2023 Essendon Football Club season

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The 2023 Essendon Football Club season was the club's 125th season playing in the Australian Football League (AFL). The club also fielded an AFLW side that competed in the AFLW's 8th 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 14th season in the VFL.

AFL[edit]

Essendon Football Club
2023 AFL season
PresidentDave Barham[1]
CoachBrad Scott[2]
(1st season)
Captain(s)Zach Merrett[3]
(1st season)
Home groundMCG, Marvel Stadium
Practice MatchWon by 5, Lost by 35
Home & Away11 wins, 12 losses, 0 draws (11th)
FinalsDNQ
Best and FairestZach Merrett[4]
Leading goalkickerKyle Langford (51)
Highest home attendance78,300 vs. Richmond (Round 10)
Lowest home attendance28,815 vs. Greater Western Sydney (Round 4)
Average home attendance46,690
Club membership86,274[5]
← 2022 2024 →

Season Summary[edit]

It was Essendon's first season coached by Brad Scott who was replacing Ben Rutton who was sacked during the 2022 season.[6][7] Zach Merrett captained his first season after Dyson Heppell stepped down during the off-season before the 2023 season.[8][9]

Essendon started the season winning four of their first five games only losing to St Kilda in round 3.[10][11] The bombers then lost their next four games including a five-goal comeback against Collingwood on Anzac day.[11][12]

Essendon win the four games just before the bye to put them at 6th place with 8 wins and 5 losses.[11][13]

The bombers looked like they would make their first finals series since 2021, sitting fifth after their round 17 win against Adelaide.[14][15] In the last seven rounds the average margin was -44. Essendon lost by margins of 77, 126 and 70 against teams that earlier in the year they either beat or didn't lose to by much.[16][17][18][19] The bombers only won by nine points against North Melbourne and also by one point against West Coast.[20][21] Essendon's 126 point loss against GWS knocked them out of the finals race.[15]

Pre Season[edit]

Essendon defeated Gold Coast by five points in an unofficial match simulation at Austworld Centre Oval. The final score was Gold Coast 11.9 (75) versus Essendon 11.14 (80).[22] The bombers also played an official AFL practice match against St Kilda, and were defeated by 35 points. The final score was St Kilda 10.7 (67) against Essendon 3.14 (32).[23] Essendon's first game in the home & away season was against Hawthorn at the MCG.[24]

Coaching Staff[edit]

Brad Scott coached his first season for the bombers after a three-year break from coaching after stepping down from as senior coach of North Melbourne in 2019.[25] Scott would make his coaching record 117-117 after the bombers loss against Collingwood.

2023 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
Head of Development Cam Roberts
Development Coach Brent Stanton
Development Coach Michael Hurley
Specialist Coach Travis Cloke

Playing List[edit]

Changes[edit]

Deletions from playing list
Player Reason Ref.
Cody Brand Delisted [26]
Tom Cutler Delisted [27]
Josh Eyre Delisted [28]
Aaron Francis Trade to Sydney [29]
Brayden Ham Delisted [26]
Tom Hird Delisted [27]
Michael Hurley Retired [30]
Garrett McDonagh Delisted [27]
Devon Smith Retired [31]
Alec Waterman Delisted [26]
Additions to playing list
Player Acquired Ref.
Alwyn Davey Jnr No 45, 2022 national draft, father-son [32]
Jayden Davey No 54, 2022 national draft, father-son [32]
Lewis Hayes No 25, 2022 national draft [32]
Rhett Montgomerie No 4, 2023 rookie draft
Anthony Munkara Category B rookie
Will Setterfield Trade from Carlton [33]
Elijah Tsatas No 5, 2022 national draft [32]
Sam Weideman Trade from Melbourne [34]

Statistics[edit]

