Latest news with #ToddGoldstein
News.com.au
16-06-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Teenage ruckman Vigo Visentini to be Essendon's 11th debutant for 2025
The deluge of debutants at injury-hit Essendon is set to continue with ruckman Vigo Visentini called up for Thursday night's clash with Fremantle in Perth. A five-day break between games forced coach Brad Scott to find help for veteran Todd Goldstein, who has been filling the breach after season-ending injuries to Sam Draper and Nick Bryan. In last Saturday's smashing by Geelong, Lachie Blakiston and Archer May became the 9th and 10th Essendon players to make their AFL debuts this season, and now 203cm, 19-year-old Vistentini will get his chance. Visentini will be the 11th first-gamer for the Bombers in 2025, joining Isaac Kako, Tom Edwards, Saad El-Hawli, Archer Day-Wicks, Lewis Hayes, Angus Clarke, Zak Johnson, Luamon Lual, Blakiston and May. The teenage big man is the younger brother of Port Adelaide ruckman Dante Visentini. The moment 🥰 VIIIIGGGOOOOO. — Essendon FC (@essendonfc) June 16, 2025 Essendon has 13 players on its injury list and is also without midfield bull Sam Durham for one more week after copping a suspension. The Bombers are still in 12th spot despite Saturday night's 95-point shellacking from the Cats, after which Scott spoke about the challenge of trying to compete with such a young, inexperienced group. 'We're trying to educate the chess pieces where to go, and that's what we've got to get excited about as a coaching group,' he said. 'We stepped back tonight, without doubt, but the previous two weeks has shown that there's enough fight and there's enough capability within this group, and we'll never concede. 'We'll keep coaching, keep working with them. I've seen enough intestinal fortitude to suggest that there's reasons to be optimistic about the future, albeit it doesn't feel like that right now. 'The positive of that is we've exposed players to AFL footy that wouldn't have played otherwise, and there are some of those young boys that I don't think would go out of our team for a long time.'
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
What Essendon forward learned from shock axing
Towering Essendon forward Peter Wright believes he has bounced back from a shock axing last year with better "clarity" in his game. After booting 52 goals in 2022 to claim the Bombers' Crichton Medal, Wright endured a tough 2024 that included being dropped late in the season. The 28-year-old missed four games through suspension for a bump gone wrong on Sydney defender Harry Cunningham in round two. After returning, Wright only had brief moments close to his best and described the campaign as "challenging". "Not too many people who play footy ever have it all their own way," he told AAP. "I wasn't playing my best footy last year; a little bit inconsistent and probably a little bit indecisive out there. "So I feel like I got some much better clarity." An ankle issue delayed his start to 2025, but Wright bounced back immediately on return with a superb six-goal haul in a tight win against West Coast in round six. "I had a really strong off-season, pre-season, to get the body in good shape," Wright said. "I had a little bit of a hiccup with the ankle, but physically feeling good and eventually just getting some more clarity and wanting to build on that." Wright's presence will be vital in an Essendon team experiencing an injury crisis, particularly to key position players. First-choice rucks Sam Draper and Nick Bryan suffered season-ending injuries, meaning veteran Todd Goldstein has had to step up to be the Bombers' No.1 big man. Wright is giving important help to Goldstein as a back-up ruck, as well as being a presence up forward. Crafty forward Kyle Langford (quad) and breakout defender Zach Reid (hamstring) will both be out for up to six weeks after hurting themselves in the Dreamtime win against Richmond last Friday. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Peter Wright (@petewright_) Teenage defender Zak Johnson has already been confirmed to be Essendon's seventh debutant of the season, selected to play against reigning premiers the Brisbane Lions at the Gabba on Thursday night. "We clearly want to have, like every team, the next man up mentality," Wright said. "We're going to have to rely on our depth as a playing list, but the flip side has been the positives in being able to play (seven) debutants this year. "Who knows, we might build on that in coming weeks."
Herald Sun
24-04-2025
- Sport
- Herald Sun
AFL 2025: Essendon coach Brad Scott on how the Bombers will halt Nick Daicos on Anzac Day
Don't miss out on the headlines from AFL. Followed categories will be added to My News. Essendon coach Brad Scott is open to trying 'something different' to quell the influence of Collingwood superstar Nick Daicos on Anzac Day in what looms an almighty MCG challenge after season-ending injuries to both first-choice ruckmen. Having already lost Nick Byran to a ACL injury, the Bombers are also without Sam Draper who ruptured his Achilles and will now turn to 36-year-old Todd Goldstein as their likely No.1 big man. Scott said while Goldstein entered 2025 with a different role as a mentor and back-up he 'wants to play' and would be ready, again, for the big stage with 329 games of AFL experience on his side. 'He's played a selfless role, a big part of his role is developing Visentini, Draper, Bryan, but that doesn't mean he doesn't want to play, he wants to play,' the coach said of Goldstein, who played 14 games in 2024, the last in Round 20. 'He's always said to me 'I will do what's best for the team, when you need me I'll be ready'. Now we're in a situation where it's likely we'll need him. 'There's a lot of superlatives you could use in reference to Todd Goldstein but one of them main ones is resilience. Todd Goldstein is going to be needed on Anzac Day. (Photo by) 'He plays the lot of game time for a ruckman, he very rarely misses a training session let alone a game, so if anyone can do it he can do it. 'We have very good ruck depth on our list. Scott also pointed to other big men including Zach Reid, Vigo Visentini, and Peter Wright as 'options' for stoppage work against where Daicos looms as the Magpie to stop on the ground. The 22-year-old star has shrugged off multiple tagging attempts from opposition clubs this year, including last week against reigning premiers Brisbane at the Gabba. He collected 38 disposals, 12 score involvements, eight clearances and a goal in the Magpies' 52-point win over the previously undefeated Lions. Scott says the Bombers will grade their role on Daicos by his impact over his possession count. 'We'll try (tag him), he'll certainly have an opponent, I suspect multiple,' he said. 'We'll try and learn from others as well but the problem is whether he's tagged or not tagged he's going to be influential. Nick Daicos of the Magpies was unstoppable against Brisbane. Photo by) 'There's not going to be one sort of mode of attack with him, he's like all absolute top-line players, whether they're tagged or not, they find a way to be influential. 'We've got to find a way to curve that, we suspect it's going to be hard to stop him from getting the ball. 'So if you judge his game purely on possessions that's going to be a challenge, but that's not how we're going to measure it.' Scott believes a method of tagging Daicos out of the game is yet to prove effective and is willing to explore other options this Friday. 'I think Brisbane were pretty open with the fact they went with a team approach in the first half and then changed it after that,' he said. 'That didn't work either, the reality is that everyone goes in with a plan, I haven't really observed one that's worked for any period of time yet. 'We either try and execute those plans better or we try something different.' Originally published as Essendon coach Brad Scott reveals how the Bombers will halt Nick Daicos on Anzac Day
The Advertiser
22-04-2025
- Sport
- The Advertiser
Veteran Goldstein ready to grab Bombers' ruck spot
Essendon coach Brad Scott has declared veteran ruck Todd Goldstein ready to step up for the Anzac Day blockbuster following season-ending injuries to Nick Bryan and Sam Draper.
