2025 Essendon Football Club season

The 2025 Essendon Football Club season is the 127th season of the Essendon Football Club playing in the Australian Football League (AFL) and the club's 151st season overall.[1][2] The club is also fielding reserves teams in the Victorian Football League (VFL) and VFL Women's (VFLW), and will field a team in the AFL Women's (AFLW).[3][4]

AFL

Main article: 2025 AFL season

Practice matches

Date and local time Opponent Scores (Essendon's scores indicated in bold) Venue Attendance Ref.
Home Away Result
Saturday, 15 February (2:00pm) Western Bulldogs 8.10 (58) 11.11 (77) Won by 19 points Mission Whitten Oval – [5][6]
Tuesday, 24 February (7.10pm) Geelong 12.11 (83) 17.2 (104) Won by 21 points GMHBA Stadium 11,626 [7][8]

Home-and-away season

Rd Date and local time Opponent Scores (Essendon's scores indicated in bold) Venue Attendance Position Ref.
Home Away Result
OR Saturday, 8 March (4:15pm) Gold Coast Match postponed People First Stadium – 8th
1 Friday, 14 March (7:40pm) Hawthorn 17.9 (111) 12.13 (85) Lost by 26 points Melbourne Cricket Ground 80,735 14th
2 Friday, 14 March (7:40pm) Adelaide 15.10 (100) 25.11 (161) Lost by 61 points Melbourne Cricket Ground 46,688 16th
3 Thursday, 27 March (7:30pm) Port Adelaide 9.18 (72) 8.12 (60) Won by 12 points Marvel Stadium 25,114 14th
4 Bye 14th
5 Saturday, 12 April (7:05pm) Melbourne 8.9 (57) 15.6 (96) Won by 39 points Adelaide Oval 45,039 13th
6 Friday, 18 April (4:10pm) West Coast 11.9 (75) 11.11 (77) Won by 2 points Optus Stadium 46,080 11th
7 Friday, 25 April (3:20pm) Collingwood 16.11 (107) 10.6 (66) Lost by 41 points Melbourne Cricket Ground 92,044 12th
8 Thursday, 1 May (7:30pm) North Melbourne 9.11 (65) 9.8 (62) Won by 3 points Marvel Stadium 35,439 [9]
9 Saturday, 10 May (4:15pm) Sydney Marvel Stadium

Ladder

Updated to Carlton v Brisbane Lions (round 18).

Pos Team Pld W L D PF PA PP Pts Qualification
1 Collingwood 16 14 2 0 1508 1085 139.0 56 Finals series
2 Brisbane Lions 17 12 4 1 1539 1318 116.8 50
3 Adelaide 16 11 5 0 1569 1135 138.2 44
4 Geelong 16 11 5 0 1601 1210 132.3 44
5 Hawthorn 16 11 5 0 1441 1212 118.9 44
6 Western Bulldogs 16 10 6 0 1716 1288 133.2 40
7 Gold Coast 15 10 5 0 1432 1169 122.5 40
8 Greater Western Sydney 16 10 6 0 1405 1255 112.0 40
9 Fremantle 16 10 6 0 1354 1243 108.9 40
10 Sydney 16 7 9 0 1265 1354 93.4 28
11 Port Adelaide 16 7 9 0 1248 1425 87.6 28
12 Carlton 17 6 11 0 1311 1399 93.7 24
13 Essendon 15 6 9 0 1082 1419 76.3 24
14 Melbourne 16 5 11 0 1253 1446 86.7 20
15 St Kilda 16 5 11 0 1270 1482 85.7 20
16 North Melbourne 16 4 11 1 1237 1601 77.3 18
17 Richmond 16 3 13 0 1015 1610 63.0 12
18 West Coast (E) 16 1 15 0 1055 1650 63.9 4
Source: afl.com.au
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) percentage; 3) number of points for
(E) Eliminated from finals contention

