Essendon Bombers AFL 2025 Team Preview, Predictions & Player Movement

Jeremy Darke

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Last updated: 19 Feb 2025

Jeremy Darke 19 Feb 2025

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Essendon projected to finish 15th in 2025 AFL season.
Bombers facing a tough strength of schedule in 2025.
Loss of Jake Stringer going to impact an already poor goal kicking side.

Essendon Bombers predicted to finish 15th in the 2025 AFL season. (Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

Essendon Bombers AFL 2025 Team Preview, Predictions & Player Movement

Essendon Bombers AFL 2025 Team Preview, Predictions & Player Movement
Where the Essendon Bombers finish in 2025: 15
Projected Win total: 9
Best Contender for Brownlow Medal: Zach Merrett
What’s to like
What’s NOT to like
Essendon Bombers Offseason Player Movement
Essendon Bombers Predicted Round 1 Squad

Where the Essendon Bombers finish in 2025: 15

Things looked surprisingly promising for the Bombers in 2024 but their schedule caught up with them. Essendon were sitting in the top four until round 17 and ended up 11th by the end of the year.

Strength of schedule is not to be overlooked and it was very luring for Essendon hopefuls in 2024 with the Bombers only beating three top-eight sides all season, despite being in the top echelon of teams for two-thirds of the year.

This season can be much of the same, a little easier start then it gets tough with Essendon facing the sixth hardest schedule of any team when looking at the whole year.

Projected Win total: 9

Wins may come thick and fast early for the Bombers but then they will be few and far between the longer the season goes, just to keep breaking the hearts of die-hard Essendon fans.

The Bombers overachieved on their Pythagorean expectation last year with 11 wins but they will fall back to the mean with nine wins at best in 2025.

Best Contender for Brownlow Medal: Zach Merrett

Coming into his third season as captain of the Essendon Football Club, Zach Merritt has become an all-time great for the Bombers. Merritt is the fourth man in club history to win five Crichton Medals as the club’s Best & Fairest and was unlucky not to take All-Australian honours in 2024.

What’s to like

The Bombers are solely focused on developing their group that is within the club and picking up future stars as draft picks.

From an organisational point of view Essendon are putting their faith in the future and they are not expecting to contend in 2025 but are building towards success.

What’s NOT to like

The trade of Jake Stringer is going to be a tough void to fill for the Bombers with the group they have and will now rely on developing players to kick goals with Nate Caddy and Archie Perkins expected to see an increased role inside 50.

The Bombers were a below average goal kicking side in 2024 and with Stringer gone they are expected to suffer in that department again in 2025.

Essendon Bombers Offseason Player Movement

Angus Clarke (No.39 draft pick), Archer Day-Wicks (Rookie Draft), Kayle Gerreyn (No.37 draft pick), Zak Johnson (No.70 draft pick), Isaac Kako (No.13 draft pick, Academy), Jayden Nguyen (Category B rookie), Jaxon Prior (SSP), Rhys Unwin (No.61 draft pick)

OUT

Kaine Baldwin (delisted), Jayden Davey (delisted), Dyson Heppell (retired), Nick Hind (delisted), Jaiden Hunter (delisted), Jake Kelly (retired), Jake Stringer (trade, Greater Western Sydney), Tex Wanganeen (delisted), Sam Weideman (delisted)