won 6 6 42 Darebin 1 2 8 La Trobe University A 4th
11 4 June Lost 5 7 37 North Melbourne 6 9 45 The NEC Hangar H 6th
12 17 June Won 4 6 30 Casey 3 7 25 Casey Fields A 4th
13 25 June Lost 3 1 19 Port Melbourne 3 4 22 ETU Stadium A 7th
14 1 July Won 6 5 41 Western Bulldogs 4 4 28 Windy Hill H 5th
Elimination Final 8 July Won 4 7 31 Box Hill 3 3 21 Box Hill City Oval A -
Semi Final 15 July Lost 2 6 18 Collingwood 3 4 22 Victoria Park A -
Preliminary Final 23 July Lost 1 5 11 Port Melbourne 6 5 41 ETU Stadium H -

Ladder

Pos Team Pld W L D PF PA PP Pts Qualification
3 Box Hill 14 8 5 1 734 390 188.2 34 Finals series
4 North Melbourne (P) 14 8 6 0 519 555 93.5 32
5 Essendon 14 7 6 1 446 482 92.5 30
6 Port Melbourne 14 6 7 1 458 403 113.6 26
7 Collingwood 14 6 8 0 341 375 90.9 24
Source: AFL.com.au
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) percentage; 3) number of points for.
(P) Premiers

Awards

  • Best and Fairest: El Chaston[18]
  • 2nd Best and Fairest: Ruby Mahony
  • 3rd Best and Fairest: Ashlea Melnikas
  • Most Valuable Young Player: Maddison Ford
  • Don of the Year: Christina Bernardi
  • Best Club Person: Sarah Ford
  • Leading Goal Kicker: Mia Rae-Clifford (14 Goals)[19]

References

  1. ↑ "Dave Barham". Essendon Football Club. 6 February 2023. Retrieved 3 September 2024.
  2. ↑ "Merrett wins fifth Crichton". AFL.com.au. 4 October 2024. Retrieved 17 November 2024.
  3. ↑ "AFL club membership tally 2024". AFL.com.au. 6 September 2024. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
  4. ↑ "Merrett wins fifth Crichton". AFL.com.au. 4 October 2024.
  5. ↑ "Saints blitz Bombers in pre-season hitout". afl.com.au. 23 February 2024.
  6. ↑ "Cats edge Bombers in Community Series thriller". afl.com.au. 1 March 2024.
  7. ↑ "Match Report: Essendon v Hawthorn". afl.com.au. 16 March 2024.
  8. ↑ "Brad Scott steps down". nmfc.com.au. 26 May 2019. Retrieved 3 September 2024.
  9. ↑ "AFL Tables - 2024 Stats - Player Lists". afltables.com. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
  10. ↑ "Official AFL Website of the Essendon Football Club". essendonfc.com.au. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
  11. ↑ "AFLW Fixture". afl.com.au. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
  12. ↑ "2022 rebel VFLW Grand Final this Sunday". afl.com.au. 28 June 2022. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
  13. ↑ "VFLW: Chaston claims Best & Fairest honours". essendonfc.com.au. 5 July 2024.
  14. 1 2 "AFL Fixtures and Results". afl.com.au. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
  15. ↑ "AFL - News, Fixtures, Scores & Results". afl.com.au. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
  16. ↑ "AFL Season Ladder". afl.com.au. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
  17. ↑ "AFL - News, Fixtures, Scores & Results". afl.com.au. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
  18. ↑ "VFLW: Chaston claims Best & Fairest honours". essendonfc.com.au. 5 July 2024.
  19. ↑ "- Leading Goalkickers". VFLW Stats. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
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