Essendon’s epic waste of draft blessings exposed by fresh cull
The blowtorch is on Essendon’s disastrous list management and the environment at the club, after former No.5 draft pick Elijah Tsatas was delisted.
Tsatas, a first-round pick in the 2022 AFL draft, was one of five players offloaded in the Bombers’ first round of list cuts, along with Matt Guelfi, Jade Gresham, Saad El-Hawli and Liam McMahon.
Essendon has delisted former No.5 draft pick Elijah Tsatas. Getty Images
It ends a disappointing tenure for Tsatas in the red and black guernsey, managing just 22 appearances across his four seasons with the club.
His departure shines further light on Essendon’s long-standing draft issues.
Let’s narrow our focus on the drafts of 2020-2022. For the long-suffering Essendon faithful, it makes for grim reading.
As COVID-19 gripped the AFL and the world, the Bombers – who have infamously not won a final in 22 years, and only played in the playoffs a few times during that period – had a golden opportunity to begin a long climb back up the ladder.
That plumb chance was courtesy of a flurry of first-round draft selections.
Across the drafts that spanned 2020 to 2022, they picked up five top-15 picks.
In 2020, the Bombers drafted Nik Cox (pick No.8), Archie Perkins (pick No.9) and Zach Reid (pick No.10). In 2021, they snapped up Ben Hobbs with pick No.13. And in 2022, they got Tsatas with pick No.5.
Yet only one of those players can be considered a lock for AFL selection in round one of the 2027 season in key defender Reid.
Cox and Perkins both found themselves stuck in the VFL at various points throughout the 2026 season, and neither are yet contracted for 2027.
Hobbs was delisted this time last year and Tsatas is following suit this year.
It’s also worth noting three of the top-five vote-getters for this year’s VFL best and fairest used to have playing ties to the Bombers.
Hobbs and Trent Mynott were AFL-listed players with Essendon, and Joel Fitzgerald was part of the Bombers’ VFL program.
The delisting of Tsatas is yet another blow to the legacy of former long-time Bombers list boss Adrian Dodoro, who handed over the reins to Matt Rosa after the 2023 draft.
Former long-time Essendon list boss Adrian Dodoro. Getty Images
Dodoro, a life member of the club, spent the best part of 30 years at Essendon. His time in red and black ended in the hands of the Fair Work Commission, with the exiled list boss and the club he served for 27 years reaching a settlement.
Of course, though, the failings of Essendon’s draft work is not only a reflection of terrible list management, but coaching and culture at Tullamarine.
If the departing Tsatas had landed at Geelong, Collingwood, Hawthorn or Brisbane in his draft year, would he still find himself on the AFL scrap heap, or would he be thriving in a well-oiled machine?
The Bombers’ plight runs deep.
They picked up the wooden spoon this year in a two-win season, their fans have seen them win only once in Melbourne since round 12 of last season, Brad Scott was sacked in May, the young talent on their books is nothing to write home about, and former captain Zach Merrett will likely again try to get to Hawthorn in next month’s trade period.
Nate Caddy, who in July re-signed with the Bombers until the end of 2031, is a sublime talent of the future, but all clubs have at least a young gun or two.
Essendon’s recent draft-hand luxuries could have returned the club to the upper rungs of the ladder.
Instead, the AFL giant that is Essendon is still sleeping in the cellar.
Zach Merrett’s future is up in the air. Getty Images
How long until the giant wakes up?
On a positive note, the Bombers scored three players in the top 15 in last year’s draft – Sullivan Robey (No.9), Jacob Farrow (No.10) and Dyson Sharp (No.13) – and have the coveted No.1 pick this year.
They will also get an extra first-round pick if Merrett is traded to the Hawks.
As always, intriguing times at Essendon as they welcome Mark McVeigh as head coach after he beat out club icon James Hird for the role.
