Bombers' Dreamtime record intact as Gresham returns
Essendon's record of fielding at least one Indigenous player in every "Dreamtime at the G'' contest will remain intact after Jade Gresham declared himself fit.
Sidelined by an adductor strain for the past two weeks, Gresham is set to return when the Bombers take on Richmond in the annual Sir Doug Nicholls Round feature match at the MCG on Friday night.
"I'm all good to go. I got through training yesterday and Brad (Scott) gave me the all-clear that I'd be playing Friday night, which is awesome," Gresham said.
"It's a game you want to play, as an Indigenous player, every year.
"To be able to run out this week and represent your people is going to be really important for the footy club and, more broadly, for the AFL and the community."
Former St Kilda forward Gresham, a proud Yorta Yorta man, will feature in "Dreamtime at the G'' for the second time, after running out in front of almost 80,000 fans last season.
"I grew up coming to these games every year and running around in the Auskick at halftime," Gresham said.
"I always dreamt to be able to run out in 'Dreamtime' and it's just an awesome occasion for the Indigenous community to represent your people."
Richmond will also have at least one Indigenous player in Friday night's contest, with Rhyan Mansell set to play and Maurice Rioli Jr in the selection mix.
Mansell, a proud Pakana man, helped design the Tigers' predominantly yellow "Dreamtime'' guernsey and addressed his teammates this week during Sir Doug Nicholls Round celebrations.
"I told my story, my family's story and (that of) the guernsey," Mansell said.
"We're really celebrating the week and what it really means to us as a footy club.
"We've got good (Indigenous) history and we've got a lot of new boys coming in this week for their first Dreamtime (game). It's going to be very exciting."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Herald Sun
15 hours ago
- Herald Sun
AFL 2025: Essendon set to welcome back Darcy Parish
Don't miss out on the headlines from AFL. Followed categories will be added to My News. It's a big boost for the Bombers. Essendon will welcome star midfielder Darcy Parish back for its crunch clash with Carlton on Sunday night. Parish has not played at senior level since the Bombers' final home-and-away match of last season. The All-Australian, who had sustained yet another soft tissue setback, played two matches on managed minutes in the VFL last month. Essendon coach Brad Scott said Parish's addition would provide further flexibility to the Bombers' midfield. 'We planned for this for quite some time and he's had an uninterrupted month in terms of his build,' he said. 'He played two games in the VFL, played really well, so barring an incident today he'll be available. 'It's probably one part of the ground where we do have great flexibility at the moment. It's a good thing, you want to have multiple options running through the midfield.' Darcy Parish will play for Essendon this Sunday in a welcome boost. Picture: David Crosling The Bombers used star captain Zach Merrett across half back last week in their brave loss to reigning premier Brisbane. Merrett found plenty of the ball but didn't have his usual impact, recording only two clearances and one inside 50. With their pile of injuries, particularly in defence, Scott said the Bombers could use Merrett back again. 'Look, maybe, it's a bit of a reality, Zak Johnson came in for his first game and played in defence,' he said. 'Our VFL team had a really good performance, but we didn't really have any AFL-listed players playing in defence. 'Merrett we would like to use in about four different places, he's a really flexible player. 'We'll just assess where we play him based on the opposition and what suits us best.' Essendon star captain Zach Merrett could be used across half back again. Picture:) Essendon veteran ruck Todd Goldstein will have his hands full with brilliant Blue Tom De Koning on Sunday. Scott praised the efforts of Goldstein since he resurgence back into the side and said the Bombers would only give the 335-gamer a rest 'only if we need to'. 'I've known Goldy long enough to know what he's capable of and we just monitor him really closely,' he said. 'I don't think we will go down the path of pre-planning anything, obviously have some ideas in mind. 'But most of our time will be directed towards assessing how he is recovering from games, how he's performing. I thought he was outstanding on the weekend.' The Bombers also have Vigo Visentini and mid-season draftee Lachlan Blakiston waiting in the wings. Originally published as AFL 2025: Essendon set to welcome back All-Australian midfielder
Perth Now
15 hours ago
- Perth Now
Midfielder's return gives Dons ‘great flexibility'
