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News.com.au
an hour ago
- Sport
- 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.'
News.com.au
6 days ago
- General
- News.com.au
Essendon coach Brad Scott leaves Brisbane a happy man after leading reigning premiers in final quarter
Essendon coach Brad Scott says the Bombers took a 'huge step forward' at the Gabba on Thursday night despite an 18-point loss to Brisbane that defied pre-game thoughts of doom and gloom for his injury-ravaged club. Scott lauded superstar draftee Nate Caddy, declaring his two-goal effort against the Lions was the 'best game he's played' and left the Gabba happy in the wake of defeat. Trailing by 32 points at quarter-time, the undermanned Bombers clawed their way into the contest and hit the front in the final quarter. However, the Lions regrouped, kicking the final three goals of the game to win 13.12 (90) to 11.6 (72). 'They were dominant clearly to start the game and jumped us, but I thought we wrestled our way back into the contest really well,' Scott said. 'It wasn't as if I felt like we let it slip. We fought our way back in, got back in front, and they responded as good teams do.' Scott was proud of his young team's 'fight' and 'exuberance'. 'It was a huge step forward for us in terms of everything – character, fight, effort, contest, the exuberance of youth, young players who don't use that as an excuse,' he said. 'We have expectations. We think those players that we selected are capable and that's been our message to them, and they held up their end of the bargain. 'There were a number of critical contests where our players stood up, but to Brisbane's credit, they're a good side, and when challenged, they respond. 'We were able to defend reasonably well but not well enough over the course of the game to be considered a top-tier side, but if you're going to test out your defence, playing against Brisbane at the Gabba is a good way to do that. 'The foundation of the game is the contest, and I think that that stood up fairly well tonight.' The Bombers also stood up well in attack, particularly in the third quarter when Caddy kicked a contender for goal of the season during an impressive burst that gave the Bombers hope of causing an upset. 'That's the best game I've seen him play and not just because of the goal over his head,' Scott said of Caddy. 'He's going to learn that he's capable of challenging the best key defenders (Harris Andrews) in the competition. 'He's just a really impressive athlete, and he can do things that others can't. 'There's not many 19-year-olds who can, when Peter Wright's in the ruck and Todd Goldstein's having a well-earned rest, he's holding up, you know, a forward line. 'I can't recall too many 19-year-olds doing that. He's been terrific for us, and we still think there's so much upside, so clearly we're excited.'
News.com.au
26-05-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
AFL 2025: Essendon dealt another injury blow
An injury to defender Ben McKay has propelled Essendon further into uncharted territory with its key-position stocks. McKay will miss the Bombers' trip to Brisbane this week after his foot was trodden on in their Dreamtime at the 'G win over Richmond last Friday. The 27-year-old becomes the 10th Bomber above 190cm to be sidelined in an injury-plagued campaign at Tullamarine. Sam Draper, Nick Bryan, Zach Reid, Nik Cox, Lewis Hayes, Harrison Jones, Jordan Ridley, Kyle Langford and Tom Edwards are all out through injury. Essendon coach Brad Scott said McKay, regardless of the severity of his foot scans, was not getting up for the Lions with travel and a shortened break. 'We're still assessing, he had a scan this morning so we'll get those results, but it's just too tight a timeframe to turn that around for him,' he said. 'He'll be unavailable and hopefully we'll have an update on where it sits later this afternoon or tomorrow.' The Bombers could take four picks to the mid-season draft on Wednesday night and play one of their selections as soon as Thursday night. Scott confirmed he was in an unprecedented position as a senior coach but was grateful for the opportunity it had created. 'It is (unprecedented) but if I had had it previously, fortunately we've got a mid-season draft to mitigate that somewhat,' Scott said. 'That's far from perfect either, really, it's just a different challenge for us. We're in a difficult spot in terms of availability. 'The way I look at these things is it'll create some opportunity for others. If we had a 100 per cent availability list we wouldn't have unearthed six debutants this year. 'Angus Clarke wouldn't have got an opportunity last week, which he clearly took. We'll give opportunity to others … we can be down in the dumps and focus on the negatives or be optimistic about the opportunity it creates.' Scott admitted the repetitive curveballs he'd faced this year had forced adjustments to the way the Bombers needed to play. But he's found a 'silver lining' in the 'blank canvas' of the next wave of Bomber youngsters. 'We have but the reality is we're always iterating the way we play anyway, what we're ultimately trying to build with this team is always going to evolve,' he said. 'It's a real challenge having to make challenges to the way we play based on the personnel we've got available. 'But it's really interesting, the younger players we've had come in have actually been fairly easy to coach because they're a blank canvas. 'They've come in and almost to a man have executed what we've asked them to. Again, that's the silver lining to getting young players in who are really eager to learn and keen to execute what we're coaching.'
