Essendon.

In their final game of the season, the Bombers were valiant in defeat, falling to the Power by 10 points under the roof at Marvel Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

When man-in-demand Zach Merrett put the Bombers in front from a free kick in the dying stages, it appeared the spoon would be headed back to Punt Road, before Mitch Georgiades and Jack Whitlock kicked truly to pinch a victory for Port Adelaide.

Essendon now hold the first overall selection in the 2026 National Draft.

Fellow man in demand, the injured Zak Butters, was relegated to watching the action from the box, after failing in his bid to feature for the club of his drafting once more before his presumed exit.

Richmond's pursuit of the Power superstar would have only been bolstered by their acquisition of the coveted first selection, with conventional wisdom suggesting it would have been offered to the Alberton natives as part of the trade necessitated by Butters' restricted status.

From a Port perspective, all roads lead to the draft, with the club no doubt eager to maximise their draft points balance with a suite of club-tied prospects coming of age in the next two years. The Power will be hoping Louis Salopek, Zemes Pilot, Tevita Rodan and Dougie Cochrane are the pillars of their next premiership, but must acquire them first.

Now, the Tigers must be content with the second selection, while Essendon must decide how best to utilise their coveted draft pick. The talent touted as the AFL's next "unicorn", Trinity Grammar ruckman Harry Van Hattum, was presumed to be in the frame for the Bombers, until Vigo Visentini's emergence in recent weeks.

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