Peter Wright and the Bombers find renewed hope after 2025 Footy turmoil
Peter Wright stood in Ballarat and scanned the Essendon list, registering a detail that cut through memories of last season: the team emerged from a pre-season hitout without fresh injury concerns and with players moving the footy forward. For Wright and his teammates, what happened in late February has become the immediate measure of progress as they prepare for a match against Hawthorn.
Peter Wright and the Bombers’ on-field reality in Ballarat
Wright watched a game in which the scoreboard showed St Kilda as the winner, but the result mattered less than the pattern of play. In Ballarat, Essendon displayed defensive structure and periods of attacking threat, a contrast to the slump that defined much of 2025.
On the day, Zach Reid anchored a defence that stood up, even though Reid has managed only 19 games across five injury-riddled seasons. Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera offered glimpses of what he can do when untagged, while Dyson Sharp, Archer Roberts and young forwards such as Nate Caddy and Archer May contributed to phases of promising ball movement.
Footy signs: What Essendon showed that could blunt the 2025 damage
Coaches and players noted that the Bombers found moments where they threatened ahead of the ball and compressed the ground—an approach Wright highlighted when he described steps forward in how they wanted to defend. The intent of Dyson Sharp, the club’s 13th draft pick, was visible in attack, and Archer Roberts provided ballast through the middle.
Another draftee, Hussein El Achkar, was lively when sharking the footy in attack and showed enough nous to earn a debut against the Hawks tonight. The list also benefited from the sight of mature bodies standing up around the ball, a detail Wright cited as helping the side cope in tricky conditions.
Brad Scott, the 2025 bin fire legacy and what now affects Essendon
Brad Scott inherits a side still defined by the aftermath of an annus horribilis in 2025, when the club fielded an AFL record 15 debutantes as the playing list was forced to adapt to crisis conditions. That year brought four ACL injuries and a string of setbacks that tested depth like nothing in recent memory.
At the halfway mark of that season Essendon had six wins from ten outings and sat outside the eight on percentage with a game in hand, but the campaign soured. The team lost 13 straight matches, including a 95-point loss to the Gold Coast on their second visit to southeast Queensland, and the run culminated in a public rupture when the captain declared he wanted out.
Wright’s assessment of the pre-season outing matters precisely because of that history. He pointed to compact defence and density around the ball as areas where mature players had stood up, and the lack of new injuries on the day offered a tangible break from the 2025 pattern of breakdowns.
For now, the immediate test is the next match. The Bombers’ performance in Ballarat handed coaches evidence to work with as they head into a game against Hawthorn, and the list will be observed for both fitness and continuity of the encouraging moments Wright identified.
Wright began the day in Ballarat scanning teammates and ended it with a clearer idea of what the team can be. The next confirmed development is straightforward: Hussein El Achkar has earned a debut against the Hawks tonight, and that selection will be the first instance to see whether the pre-season glimpses of recovery translate into competitive form on match day.