Updated to the end of the 2023 season

Essendon 2023 AFL Playing list and statistics[35]
Player No. Games Goals Behinds Kicks Handballs Disposals Tackles Marks Hitouts Milestone(s)
Andrew McGrath 1 23 0 1 289 235 524 47 120 0
Sam Draper 2 14 10 12 101 53 154 28 37 282
Darcy Parish 3 18 3 6 271 284 555 77 78 0 150 Games (round 24)
Kyle Langford 4 23 51 23 218 96 314 36 130 0
Elijah Tsatas 5 4 1 2 35 30 65 11 15 0 AFL Debut (round 21)
Jye Caldwell 6 21 11 12 183 208 391 89 71 0
Zach Merrett 7 22 8 10 336 298 634 121 112 0
Ben Hobbs 8 18 6 4 195 159 354 73 72 0
Dylan Shiel 9 12 6 1 105 119 224 38 32 0
Sam Weideman 10 16 15 15 86 59 145 18 65 13 Club Debut (round 1)
Will Snelling 11 15 6 3 89 82 171 47 44 0
Will Setterfield 12 10 2 3 112 96 208 60 47 0 Club Debut (Round 1)
Nik Cox 13 6 0 3 32 39 71 13 18 0
Jordan Ridley 14 17 1 1 259 86 345 15 126 0
Jayden Laverde 15 19 1 0 186 115 301 37 124 0 100 Games (round 13)
Archie Perkins 16 23 18 13 219 132 351 65 95 0
James Stewart 17 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Lewis Hayes 18 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Nick Hind 19 16 3 1 220 71 291 24 68 0
Peter Wright 20 10 19 10 64 32 96 13 44 25
Dyson Heppell 21 22 1 0 253 190 443 50 156 0
Sam Durham 22 22 5 2 178 185 363 47 107 0
Harry Jones 23 5 2 4 29 16 45 4 21 0
Nick Bryan 24 8 1 2 43 29 72 11 20 141
Jake Stringer 25 17 21 23 145 83 228 51 45 0
Kaine Baldwin 26 4 0 0 26 9 35 4 19 0
Mason Redman 27 23 7 5 380 124 504 43 138 0 100 Games (round 21)
Alastair Lord 28 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Jake Kelly 29 17 1 0 136 108 244 28 91 0
Brandon Zerk-Thatcher 30 22 0 0 164 103 267 33 120 0
Zach Reid 31 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Alwyn Davey Jnr 33 10 4 2 41 34 75 20 20 0 AFL Debut (round 2)
Andrew Phillips 34 20 5 7 90 62 152 48 46 414
Matt Guelfi 35 13 14 4 68 70 138 37 30 0
Jayden Davey 36 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Nic Martin 37 23 17 4 290 216 506 50 124 0
Rhett Montogomerie 38 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Patrick Voss 39 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Tex Wanganeen 40 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Cian McBride 41 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Massimo D'Ambrosio 42 8 1 1 56 31 87 10 24 0
Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti 43 7 4 5 27 23 50 15 15 0
Anthony Munkara 45 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Jye Menzie 46 21 23 11 100 82 182 48 47 0
Jaiden Hunter 49 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Results[edit]

Keys
H Home game
A Away game
N Neutral venue game
Table of 2023 AFL season results[36]
Round Date Result Score Opponent Score Ground Attendance Ladder
G B T G B T
1 19 March Won 19 10 124 Hawthorn 9 11 65 Melbourne Cricket Ground A 68,691 1st
2 26 March Won 16 12 108 Gold Coast 11 14 80 Marvel Stadium H 32,915 3rd
3 1 April Lost 11 8 74 St Kilda 14 8 92 Melbourne Cricket Ground A 69,255 6th
4 9 April Won 11 22 88 Greater Western Sydney 11 9 75 Marvel Stadium H 28,815 4th
5 15 April Won 15 14 104 Melbourne 11 11 77 Adelaide Oval N 33,832 2nd
6 25 April Lost 11 11 77 Collingwood 13 12 90 Melbourne Cricket Ground A 95,179 4th
7 30 April Lost 16 8 104 Geelong 20 12 132 Melbourne Cricket Ground H 67,457 9th
8 7 May Lost 13 9 87 Port Adelaide 12 20 92 Adelaide Oval A 36,247 9th
9 13 May Lost 6 9 45 Brisbane Lions 12 15 87 The Gabba A 31,898 10th
10 20 May Won 10 11 71 Richmond 10 10 70 Melbourne Cricket Ground H 78,300 9th
11 27 May Won 14 12 96 West Coast 6 10 46 Optus Stadium A 39,269 8th
12 4 June Won 16 9 105 North Melbourne 15 9 99 Marvel Stadium H 40,488 6th
13 11 June Won 13 8 86 Carlton 6 16 52 Melbourne Cricket Ground A 83,638 6th
14 Bye 6th
15 24 June Lost 9 7 61 Fremantle 14 9 93 Optus Stadium A 43,063 6th
16 1 July Lost 10 14 74 Port Adelaide 11 12 78 Melbourne Cricket Ground H 38,957 8th
17 9 July Won 17 13 115 Adelaide 15 7 97 Marvel Stadium H 39,606 5th
18 15 July Lost 7 3 45 Geelong 18 14 122 GMHBA Stadium A 23,185 8th
19 21 July Lost 7 7 49 Western Bulldogs 13 12 90 Marvel Stadium H 43,634 11th
20 29 July Lost 15 9 99 Sydney 15 11 101 Marvel Stadium H 38,329 13th
21 5 August Won 10 13 73 West Coast 11 6 72 Marvel Stadium H 30,742 12th
22 12 August Won 13 8 86 North Melbourne 12 5 77 Marvel Stadium A 37,231 9th
23 19 August Lost 5 6 36 Greater Western Sydney 25 12 162 GIANTS Stadium A 10,281 10th
24 25 August Lost 3 13 31 Collingwood 16 5 101 Melbourne Cricket Ground H 74,344 11th

