For the second year in the row, Don The Stat brings you the countdown no one asked for. This year we're counting our way down the 100 Days leading up to our 2025 Opening Round clash against the Gold Coast Suns with our Best 100 Essendon players since 1980.
The criteria is simple. We have judged players on their performances for Essendon since 1980, and discounted what they might have done before then or at other clubs. Someone like Ken Fletcher, who had a stellar career but played 253 of his 264 games for Essendon prior to 1980 didn't make the cut. Nor did great players like Mal Michael and Paul Chapman who played their best footy elsewhere and had mere cameos at the Dons.
So here goes. We'll update this page daily as we go -
Number 100 - Paul Hills
Drafted from North Ballarat as a 16 year old, back in 1988 with Pick Number 93 in the National Draft. We’ve only ever had 6 picks later than Pick 93 in the National Draft, and in this case, not only was he drafted with Pick 93, but he went on to be a member of our 1993 Premiership Team.
Hills was a dashing blonde haired wingman, who made his debut in the Number 49 guernsey in 1991. He played 14 games in his debut season, and then switched to the number 33 guernsey for 1992, playing a further 17 games. And then a second number switch, following Greg Anderson’s defection to the newly formed Adelaide Crows, saw him inherit the Number 11 guernsey and play 20 games as a member of the Baby Bombers Premiership Team.
That 1993 Season was undoubtedly his best, averaging 17.85 disposals on the wing. Although he was arguably somewhat lucky to hold his spot in the Grand Final side, having had just 3 disposals in the Preliminary Final in that comeback win against the Crows. The 1993 Grand Final was just his 51st game, unfortunately for Paul a string of injuries meant he never really recaptured his best and he only played a further 11 games at the senior level. He was delisted at the end of the 1996 season, and redrafted with Pick 66 in the 1996 National Draft.
He failed to add another game to his tally and finished his career with 63 Games, 11 Goals, 7 Brownlow Votes and 1 Premiership Medal.
Number 99 - Mark Bolton
Mark Bolton comes in at 99 in our Countdown, affectionately known as Bolts, having been drafted from the Eastern Ranges with Pick 4 in 1997 Draft, he made his debut as an 18 year old in Round 1 of 1998, a game we lost to the Tigers by 14 points.
Bolton is best remembered for the jobs he did on Adam Goodes. Few players in the AFL had the athleticism to match Goodes around the ground, and if they did, they rarely had the height to match him in the air, and if they had the height, they lacked the ability to stop him at ground level. At 195cm, and one of our best endurance runners, Mark Bolton was one of the few that was successful in reducing Goodes’ impact.
It was a tough side to break into early. He played 4 games in 1998, 2 in 1999 and just 1 in 2000, before becoming a semi-regular in 2001, where he played 12 games including the comeback win against North Melbourne where he kicked an important goal just before half time and played in the Preliminary Final.
A player who was team first, had a tireless work rate and was used in a myriad of roles and positions. He finished his career 2007 having played 124 games, kicked 50 goals and 4 Brownlow Votes, he is now the clubs Chief Strategy Officer.
Jake Carlisle
A Craigieburn and Calder Cannons boy, Jake was drafted to Essendon Pick 24 in the 2009 National Draft. A pick Essendon got as part of the multi-club trade deal that saw Mark Williams lob at Essendon, Shaun Burgoyne get to Hawthorn and Jay Nash go to Port Adelaide, with Geelong also getting involved in pick swaps. He made his debut alongside Stewart Crameri against the Pies in Round 20, 2010. Jake had 8 disposals and kicked a goal in a game the Dons lost by 98 points.
A 200cm Key Position Player, he played at both ends across his Essendon career. Most comfortable down back, his standout game was undoubtedly as a forward. At Docklands in Round 18 of 2014, Jake took 12 marks and kicked 8.2 on his way to 3 Brownlow Votes, in a 7 point win against the Western Bulldogs.
It never really all came together for Jake at Essendon. Not helped of course by being dragged through the saga to end all sagas. Jake was traded to the Saints at the end of 2015 in a 3 way deal with the Swans. It saw Essendon get Craig Bird from the Swans and Pick 5 from the Saints, which became Pick 6 on Draft Night, used to select Aaron Francis. In a twist of fate, the Swans sent Pick 14 to the Saints, who used it to draft current Bomber Jade Gresham.
