Countdown to Round 1, 2026 — Day 3: Essendon Guernsey Number 3

Day 3 of the Countdown to Round 1, 2026 brings us to Essendon Guernsey Number 3, a jumper inseparable from greatness.

The first Essendon player to wear number 3 was Len Bowe, who wore it in 1911, when jumper numbers were first introduced. Bowe later became a premiership player, but the number’s true identity was forged in the decades that followed.

Norm Beckton made number 3 a leadership jumper, playing 154 games, captaining Essendon, winning the 1928 Best & Fairest, and being part of the 1923 and 1924 premiership teams.

Then came Dick Reynolds.

Reynolds wore number 3 for 319 games, winning three Brownlow Medals, seven Crichton Medals, captaining the club, coaching Essendon to multiple premierships, and becoming an Australian Football Hall of Fame Legend. No player has ever owned a number more completely.

The modern era belonged to Paul Salmon, who played 209 games in the jumper, kicked 509 goals, and starred in two premierships.

Today, Darcy Parish continues the lineage, having passed 165 games and firmly establishing himself as one of Essendon’s core players.

Milestone players in Guernsey 3

50+ games 

John Gill (75), Aaron Henneman (58)

150+ games 

Norm Beckton (154), Darcy Parish (165)

200+ games 

Paul Salmon (209)

300+ games 

Dick Reynolds (319)

Next up: Day 2 and Essendon Guernsey Number 2.