Ladder[edit]

Pos Team
 Pld W L D PF PA PP Pts Qualification
1 Collingwood (P) 23 18 5 0 2142 1687 127.0 72 Finals series
2 Brisbane Lions 23 17 6 0 2180 1771 123.1 68
3 Port Adelaide 23 17 6 0 2149 1906 112.7 68
4 Melbourne 23 16 7 0 2079 1660 125.2 64
5 Carlton 23 13 9 1 1922 1697 113.3 54
6 St Kilda 23 13 10 0 1775 1647 107.8 52
7 Greater Western Sydney 23 13 10 0 2018 1885 107.1 52
8 Sydney 23 12 10 1 2050 1863 110.0 50
9 Western Bulldogs 23 12 11 0 1919 1766 108.7 48
10 Adelaide 23 11 12 0 2193 1877 116.8 44
11 Essendon 23 11 12 0 1838 2050 89.7 44
12 Geelong 23 10 12 1 2088 1855 112.6 42
13 Richmond 23 10 12 1 1856 1983 93.6 42
14 Fremantle 23 10 13 0 1835 1898 96.7 40
15 Gold Coast 23 9 14 0 1839 2006 91.7 36
16 Hawthorn 23 7 16 0 1686 2101 80.2 28
17 North Melbourne 23 3 20 0 1657 2318 71.5 12
18 West Coast 23 3 20 0 1418 2674 53.0 12
Source: afl.com.au
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) percentage; 3) number of points for
(P) Premiers

Awards[edit]

Club Awards[37][edit]

League Awards[edit]

VFL[edit]

Season Summary[edit]

Essendon Football Club
2023 VFL season
PresidentDave Barham
CoachLeigh Tudor
(2nd season)
Captain(s)Billy Cootee
(1st season)
Home groundThe NEC Hangar, Windy Hill
Home & Away5 wins, 13 losses, 0 draws (17th)
FinalsDNQ
Leading goalkickerPatrick Voss (30)

Leigh Tudor returned as the senior VFL coach of Essendon before the start of the 2023 VFL season, after a one-year break. Tudor was previously the coach of the VFL bombers in 2021.[38] This was Billy Cootee's first season as captain of the VFL bombers in 2023.[39]

The bombers had a good start to the season, winning two of their first three games. Essendon then lost their next nine games. The bombers responded to losing nine games in a row by knocking off first place, Gold Coast, giving the suns their second loss of the season. The bombers then beat Geelong after their third bye. The bombers lost their next three games after that, then beating Coburg in the last round.[40]

Squad[edit]

Essendon 2023 VFL Playing List[41]
Player No. Pos.
Brad Lynch 50 Utility
Will Hoare 51 Key Position/Ruck
Carlos Egan 52 Small Forward
Sam Conforti 53 Small Defender/Wing
Toby Murray 54 Key Forward/Ruck
Tom Phillips 55 Wing
Will Golds 56 Wing
Billy Cootee 57 Midfielder/Forward
Stefan Rasinac 58 Midfielder/Defender
Brad Bernacki 59 Midfielder
Jack Cleaver 60 Defender
Jacob Brown 61 Defender/Midfielder
Bruno Laguda 62 Utility
Jack Brown 63 Midfielder/Small Forward
Josh Hotchkin 64 Ruck
Oscar Duncan 65 Key Position
Will Madden 66 Key Defender
Tom Wallis 68 Utility
Jake Sutton 69 Forward/Wing
Riley Loton 70 Midfielder/Forward
Austin Harris 71 Small Forward
Maclayn Hallows 72 Forward
Matthew Foley 73 Small Defender
Declan Willmore 74 Midfielder
Jake Moorhead 75 Midfielder
Harry Minton-Connell 76 Small Defender
Joel Fitzgerald 77 Defender/Midfielder
Michael Kiraly 78 Utility
Callum McCarty 79 Midfielder/Forward
Solomon McKay 80 Half Forward/Wing
Beau O'Connell 81 Midfielder/Wing

