2025 Essendon Football Club season

Last updated

The 2025 Essendon Football Club season is the 127th season of the Essendon Football Club playing in the Australian Football League (AFL) and the club's 151st season overall. [1] [2] The club is also fielding reserves teams in the Victorian Football League (VFL) and VFL Women's (VFLW), and will field a team in the AFL Women's (AFLW). [3] [4]

Contents

AFL

Practice matches

Date and local timeOpponentScores(Essendon's scores indicated in bold)VenueAttendanceRef.
HomeAwayResult
Saturday, 15 February (2:00pm) Western Bulldogs 8.10 (58)11.11 (77)Won by 19 points Mission Whitten Oval [5] [6]
Tuesday, 24 February (7.10pm) Geelong 12.11 (83)17.2 (104)Won by 21 points GMHBA Stadium 11,626 [7] [8]

Home-and-away season

RdDate and local timeOpponentScores(Essendon's scores indicated in bold)VenueAttendancePositionRef.
HomeAwayResult
OR Saturday, 8 March (4:15pm) Gold Coast Match postponed People First Stadium 8th Steady2.svg
1 Friday, 14 March (7:40pm) Hawthorn 17.9 (111)12.13 (85)Lost by 26 points Melbourne Cricket Ground 80,73514th Decrease2.svg
2 Friday, 14 March (7:40pm) Adelaide 15.10 (100)25.11 (161)Lost by 61 points Melbourne Cricket Ground 46,68816th Decrease2.svg
3 Thursday, 27 March (7:30pm) Port Adelaide 9.18 (72)8.12 (60)Won by 12 points Marvel Stadium 25,11414th Increase2.svg
4 Bye 14th Steady2.svg
5 Saturday, 12 April (7:05pm) Melbourne 8.9 (57)15.6 (96)Won by 39 points Adelaide Oval 45,03913th Increase2.svg
6 Friday, 18 April (4:10pm) West Coast 11.9 (75)11.11 (77)Won by 2 points Optus Stadium 46,08011th Increase2.svg
7 Friday, 25 April (3:20pm) Collingwood 16.11 (107)10.6 (66)Lost by 41 points Melbourne Cricket Ground 92,04412th Decrease2.svg
8 Thursday, 1 May (7:30pm) North Melbourne 9.11 (65)9.8 (62)Won by 3 points Marvel Stadium 35,439 [9]
9 Saturday, 10 May (4:15pm) Sydney Marvel Stadium

Ladder

PosTeamPldWLDPFPAPPPtsQualification
1 Adelaide 23185022781635139.372Finals series
2 Geelong 23176024251714141.568
3 Brisbane Lions 23166120611804114.266
4 Collingwood 23167019911627122.464
5 Greater Western Sydney 23167021141834115.364
6 Fremantle 23167019781815109.064
7 Gold Coast 23158021731740124.960
8 Hawthorn 23158020451691120.960
9 Western Bulldogs 23149024931820137.056
10 Sydney 23121101845190297.048
11 Carlton 2391401799186196.736
12 St Kilda 2391401839207788.536
13 Port Adelaide 2391401705213679.836
14 Melbourne 2371601902203893.328
15 Essendon 2361701535220969.524
16 North Melbourne 2351711805236576.322
17 Richmond 2351801449219766.020
18 West Coast 2312201466243860.14
Source: afl.com.au
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) percentage; 3) number of points for

VFL

2025 VFL season
PMvESS5.jpg
Coach Cameron Joyce
Captain(s) Xavier O'Neill
Home ground
  2024
2026  

On 4 February 2025, Essendon VFL coach Dale Tapping died, two years after he was diagnosed with myeloma, an aggressive form of blood cancer. [10] [11] Essendon had appointed Tapping as its VFL coach for the 2025 season only several months prior on 11 October 2024. [12] He had previously served as Collingwood's VFL coach from 2013 until the end of the 2016 season, and was named VFL Coach of the Year in 2016. [13] [14]

Cameron Joyce, who coached Gold Coast in the AFL Women's (AFLW) from 2022 season 6 until he was dismissed at the end of the 2024 season, was announced as Essendon's new VFL coach on 24 February 2025. [15] [16]

Essendon's round 5 match against Collingwood was rescheduled from a 2:05pm start at Windy Hill to 7:10pm at ETU Stadium in order for it to be shown live on 7mate as part of a new broadcast rights deal with the Seven Network. [17] [18]

Playing squad

No.PlayerVFL debutCommunity club2025 playing statisticsTotal VFL statisticsRef
GamesGBKHDMTGamesGoals
50 Jackson Hately 2024 [19] St Bernard's (VAFA)
51Will Hoare 2022 [20] Pascoe Vale (EDFL)
52Ricky Monti (D) 2022 [21] Golden Square (BFNL)
53 Jack Peris 2022 [22] Seymour (GVFNL)
54Hamish Sinnott (D) 2022 [23] Camperdown (HFNL)
55 Xavier O'Neill 2024 [19] Blackburn (EFNL)
56Shane Clough (D) 2025 [24] Gisborne (BFNL)
57Noah Scott (D) Pascoe Vale (EDFL)
58Jared Eckersley (D) 2022 Pascoe Vale (EDFL)
59Dayten Uerata (D) Sandhurst (BFNL)
60Ryan Brodie (D) 2024 [25] Strathmore (EDFL)
61Riley Leedham (D) Greenvale (EDFL)
62Mahmoud Taha (D) 2023 [26] Pascoe Vale (EDFL)
63 Oskar Smartt (D) 2024 [19] Colac (GFNL)
64Domanic Akuei 2022 St Mary's (NFNL)
65Cam Nyko (D) 2024 [27] Montmorency (NFNL)