It's a big boost for the Bombers. Essendon will welcome star midfielder Darcy Parish back for its crunch clash with Carlton on Sunday night. Parish has not played at senior level since the Bombers' final home-and-away match of last season. The All-Australian, who had sustained yet another soft tissue setback, played two matches on managed minutes in the VFL last month. Essendon coach Brad Scott said Parish's addition would provide further flexibility to the Bombers' midfield. 'We planned for this for quite some time and he's had an uninterrupted month in terms of his build,' he said. 'He played two games in the VFL, played really well, so barring an incident today he'll be available. 'It's probably one part of the ground where we do have great flexibility at the moment. It's a good thing, you want to have multiple options running through the midfield.' Darcy Parish will play for Essendon this Sunday in a welcome boost. David Crosling Credit: News Corp Australia The Bombers used star captain Zach Merrett across half back last week in their brave loss to reigning premier Brisbane. Merrett found plenty of the ball but didn't have his usual impact, recording only two clearances and one inside 50. With their pile of injuries, particularly in defence, Scott said the Bombers could use Merrett back again. 'Look, maybe, it's a bit of a reality, Zak Johnson came in for his first game and played in defence,' he said. 'Our VFL team had a really good performance, but we didn't really have any AFL-listed players playing in defence. 'Merrett we would like to use in about four different places, he's a really flexible player. 'We'll just assess where we play him based on the opposition and what suits us best.' Essendon veteran ruck Todd Goldstein will have his hands full with brilliant Blue Tom De Koning on Sunday. Scott praised the efforts of Goldstein since he resurgence back into the side and said the Bombers would only give the 335-gamer a rest 'only if we need to'. 'I've known Goldy long enough to know what he's capable of and we just monitor him really closely,' he said. 'I don't think we will go down the path of pre-planning anything, obviously have some ideas in mind. 'But most of our time will be directed towards assessing how he is recovering from games, how he's performing. I thought he was outstanding on the weekend.' The Bombers also have Vigo Visentini and mid-season draftee Lachlan Blakiston waiting in the wings.
News.com.au
15 hours ago
- News.com.au
AFL 2025: Essendon set to welcome back All-Australian midfielder
It's a big boost for the Bombers. Essendon will welcome star midfielder Darcy Parish back for its crunch clash with Carlton on Sunday night. Parish has not played at senior level since the Bombers' final home-and-away match of last season. The All-Australian, who had sustained yet another soft tissue setback, played two matches on managed minutes in the VFL last month. Essendon coach Brad Scott said Parish's addition would provide further flexibility to the Bombers' midfield. 'We planned for this for quite some time and he's had an uninterrupted month in terms of his build,' he said. 'He played two games in the VFL, played really well, so barring an incident today he'll be available. 'It's probably one part of the ground where we do have great flexibility at the moment. It's a good thing, you want to have multiple options running through the midfield.' The Bombers used star captain Zach Merrett across half back last week in their brave loss to reigning premier Brisbane. Merrett found plenty of the ball but didn't have his usual impact, recording only two clearances and one inside 50. With their pile of injuries, particularly in defence, Scott said the Bombers could use Merrett back again. 'Look, maybe, it's a bit of a reality, Zak Johnson came in for his first game and played in defence,' he said. 'Our VFL team had a really good performance, but we didn't really have any AFL-listed players playing in defence. 'Merrett we would like to use in about four different places, he's a really flexible player. 'We'll just assess where we play him based on the opposition and what suits us best.' Essendon veteran ruck Todd Goldstein will have his hands full with brilliant Blue Tom De Koning on Sunday. Scott praised the efforts of Goldstein since he resurgence back into the side and said the Bombers would only give the 335-gamer a rest 'only if we need to'. 'I've known Goldy long enough to know what he's capable of and we just monitor him really closely,' he said. 'I don't think we will go down the path of pre-planning anything, obviously have some ideas in mind. 'But most of our time will be directed towards assessing how he is recovering from games, how he's performing. I thought he was outstanding on the weekend.'