Results[edit]

Key
H Home game
A Away game
Table of 2023 VFL season results[42]
Round Date Result Score Opponent Score Ground Ladder
G B T G B T
1 26 March Won 18 11 119 Greater Western Sydney 5 9 39 The NEC Hangar H 2nd
2 2 April Lost 14 5 89 Sandringham 19 12 126 Trevor Barker Oval A 8th
3 9 April Won 12 16 88 Northern Bullants 9 11 65 North Port Oval A 8th
4 16 April Lost 5 12 42 Casey 12 10 82 The NEC Hangar H 7th
5 23 April Lost 13 11 89 Collingwood 14 13 97 Victoria Park A 12th
6 Bye 14th
7 7 May Lost 8 5 53 Werribee 10 11 71 The NEC Hangar H 15th
8 14 May Lost 6 5 41 Brisbane 16 13 109 Springfield Central Stadium A 15th
9 20 May Lost 12 10 82 Richmond 12 12 84 Melbourne Cricket Ground H 16th
10 28 May Lost 8 10 58 Box Hill 15 15 105 The NEC Hangar H 17th
11 4 June Lost 10 9 69 North Melbourne 12 8 80 The NEC Hangar H 18th
12 11 June Lost 10 8 68 Carlton 14 15 99 Princes Park A 18th
13 Bye 18th
14 25 June Lost 5 8 38 Port Melbourne 13 13 91 North Port Oval A 18th
15 2 July Won 11 11 77 Gold Coast 12 4 76 Windy Hill H 17th
16 Bye 17th
17 16 July Won 9 10 64 Geelong 7 12 54 GMHBA Stadium A 16th
18 21 July Lost 9 9 63 Williamstown 9 15 69 Williamstown Cricket Ground A 16th
19 30 July Lost 6 8 44 Sydney 19 12 126 Windy Hill H 16th
20 5 August Lost 12 7 79 Southport 12 15 87 Fankhauser Reserve A 17th
21 Bye 17th
22 19 August Won 15 10 100 Coburg 12 13 85 Williamstown Cricket Ground H 17th

Ladder[edit]

Further information: 2023 VFL season
Pos Team
 Pld W L D PF PA PP Pts
15 Port Melbourne 18 6 12 0 1270 1512 84.0 24
16 Sandringham 18 5 12 1 1298 1482 87.6 22
17 Essendon (R) 18 5 13 0 1263 1545 81.7 20
18 Sydney (R) 18 4 14 0 1241 1651 75.2 16
19 Frankston 18 4 14 0 1112 1566 71.0 16
Source: AFL
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) percentage; 3) number of points for
(R) = Reserves

AFLW[edit]

Essendon Football Club
2023 AFLW season
PresidentDave Barham
CoachNatalie Wood
(2nd Season)
Captain(s)Steph Cain & Bonnie Toogood
(2nd Season)
(2nd Season)
Home groundWindy Hill
Home & Away6 wins, 4 losses, 0 draws (7th)
FinalsElimination Final
Best & FairestBonnie Toogood
Leading goalkickerBonnie Toogood
Highest home attendance6,678 vs. Geelong (Elimination Final)
Lowest home attendance1,422 vs. Collingwood (Round 5)
Average home attendance2,954

Season Summary[edit]

Natalie Wood continued to coach Essendon's AFLW team in season 8. Steph Cain & Bonnie Toogood also continues to captain the bombers AFLW side in season 8.

The Bombers struggled to get consecutive wins throughout the season only getting consecutive wins twice during the season. Despite them not struggling to get consecutive wins they finished 7th place and played in an elimination final against Geelong which they couldn't win.

Pre Season[edit]

Essendon played their pre season match against West Coast. The bombers lost by nine points in a tight contest. The final score was West Coast 6.7 (43) to Essendon 5.4 (34) at Mineral Resources Park.