VFL

Main article: 2025 VFL season
2025 VFL season
Essendon playing Port Melbourne in round 4
CoachCameron Joyce
Captain(s)Xavier O'Neill
Home ground

On 4 February 2025, Essendon VFL coach Dale Tapping died, two years after he was diagnosed with myeloma, an aggressive form of blood cancer.[10][11] Essendon had appointed Tapping as its VFL coach for the 2025 season only several months prior on 11 October 2024.[12] He had previously served as Collingwood's VFL coach from 2013 until the end of the 2016 season, and was named VFL Coach of the Year in 2016.[13][14]

Cameron Joyce, who coached Gold Coast in the AFL Women's (AFLW) from 2022 season 6 until he was dismissed at the end of the 2024 season, was announced as Essendon's new VFL coach on 24 February 2025.[15][16]

Essendon's round 5 match against Collingwood was rescheduled from a 2:05pm start at Windy Hill to 7:10pm at ETU Stadium in order for it to be shown live on 7mate as part of a new broadcast rights deal with the Seven Network.[17][18]

Playing squad

No. Player VFL debut Community club 2025 playing statistics Total VFL statistics Ref
Games G B K H D M T Games Goals
50 Jackson Hately 2024[19] St Bernard's (VAFA)
51 Will Hoare 2022[20] Pascoe Vale (EDFL)
52 Ricky Monti (D) 2022[21] Golden Square (BFNL)
53 Jack Peris 2022[22] Seymour (GVFNL)
54 Hamish Sinnott (D) 2022[23] Camperdown (HFNL)
55 Xavier O'Neill 2024[19] Blackburn (EFNL)
56 Shane Clough (D) 2025[24] Gisborne (BFNL)
57 Noah Scott (D) – Pascoe Vale (EDFL)
58 Jared Eckersley (D) 2022 Pascoe Vale (EDFL)
59 Dayten Uerata (D) – Sandhurst (BFNL)
60 Ryan Brodie (D) 2024[25] Strathmore (EDFL)
61 Riley Leedham (D) – Greenvale (EDFL)
62 Mahmoud Taha (D) 2023[26] Pascoe Vale (EDFL)
63 Oskar Smartt (D) 2024[19] Colac (GFNL)
64 Domanic Akuei 2022 St Mary's (NFNL)
65 Cam Nyko (D) 2024[27] Montmorency (NFNL)

Source: [28][29]
(D) Development list

Playing squad changes

Departures

Player Date Reason New club Ref
Amin Naim 18 October 2024 Club change Northern Bullants [30]
Charlie Bolmat 21 October 2024 Club change Northern Bullants [31]
James Barrat 21 November 2024 AFL drafted St Kilda (AFL) [32]
Ryan Eyre 2 December 2024 Club change Collingwood [33]
Kane Loftus 6 February 2025 VFL departure University Blacks (VAFA) [34]
Noah Caracella 3 March 2025 VFL departure Newtown & Chilwell (GFNL) [35]
Luca Alessio 11 March 2025 VFL departure St Bernard's (VAFA) [36]
Oscar Duncan 11 March 2025 VFL departure [36]
Malik Gordon 11 March 2025 VFL departure Strathfieldsaye (BFNL) [36]
Macca Hallows 11 March 2025 VFL departure Pascoe Vale (EDFL) [36]
Jack Jedwab 11 March 2025 VFL departure Romsey (RDFNL) [36]
Michael Kiraly 11 March 2025 Club change Collingwood [36]

Practice matches

Date and local time Opponent Scores (Essendon's scores indicated in bold) Venue Attendance Ref
Home Away Result
Saturday, 15 February (5:00pm) Footscray 13.12 (90) 11.4 (70) Lost by 20 points Mission Whitten Oval – [37][38]
Tuesday, 24 February Geelong 9.13 (67) 12.12 (84) Won by 17 points GMHBA Stadium – [39]
Saturday, 8 March Collingwood 14.12 (96) 8.13 (61) Won by 35 points NEC Hangar – [40]
Friday, 14 March Box Hill 11.8 (74) 18.7 (115) Lost by 41 points NEC Hangar – [41][42]
Saturday, 12 April Box Hill 8.6 (54) 8.7 (55) Lost by 1 point NEC Hangar – [43][44]