Jake finished his time at Essendon with 85 games, 54 goals and 12 Brownlow votes, before playing another 66 games at the Saints. Perhaps a case of what might have been, but we’ll always have that game against the Dogs.
Mark Baguley
A mature age recruit from Frankston was taken at Pick 47 in the 2012 Rookie Draft. It wouldn’t take long for him to establish himself as an important cog in our backline, going on to play 134 games and kicking 35 goals in his 8 seasons with the Bombers.
He had a big impact as a lock-down small defender. One of those players that you can rely on to do their role without fuss and allow more aggressive players to get off the chain up the field. Feels like someone both his teammates and opponents would have respected - he would have been a perfect Kevin Sheedy player in eras gone-by, he was the "back pocket plumber version 2".
Mark later managed to reinvent himself as a dangerous small forward, going at better than a goal a game in his last two years. His career ended in 2019 and included a second play finish in the 2011 Best & Fairest.
Heath Hocking
A player that epitomises the words Hard and Loyal when it comes to Essendon Footballers. He was taken with pick 20 of the 2006 Rookie Draft and made his AFL debut the following year. He managed to cement his position in his third season and would play 126 games and kick 45 goals in his 11 year career.
The perception of him was as a tagger/lock down type, but he was often capable of more than just that negating role - for a few years there was basically second to Jobe Watson in that inside midfield spot. And he was handy around goals, he wasn’t a player opposition teams could ignore at forward stoppages.
A couple of points demonstrated just what a great Essendon person Heath Hocking is. Firstly, he was the first of the suspended players to recommit to the club during that 2016 season. And secondly, after he was delisted at the end of 2017, he signed up to play for the VFL and help the younger players at the club develop their game.
Heath finished his career on 126 games, kicked 45 goals and collected 8 Brownlow Votes. The most memorable of those 45 goals, the match winner in our 3 point victory over the Pies in Round 23, 2015.
Tom Bellchambers
Drafted from the Apple Isle, taken with pick 8 of the 2007 Pre-Season draft, Tom Bellchambers would debut for the Bombers in the 2008 season, going on to play 136 games over the next 12 years, kicking 77 goals.
Tom often comes up in conversion for a game he didn’t play, rather than those he did. As a then 20 year old Bellchambers was left out of our Elimination Final side against Adelaide in 2009, a game David Hille was injured for and Paddy Ryder suspended.
Unfortunately for Tom, he often played with niggles and never played a full season - 20 games was his best in 2018. But, when he was fit and on the park, he was rarely beaten and that ability to be a threat forward meant that his opponents never could ignore him.
He was a warrior.
Courtenay Dempsey
Drafted from Mt Isa, taken with pick 19 in the 2005 draft. Dempsey featured in only 10 AFL games across his first three seasons, but broke out in 2009 and would go on to play 133 games and kicking 35 goals across 11 seasons at the Dons.
That pick 19 came to us from the Sydney Swans in a trade for Ted Richards. A player even to this day is much loved by Dons fans. A late convert to Aussie Rules than most of his draft cohort, Dempsey spent most of his junior years playing Rugby League. A dashing half back who was a key player in our ball movement in the years that he was in the side.
Unfortunately injury struck him down in the peak of his powers - the ACL he did against Carlton in 2011 broke a streak of three years where he’d been a consistent and important member of the side. He was one of two ACL injuries that day, with Jason Winderlich also going down in the draw against Carlton.
Jason Winderlich
At 93 is Jason Winderlich. A player that was drafted from Gippsland Power via Thorpdale, with the Number 11 pick in the 2002 Draft. Having been a childhood Essendon fan and coached by Darren Bewick at the Power, he wore the number 8 guernsey that his former coach wore, in 129 games, kicking 83 goals between 2003 and 2015.
Speed, skill and a creative player in front of goal, we never quite got to see Jason at his best for long enough.
Be it hamstring, knee or back injuries, in 13 seasons he managed to play double-figure games in just 6 of those and never more than 19 in a season. Those injuries woes extended post-career, having suffered a spinal injury in 2024 whilst playing for his local club, Thorpdale.