Coaching Staff[edit]

Former Geelong VFLW coach Natalie Wood coached her second season for Essendon's AFLW. The bombers have five other AFLW coaches coaching with Natalie Wood.[43]

2023 Essendon AFLW coaching staff[43]
Role Name
Senior Coach Natalie Wood
Assistant Coach (midfield) Travis Cloke
Assistant Coach (forward) Peta Searle
Assistant Coach (backline) Natasha Hardy
Development Coach Gavin Urquhart
Development Coach Bernard Shepheard

Playing List[edit]

Changes[edit]

Deletions from playing list
Player Reason Ref.
Bella Ayre Delisted [44]
Olivia Barton Delisted [44]
Jordan Zanchetta Delisted [44]
Eloise Ashley-Cooper Delisted [45]
Caitlin Sargent Delisted [45]
Jorja Borg Delisted [45]
Megan Ryan Delisted [45]
Frederica Frew Delisted [45]
Additions to playing list
Player Reason Ref.
Brooke Brown pre-list signings [46]
Kodie Jacques trade from Richmond [47]
Brooke Walker trade from Carlton [48]
Leah Cutting free agent [49]
Georgia Clarke free agent [50]

Statistics[edit]

Updated to the end of the Season 8 (2023)

Essendon 2023 AFLW Playing List and Statistics[51][52]
Player No. Games Goals Behinds Kicks Handballs Disposals Marks Tackles Hitouts
Georgia Gee 2 8 2 2 52 45 97 16 26 0
Daria Bannister 3 6 3 4 34 21 55 20 21 0
Madison Prespakis 4 11 5 2 146 142 288 32 56 0
Georgia Nanscawen 5 11 1 1 111 95 206 16 89 0
Danielle Marshall 6 2 0 0 6 4 10 3 1 0
Kodi Jacques 7 10 1 3 47 31 78 11 24 0
Bonnie Toogood 8 11 16 9 153 57 210 72 57 4
Brooke Walker 9 11 0 0 47 65 112 13 74 0
Jacqui Vogt 10 8 4 0 62 35 97 10 39 0
Alana Barba 11 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Joanne Doonan 12 2 1 0 6 8 14 2 6 0
Lily-Rose Williamson 13 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Ellyse Gamble 14 11 1 0 62 31 93 21 14 0
Matilda Dyke 16 8 1 0 28 37 65 10 25 26
Georgia Clarke 17 11 0 0 52 35 87 16 30 0
Leah Cutting 18 1 0 0 4 1 5 0 6 6
Mia Van Dyke 19 6 0 0 29 3 32 11 5 0
Stephanie Cain 20 8 0 1 62 48 110 19 37 1
Jessica Wuetschner 21 8 2 2 26 26 52 13 12 0
Amelia Radford 22 11 4 2 88 42 130 23 23 0
Renee Tierney 23 2 1 1 11 3 14 5 1 0
Sophie Alexander 24 11 6 7 76 59 135 31 17 25
Alexandra Morcom 25 8 0 0 35 17 52 8 18 0
Ashleigh Van Loon 26 5 0 0 8 10 18 4 12 2
Sophie Van De Heuval 27 10 0 2 94 41 135 33 23 0
Mia Busch 28 11 0 0 49 24 73 15 44 0
Stephanie Wales 30 11 1 0 70 61 131 22 36 231
Paige Scott 32 11 1 0 58 55 113 24 58 0
Amber Clarke 33 10 3 3 66 17 83 19 17 0
Catherine Phillips 35 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Brooke Brown 36 8 6 5 69 30 99 22 7 0

Results[edit]

Key
H Home game
A Away game
Table of 2023 AFLW season results[53]
Round Date Result Score Opponent Score Ground Attendance Ladder
G B T G B T
1 2 September Won 7 7 49 Hawthorn 4 6 30 Kinetic Stadium A 3,778 5th
2 10 September 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 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 2023 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 Adelaide 10 9 1 0 599 314 190.8 36 Finals series
2 Melbourne 10 8 2 0 653 293 222.9 32
3 North Melbourne 10 7 3 0 478 213 224.4 28
4 Brisbane (P) 10 7 3 0 505 339 149.0 28
5 Gold Coast 10 6 3 1 416 351 118.5 26
6 Geelong 10 6 4 0 449 318 141.2 24
7 Essendon 10 6 4 0 379 354 107.1 24
8 Sydney 10 6 4 0 462 432 106.9 24
9 St Kilda 10 6 4 0 408 399 102.3 24
10 Richmond 10 5 5 0 382 379 100.8 20
11 Collingwood 10 5 5 0 331 399 83.0 20
12 Carlton 10 4 6 0 361 420 86.0 16
13 Fremantle 10 4 6 0 289 402 71.9 16
14 Hawthorn 10 3 7 0 307 456 67.3 12
15 Port Adelaide 10 2 7 1 404 538 75.1 10
16 Greater Western Sydney 10 2 8 0 316 596 53.0 8
17 West Coast 10 2 8 0 269 530 50.8 8
18 Western Bulldogs 10 1 9 0 320 595 53.8 4
Source: afl.com.au
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) percentage; 3) number of points for
(P) Premiers