Home-and-away season

Rd Date and local time Opponent Scores (Essendon's scores indicated in bold) Venue Attendance Position Ref
Home Away Result
1 Saturday, 22 March (3:05pm) Williamstown 14.10 (94) 12.11 (83) Won by 11 points NEC Hangar – 7th [45]
2 Saturday, 29 March (11:05am) Werribee 11.12 (78) 7.13 (55) Lost by 23 points NEC Hangar – 12th [46]
3 Bye 14th [47]
4 Saturday, 19 April (7:10pm) Port Melbourne 7.13 (55) 9.17 (71) Won by 16 points ETU Stadium – 10th [48]
5 Saturday, 26 April (7:10pm) Collingwood 12.16 (88) 18.11 (119) Lost by 31 points ETU Stadium – 14th [49]
6 Friday, 2 May (2:05pm) North Melbourne 10.13 (73) 12.11 (83) Lost by 10 points Windy Hill – 15th [50]
7 Saturday, 10 May (11:05am) Sydney 16.11 (107) 5.12 (42) Won by 65 points Windy Hill – 11th [51]
8 Bye 12th
9 Saturday, 24 May (7:10pm) Richmond 10.14 (74) 7.10 (52) Lost by 22 points Kinetic Stadium – 15th
10 Friday, 30 May (12:05pm) Brisbane 18.11 (119) 15.9 (99) Lost by 20 points Brighton Homes Arena – 15th
11 Sunday, 8 June (2:05pm) Carlton 8.6 (54) 10.12 (72) Lost by 18 points Windy Hill – 17th
12 Saturday, 14 June (7:10pm) Casey 17.10 (110) 12.11 (83) Lost by 29 points ETU Stadium –

Ladder

Pos Team Pld W L D PF PA PP Pts
16 Port Melbourne 12 4 7 1 930 902 103.1 18
17 Gold Coast (R) 11 3 7 1 888 954 93.1 14
18 Essendon (R) 11 3 8 0 836 903 92.6 12
19 Sydney (R) 12 2 10 0 751 1130 66.5 8
20 Sandringham 12 1 10 1 787 1147 68.6 6
Updated to match(es) played on 29 June 2025. Source: AFL
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) percentage; 3) number of points for
(R) = Club is the reserves team of a senior club of the Australian Football League

VFLW

Main article: 2025 VFL Women's season

Home-and-away season

Rd Date and local time Opponent Scores (Essendon's scores indicated in bold) Venue Attendance Position Ref.
Home Away Result
1 Saturday, 19 April (4:05pm) Port Melbourne 7.7 (49) 4.6 (30) Lost by 19 points ETU Stadium – 8th
2 Saturday, 26 April (11:05am) Collingwood 10.4 (64) 3.6 (24) Won by 40 points Windy Hill – 4th
3 Saturday, 3 May (11:05am) North Melbourne Werribee 5.5 (35) 4.8 (32) Won by 3 points Windy Hill – 7th
4 Saturday, 10 May (2:35pm) Carlton Windy Hill

Ladder

Pos Team Pld W L D PF PA PP Pts Qualification
5 Williamstown 11 7 4 0 325 296 109.8 28 Finals series
6 Port Melbourne 11 6 4 1 456 303 150.5 26
7 Essendon 11 5 6 0 397 404 98.3 20
8 Darebin 11 5 6 0 288 354 81.4 20
9 Western Bulldogs 11 4 7 0 320 387 82.7 16
Updated to match(es) played on 6 July 2025. Source: AFL
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) percentage; 3) number of points for.


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