Many people had Essendon among the bottom four this season. A first-year coach and the loss of key players definitely added to that narrative, however Ben Rutten had other plans. Here's our review of the Bombers' 2021 campaign.
Season Finish: 8th
Record: 11 wins, 11 losses
2021 season snapshot
Essendon started off the season poorly, sitting at 2-6 after eight rounds. However, the Dons turned things around and won nine more games to sneak into the finals.
They won their last three games of the home and away season, including a victory over the Bulldogs, their first in seven years.
The Bombers' season highlights also include a memorable ANZAC Day victory over Collingwood and a defining win over the Eagles in Perth - a day that many called the arrival of the new Essendon.
Like we said, Essendon were not expected to achieve big things this early into Rutten's tenure as coach, however they defied the odds and made finals, albeit for another loss.
Star Player: Zach Merrett
Zach Merrett returned to his best this season, capping it off by claiming the Crichton Medal.
The 26-year-old played every game this year and averaged a career-high 31.5 disposals, 4.2 marks, 4.9 tackles and 3.7 clearances.
He also finished sixth in the competition for disposals, third for effective disposals.
Midfielder
Disposals
Disposal %
Tackles
Alongside with his third best and fairest, Merrett also made the All-Australian team for the second time in his career.
Bombers fans were delighted when the star midfielder rejected free agency to remain in red and black for life.
Introducing your three-time Crichton medallist ⭐️#CrichtonMedal pic.twitter.com/vFEB6cLRNy
— Essendon FC (@essendonfc) September 21, 2021
Breakout player: Darcy Parish
Arguably could have been named star player of the season, Darcy Parish enjoyed a remarkable year.
Parish finished second in the best and fairest, after averaging 30.5 disposals this season, a campaign that saw him take home a plethora of awards, including the ANZAC Medal.
Midfielder
Disposals
Tackles
Clearances
He also added to his trophy cabinet by winning the Yiooken Medal and Tom Wills Medal for being best on-field against Richmond and Geelong respectively.
Darcy Parish wins the Yiooken Medal.
He set the record for most disposals ever by an Essendon player. pic.twitter.com/qXL5mUN2Yt
— 7AFL (@7AFL) June 5, 2021
The 24-year-old capped off the year with his first All-Australian blazer and finished fifth in the Brownlow count.
Rutten moving Parish to the midfield proved to be a masterclass decision and goes to show why the Dons drafted him at No.5 in 2015.
Positives
New coach brings in new benchmark: Ben 'Truck' Rutten brought about change, both on and off the field, to a club that has longed for it.
Starting with off-field, Rutten wanted to connect his players with the past and set in a new blue-collar attitude.
Young players met with old players of the club who wore the same numbers, in a step to increase mindfulness of the Bombers' storied history.
Looking up to our legends ❤️🖤 pic.twitter.com/LVxuK4HWUC
— Essendon FC (@essendonfc) March 15, 2021
The old stars presenting the new batch their jumpers went a long way to remind players that Essendon was once a powerhouse.
On-field, the Rutten Adelaide defender proved his coaching credentials to the AFL world, by bringing in a new style and matching the blue-collar attitude.
One issue fans had with the Bombers was their lack of game plan and style, if any.
Rutten brought in a new toughness, that saw players aggressively fight tooth-and-nail, always contest the ball and pile on goals.
This provided results.
Essendon finished with the highest percentage outside the top six, despite a level win-loss record. 109.1 per cent was their highest since 2003.
Most losses were close, with the only two blowouts coming in early rounds.
They demolished sides they were expected to finish amongst, with wins over St Kilda (75 points), North Melbourne (72), Adelaide (63) and Gold Coast (68).
Return of the Baby Bombers: Perhaps the one element of Essendon's season that saw opposition fans swooning was the development of younger players.
Heading into 2021, the Dons ranked as one of the youngest sides, 16th for game experience and 14th for average age.
New draftees Harrison Jones, Nik Cox and Archie Perkins all got plenty of game time and showed potential to be future stars. Top 10 pick Zach Reid also debuted.
Young players already in the team also got more time to shine, leaving the AFL community expecting big things for the future of Essendon.
Negatives
Mishaps in the forward half: While the Bombers did score heavily, they also struggled when it came to avenues inside 50.
Coming up against good defences, the forward entries the Dons produced were more often than not gobbled up.
Harris Andrews, Sam Taylor and Jake Lever all notched double-digit intercept performances against Essendon, an ongoing headache for the men from Tullamarine.
There was a clear disconnect between forwards and midfielders. All the close losses could have been won had the mids and forwards connected properly.
The forwards seemed 'lazy' with movement, with no willingness to help each other out.
Trailing the top teams: Essendon got the job done against those below and around them, but couldn't win against the top teams.
The only finals team they beat were the Bulldogs in Round 21, but that result was flipped three weeks later in the elimination final.
Had close losses against Melbourne, Sydney (twice) and GWS, but the Bombers were well beat by Port Adelaide, Geelong and Brisbane.
Season Grade: A-
Essendon were expected to finish on the lower rungs of the ladder but defied all odds to make an unlikely finals appearance.
A finals win may have given them the A grade, but despite losing another final, and failing to kick a goal in the second half of that game, Essendon showed real future potential all season.
A new coach, game plan and young stars leave the men in red and black a good chance at breaking their finals win drought in 2022.