VFLW[edit]

Essendon Football Club
2023 VFLW season
PresidentDave Barham
CoachTravis Cloke
(1st season)
Captain(s)Georgia Nanscawen
(2nd season)
Home groundThe NEC Hangar
Home & Away8 wins, 5 losses, 1 draw (5th)
FinalsPreliminary Final
Best and FairestSophie Molan
Leading goalkickerMia-Rae Clifford (14)

Season Summary[edit]

Former Collingwood player Travis Cloke was appointed senior coach of Essendon's VFLW side in November 2022. Cloke coached with four other coaches.[54] Georgia Nanscawen captained her second season for the bombers VFLW side. Courtney Ugle was the vice captain of Essendon's VFLW team. Kendra Heil, Mia-Rae Clifford and Eloise Ashley Cooper were all also part of Essendon's leadership group in 2023.[55] Essendon were coming off a their first VFLW premiership in the season prior to the 2023 VFLW season.[56][57]

The bombers started their sixth 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.[58]

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).[59][60]

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.[61] 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 2023 VFLW season.[57]

Coaching Staff[edit]

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.[54]

2023 VFLW coaching staff[54]
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[edit]

Home & Away[edit]

Key
H Home game
A Away game
Table of 2023 VFLW season results[58]
Round Date Results Score Opponent Score Ground Ladder
G B T G B T
1 26 March 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 Cats 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[edit]

Pos Team
 Pld W L D PF PA PP Pts Qualification
3 Williamstown 14 9 5 0 471 368 128.0 36 Finals series
4 Box Hill 14 8 4 2 444 358 124.0 36
5 Essendon 14 8 5 1 404 387 104.4 34
6 Carlton 14 8 6 0 526 349 150.7 32
7 Southern Saints 14 8 6 0 365 334 109.3 32
Source: AFL.com.au
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) percentage; 3) number of points for.


Awards[edit]

  • Best and Fairest: Sophie Molan[62]
  • Leading Goal Kicker: Mia Rae-Clifford (14 Goals)[63]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Dave Barham". Essendon Football Club. 6 February 2023. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
  2. ^ "Great Scott: Dons poach AFL's footy GM as new coach". AFL. 29 September 2022. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
  3. ^ "Bombers' 2023 overhaul continues with new captain revealed after veteran steps down". Fox Sports. 21 February 2023. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
  4. ^ "Star midfielder among Bombers greats after fourth Crichton Medal". afl.com.au. 5 October 2023. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
  5. ^ "AFL membership numbers 2023: All-time record broken for competition". sportingnews.com. 29 September 2023. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
  6. ^ "Essendon sack AFL head coach Ben Rutten after week of Bombers turmoil". The Guardian. Australian Associated Press. 21 August 2022. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
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  8. ^ "On Merrett: Star midfielder appointed Bombers captain". afl.com.au. 21 February 2023. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
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  10. ^ "Sensational Saints down Dons in a beauty, celebrate 150th with 3-0 start". afl.com.au. 1 April 2023. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
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  12. ^ "Comeback Pies salute in front of record Anzac Day crowd". afl.com.au. 25 April 2023. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
  13. ^ "AFL Season Ladder". afl.com.au. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
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  15. ^ a b "AFL Tables - Ladders - Team by Team". afltables.com. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
  16. ^ "Bont, Libba grind Bombers down as Dogs get back on track". afl.com.au. 21 July 2023. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
  17. ^ "Hogan the hero as Giants smash Bombers with record score". afl.com.au. 19 August 2023. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
  18. ^ "From the top: Pies clinch minor premiership with Bomber blitz". afl.com.au. 25 August 2023. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
  19. ^ "Look out, the Cats are coming: Rampaging premiers thump Dons". afl.com.au. 15 July 2023. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
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External links[edit]

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