The ‘bounty’ of picks that could help cashed-up Bombers rise
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Essendon is set to ask the AFL for an assistance package and likely a priority pick in the 2026 draft, according to Footy Classified’s Cal Twomey.
It comes as the Bombers tick over the 12-month mark since their last win in Victoria, leading to the sacking of coach Brad Scott.
Essendon players leave the field in Perth. Getty
The club hasn’t won a final since 2004, but also won 11 games as recently as 2023 and 2024 and has been smashed by an injury crisis since.
The AFL’s most recent assistance package went to West Coast last year, granting them four additional rookie list spots and a top 20 pick in the 2025 draft, which they traded as part of landing Brisbane premiership defender Brandon Starcevich.
Before that, North Melbourne in 2022 and 2023 received similar assistance and Gold Coast was handed the ultimate package in 2019, granting them the No.1 pick in the draft which they used to select 2025 Brownlow Medallist Matt Rowell.
“Essendon has started negotiations with the AFL to get an assistance package for this year, which would be historic for that football club,” Twomey told Nine’s Footy Classified.
“They have never previously gone to the AFL for that, but the Bombers are having open talks with the AFL and are expected to make an official submission later this year.
“I expect their request to look similar to what West Coast was given last year.
“If Essendon doesn’t win another game this year, they will have won 18 of their past 69 games. They’re also expected to lean on the fact that they haven’t won a final in 22 years.”
Twomey explained that with the AFL changing the draft rules to award an end of first round pick to teams inside the top five who are shuffled down by an academy bid, and the potential trading of Zach Merrett and Jordan Ridley, Essendon could enter the 2026 draft with a significant draft haul.
The Bombers refused to trade both Merrett (to Hawthorn) and Ridley (to Brisbane) last season, but both are expected to push their way out again at the end of the year.
Essendon's hypothetical draft hand. Nine
“I think they would look for an end of first round pick as part of this package. If they have pick one and bid on Dougie Cochrane, that would trigger an end of first round pick for them. Then, if they get the assistance package as well, I expect that to be an end of first round pick,” Twomey said.
“Then this is the other part. If you trade Zach Merrett and Jordan Ridley, you get two more top picks inside the 25, they could walk into the draft with something like pick 2, pick 16 (Merrett trade), pick 19 (priority pick), pick 20 (matched bid), pick 21 (second round pick) and pick 25 (Ridley trade). That would be a bounty of six picks inside the top 25.”
When asked if Essendon deserved a priority pick on Wednesday morning, club legend Tim Watson was firmly against it.
“Where you find yourself is because of your own poor administration and your own poor handling of your footy club,” Watson told SEN.
“That’s what you pay the penalty for. I’m not for clubs getting assistance under this guise. You make your bed and you lie in it in life.”
Western Bulldogs champion Nathan Brown agrees, telling Footy Classified he believes Essendon hasn’t been down the bottom long enough to warrant AFL assistance.
“I don’t think so. This is one of the original big four clubs. Their lowest finishing position on the ladder since 2017 is 15th,” Brown said on Tuesday night.
“Their position is nothing like North Melbourne or West Coast’s. I don’t see how they get an assistance package out of the AFL. I don’t like it.”
Former Collingwood president Eddie McGuire disagrees however, saying it’s in the AFL’s best interest to help the Bombers up off the canvas.
“I think they need an assistance package. They’re too important to the competition. They’re too important to the next television rights deal coming up,” McGuire said.
“To be honest, just out of fairness to their supporters as well. It’s been a generational thing now. They copped their whack of the supplement saga and I think now it’s time to draw a line under these things.
“If I was president of Collingwood and it came to me, I would vote in favour of Essendon receiving an assistance package.
“The whole thing is about equalisation. Big clubs have been forking out for years for small clubs to survive and Essendon has been signing those cheques. It’s their turn for the competition to go ‘righto, enough, we’ll give you a hand out of the gutter’.”
Essendon adding six picks inside the top 25 to their core of young players would set them up nicely, given they took three players inside the top 15 last year with Sullivan Robey, Jacob Farrow and Dyson Sharp.
Nate Caddy of the Bombers frustrated after a loss. AFL Photos via Getty Images
Add them to Nate Caddy, Archie Roberts, Isaac Kako and Sam Durham, who look like quality long-term pieces and the No.1 pick in the mid-season draft Jaxon Artemis, who joined the club in May.
Scott made the revelation after his sacking that the Bombers have over $3m in salary cap space to utilise in upcoming trade and free agency discussions. That will only grow if Ridley and Merrett depart.
They likely won’t want to cash in draft picks for big money trade targets, but certainly could if the right situation presented itself.
They have 13 players out of contract to manage, none of whom would command a large chunk of that money.
As revealed by The Age, three former first round picks are out of contract at Essendon in Archie Perkins, Nik Cox and Elijah Tsatas.
Others of note include Jade Gresham, Jaxon Prior, Matt Guelfi, Saad El-Hawli, Tom Edwards and Jayden Ngyuen.
Essendon interim coach Dean Solomon. Getty
None of either group are moving the needle long term at Tullamarine.
Essendon won’t begin the hunt for their next senior coach until after their bye, with reports suggesting they want to let things settle following Scott’s dismissal.
Club legend James Hird has put his hat in the ring for the job, but the No.1 target will likely be Sydney premiership coach John Longmire.
Twomey believes Longmire, who stepped away from the Swans following the 2024 grand final loss, has found the spark to coach once again.
“It looks much more likely than it did 12 months ago. You speak to people around John Longmire who have seen his appetite to get back into coaching grow and grow and grow,” Twomey said.
“A year ago that wasn’t the case. Six months ago I think he would’ve needed his arm to be twisted, now I think the appetite is definitely there and he definitely wants to get back into an AFL club to be a senior coach. It’s just about the right fit.”
SEN reported in June that Longmire is among the candidates Carlton is also keen to chat to.
The Blues already have their coaching panel set up and will likely have a month’s headstart on the Bombers.
The two teams will meet on Sunday night, with caretaker coaches Dean Solomon and Josh Fraser at the helm.
