Another bloody draft ranking? Yes. But this one comes from watching full games and player-involvement vision, testing what actually makes a junior prospect likely to succeed at AFL level. This is my final Top 30 for the 2026 AFL National Draft, not a phantom draft, and not an attempt to predict the order in which clubs will call names. With Essendon holding Pick 1 and further selections expected later in the draft, there is an obvious Bombers lens to parts of this discussion

With 27 days to go until Essendon’s Round 1 clash with Hawthorn, Don The Stat continues its daily countdown through Essendon’s guernsey history. Guernsey Number 27 stands as one of the most iconic numbers in Essendon history, worn by Premiership players across multiple eras and defined by one of the greatest individual careers the club has seen. The number was first worn by Frank Caine in 1912–1913 , across 17 games . Caine was a member of Essendon’s 1912 Premiership side