Essendon succumbed to its earliest finish to a rebel VFLW season since 2021 despite reaching the finals for the fourth-successive year.
BY THE NUMBERS
Position: 6th
W-L-D %: 7-7-1 (82.26%)
Players used: 49
Played every match: 6 – El Chaston, Tia Davidge, Maddison Ford, Ruby Mahony, Ash Melnikas, Drew Ryan
AFLW players used: 14 (38 matches)
Debutants: 15 – Chloe Adams, Amy Cariss-Brett, Lavinia Cox, Tyla Crabtree, Gabby Drage, Matilda Dyke, Emily Gallagher, Amy Gaylor, Emily Gough, Sienna Hobbs, Ruby Mahony, Ruby Murdoch, Marnie Robinson, Emily Tassiopoulos, Lily-Rose Williamson
STAR PERFORMERS
Best and Fairest: 1st: El Chaston; 2nd: Ruby Mahoney; 3rd: Ashlea Melnikas
Lambert-Pearce Medal votes: El Chaston (14, runner-up), Bailey Hunt (6), Georgia Nanscawen (6)
Coaches MVP votes: Ruby Mahony (49), El Chaston (30), Sophie Molan (17)
Rebel VFLW Team of the Year: Maddison Ford
Goalkickers: Olivia Manfre (9), Tia Davidge (8), Jayda Richardson (6)
STAT LEADERS
(Averages – Minimum 6 matches)
Disposals: Ruby Mahony 18.9, El Chaston 17.1, Bailey Hunt 16.1
Contested possessions: Ruby Mahony 12.1, Ash Melnikas 8.4, El Chaston 6.1
Kicks: El Chaston 12.0, Bailey Hunt 11.1, Ash Melnikas 8.8
Handballs: Ruby Mahony 11.3, Sophie Molan 7.4, Ash Melnikas 6.8
Marks: Bailey Hunt 4.1, Maddison Ford 3.4, Ellie Huggard 3.4
Tackles: Bailey Hunt 7.0, Ruby Mahony 6.4, Scarlett Orritt 5.6
Hitouts: Jaimee-Lee Morrow 21.9, Jayda Richardson 5.8, Bailey Hunt 0.1, El Chaston 0.1, Maddison Ford 0.1
Clearances: Ruby Mahony 4.3, Ash Melnikas 3.9, Bailey Hunt 2.8
Inside-50s: Bailey Hunt 3.1, El Chaston 2.7, Ruby Mahony 2.2
Rebound-50s: El Chaston 2.6, Sophie Molan 1.8, Maddison Ford 1.7, Isabelle Porter 1.7
What went right: The consecutive victories over reigning premier Port Melbourne and flag fancy Box Hill Hawks in Rounds 10 and 11 jump off the page, while the form of El Chaston to finish equal second in the Lambert-Pearce Medal in their first year as captain showed the Bombers found exactly the right person for the job. Maddison Ford made the Team of the Year at just 20 years of age and Ruby Mahony proved a shrewd acquisition from Swan Districts with a top 10 finish in the rebel Coaches MVP award.
What went wrong: While they did get those two wins against top-six opposition, plus a draw with Williamstown, the Bombers struggled to score against the better teams. They failed to kick a goal twice – against the Borough in Round 1 and eventual premier North Melbourne in Round 9. They were thrashed again by the Kangaroos in the elimination final, going down 63 points at Arden Street Oval.
Summary: Scoring was Essendon’s biggest achilles heel in 2024. The Bombers ranked ninth for scoreboard impact with an average of 30.6 points per game, well below every other team who played in the finals. They didn’t call on their AFLW list all that much, but the trade off to is they handed debuts to no less than 15 players, which will stand them in good stead should they retain or sign them all. A sixth-place finish is about right.
Grade: 6/10
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