Source: [28] [29]
(D) Development list

Playing squad changes

Departures

PlayerDateReasonNew clubRef
Amin Naim18 October 2024Club change Northern Bullants [30]
Charlie Bolmat21 October 2024Club change Northern Bullants [31]
James Barrat 21 November 2024 AFL drafted St Kilda (AFL) [32]
Ryan Eyre2 December 2024Club change Collingwood [33]
Kane Loftus6 February 2025VFL departure University Blacks (VAFA) [34]
Noah Caracella3 March 2025VFL departure Newtown & Chilwell (GFNL) [35]
Luca Alessio11 March 2025VFL departure St Bernard's (VAFA) [36]
Oscar Duncan11 March 2025VFL departure [36]
Malik Gordon11 March 2025VFL departure Strathfieldsaye (BFNL) [36]
Macca Hallows11 March 2025VFL departure Pascoe Vale (EDFL) [36]
Jack Jedwab11 March 2025VFL departure Romsey (RDFNL) [36]
Michael Kiraly11 March 2025Club change Collingwood [36]

Practice matches

Date and local timeOpponentScores(Essendon's scores indicated in bold)VenueAttendanceRef
HomeAwayResult
Saturday, 15 February (5:00pm) Footscray 13.12 (90)11.4 (70)Lost by 20 points Mission Whitten Oval [37] [38]
Tuesday, 24 February Geelong 9.13 (67)12.12 (84)Won by 17 points GMHBA Stadium [39]
Saturday, 8 March Collingwood 14.12 (96)8.13 (61)Won by 35 points NEC Hangar [40]
Friday, 14 March Box Hill 11.8 (74)18.7 (115)Lost by 41 points NEC Hangar [41] [42]
Saturday, 12 April Box Hill 8.6 (54)8.7 (55)Lost by 1 point NEC Hangar [43] [44]

Home-and-away season

RdDate and local timeOpponentScores(Essendon's scores indicated in bold)VenueAttendancePositionRef
HomeAwayResult
1 Saturday, 22 March (3:05pm) Williamstown 14.10 (94)12.11 (83)Won by 11 points NEC Hangar 7th Steady2.svg [45]
2 Saturday, 29 March (11:05am) Werribee 11.12 (78)7.13 (55)Lost by 23 points NEC Hangar 12th Decrease2.svg [46]
3 Bye 14th Decrease2.svg [47]
4 Saturday, 19 April (7:10pm) Port Melbourne 7.13 (55)9.17 (71)Won by 16 points ETU Stadium 10th Increase2.svg [48]
5 Saturday, 26 April (7:10pm) Collingwood 12.16 (88)18.11 (119)Lost by 31 points ETU Stadium 14th Decrease2.svg [49]
6 Friday, 2 May (2:05pm) North Melbourne 10.13 (73)12.11 (83)Lost by 10 points Windy Hill 15th Decrease2.svg [50]
7 Saturday, 10 May (11:05am) Sydney 16.11 (107)5.12 (42)Won by 65 points Windy Hill 11th Increase2.svg [51]
8 Bye 12th Decrease2.svg
9 Saturday, 24 May (7:10pm) Richmond 10.14 (74)7.10 (52)Lost by 22 points Kinetic Stadium 15th Decrease2.svg
10 Friday, 30 May (12:05pm) Brisbane 18.11 (119)15.9 (99)Lost by 20 points Brighton Homes Arena 15th Steady2.svg
11 Sunday, 8 June (2:05pm) Carlton 8.6 (54)10.12 (72)Lost by 18 points Windy Hill 17th Decrease2.svg
12 Saturday, 14 June (7:10pm) Casey 17.10 (110)12.11 (83)Lost by 29 points ETU Stadium

Ladder

PosTeamPldWLDPFPAPPPts
17 Port Melbourne 1861111396139999.826
18 Sydney (R) 1851301240165774.820
19 Essendon (R) 1841401338156085.816
20 Sandringham 1831411286177272.614
21 Northern Bullants 1821601024214047.98
Source: AFL
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) percentage; 3) number of points for
(R) = Club is the reserves team of a senior club of the Australian Football League

VFLW

Home-and-away season

RdDate and local timeOpponentScores(Essendon's scores indicated in bold)VenueAttendancePositionRef.
HomeAwayResult
1 Saturday, 19 April (4:05pm) Port Melbourne 7.7 (49)4.6 (30)Lost by 19 points ETU Stadium 8th Steady2.svg
2 Saturday, 26 April (11:05am) Collingwood 10.4 (64)3.6 (24)Won by 40 points Windy Hill 4th Increase2.svg
3 Saturday, 3 May (11:05am) North Melbourne Werribee 5.5 (35)4.8 (32)Won by 3 points Windy Hill 7th Decrease2.svg
4 Saturday, 10 May (2:35pm) Carlton Windy Hill

Ladder

PosTeamPldWLDPFPAPPPtsQualification
4 Sandringham 14851414395104.834 Finals series
5 Williamstown 14860450430104.732
6 Essendon 14860507485104.532
7 Port Melbourne 14761559446125.330
8 Darebin 1477038843190.028
Source: [52]
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) percentage; 3) number of points for.

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