The Advertiser
24-05-2025
- Sport
- The Advertiser
Changes in the air as Bombers feel more injury strain
Essendon coach Brad Scott has forecast some dramatic role changes for his players as the Bombers deal with more injuries. After beating Richmond in a scrappy Dreamtime blockbuster on Friday night, Essendon moved back into the AFL's top eight with a 6-4 record. But the Bombers continue to face challenges with their list after forward Kyle Langford (quad) and breakout defender Zach Reid (hamstring) failed to finish the game. Essendon have already had four season-ending injuries this year, including ruckmen Sam Draper and Nick Bryan, with important talls Jordan Ridley and Harry Jones also sidelined long-term. The Bombers on Saturday revealed Reid and Langford had both suffered strains, but were unsure how long the pair would be sidelined. "I held the coaching group back a little bit post-game," Scott said on Friday night. "There's going to be challenges, but this is what we're here for. This is a coaching opportunity for us. We need to think differently. "We may need to recast some players in different positions, but the key is how we coach that and get them ready for that. "It's not just a matter of moving the magnets, it's about preparing players to play slightly different roles. "We, of course, don't want to lose players to injury, but six debutants so far this year and likely more to come, we like what we've seen from some of our draftees and some of our other untried players in the VFL." Essendon could be busy in the mid-season rookie draft on Wednesday as they search for ruck help for veteran Todd Goldstein. Reid, a top-10 draft pick in 2020, endured a torturous start to his career after injuries restricted him to nine games across his first four seasons. But the 23-year-old has played all 10 matches this year to be one of the AFL's most improved players and a pillar in the Bombers' defence. "We just have no choice at this stage of his career with his injury history, we just took him off and ruled him out," Scott said of Reid. "Like always you're devastated for the players involved that are injured. "The tough thing about this game is you need to show the right amount of empathy to those players, but then move on as a head coach really quickly." Essendon head to the Gabba on Thursday night for a clash with reigning premiers Brisbane. Essendon coach Brad Scott has forecast some dramatic role changes for his players as the Bombers deal with more injuries. After beating Richmond in a scrappy Dreamtime blockbuster on Friday night, Essendon moved back into the AFL's top eight with a 6-4 record. But the Bombers continue to face challenges with their list after forward Kyle Langford (quad) and breakout defender Zach Reid (hamstring) failed to finish the game. Essendon have already had four season-ending injuries this year, including ruckmen Sam Draper and Nick Bryan, with important talls Jordan Ridley and Harry Jones also sidelined long-term. The Bombers on Saturday revealed Reid and Langford had both suffered strains, but were unsure how long the pair would be sidelined. "I held the coaching group back a little bit post-game," Scott said on Friday night. "There's going to be challenges, but this is what we're here for. This is a coaching opportunity for us. We need to think differently. "We may need to recast some players in different positions, but the key is how we coach that and get them ready for that. "It's not just a matter of moving the magnets, it's about preparing players to play slightly different roles. "We, of course, don't want to lose players to injury, but six debutants so far this year and likely more to come, we like what we've seen from some of our draftees and some of our other untried players in the VFL." Essendon could be busy in the mid-season rookie draft on Wednesday as they search for ruck help for veteran Todd Goldstein. Reid, a top-10 draft pick in 2020, endured a torturous start to his career after injuries restricted him to nine games across his first four seasons. But the 23-year-old has played all 10 matches this year to be one of the AFL's most improved players and a pillar in the Bombers' defence. "We just have no choice at this stage of his career with his injury history, we just took him off and ruled him out," Scott said of Reid. "Like always you're devastated for the players involved that are injured. "The tough thing about this game is you need to show the right amount of empathy to those players, but then move on as a head coach really quickly." Essendon head to the Gabba on Thursday night for a clash with reigning premiers Brisbane. Essendon coach Brad Scott has forecast some dramatic role changes for his players as the Bombers deal with more injuries. After beating Richmond in a scrappy Dreamtime blockbuster on Friday night, Essendon moved back into the AFL's top eight with a 6-4 record. But the Bombers continue to face challenges with their list after forward Kyle Langford (quad) and breakout defender Zach Reid (hamstring) failed to finish the game. Essendon have already had four season-ending injuries this year, including ruckmen Sam Draper and Nick Bryan, with important talls Jordan Ridley and Harry Jones also sidelined long-term. The Bombers on Saturday revealed Reid and Langford had both suffered strains, but were unsure how long the pair would be sidelined. "I held the coaching group back a little bit post-game," Scott said on Friday night. "There's going to be challenges, but this is what we're here for. This is a coaching opportunity for us. We need to think differently. "We may need to recast some players in different positions, but the key is how we coach that and get them ready for that. "It's not just a matter of moving the magnets, it's about preparing players to play slightly different roles. "We, of course, don't want to lose players to injury, but six debutants so far this year and likely more to come, we like what we've seen from some of our draftees and some of our other untried players in the VFL." Essendon could be busy in the mid-season rookie draft on Wednesday as they search for ruck help for veteran Todd Goldstein. Reid, a top-10 draft pick in 2020, endured a torturous start to his career after injuries restricted him to nine games across his first four seasons. But the 23-year-old has played all 10 matches this year to be one of the AFL's most improved players and a pillar in the Bombers' defence. "We just have no choice at this stage of his career with his injury history, we just took him off and ruled him out," Scott said of Reid. "Like always you're devastated for the players involved that are injured. "The tough thing about this game is you need to show the right amount of empathy to those players, but then move on as a head coach really quickly." Essendon head to the Gabba on Thursday night for a clash with reigning premiers Brisbane.
News.com.au
23-05-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Honest Scott reflects on scrappy win
AFL: Bombers coach Brad Scott addressed the media, following his side's hard fought win over the Tigers at Dreamtime at the G.
