Countdown to Round 1, 2026. Day 40: Essendon Guernsey Number 40

With 40 days to go until Essendon’s Round 1 clash with Hawthorn, Don The Stat continues its daily countdown through the club’s guernsey history.

Guernsey Number 40 has been worn by 15 Essendon players, gradually transforming from a short-term jumper into one with strong modern ownership.

The first Bomber to wear the number was John Booth, who played two senior games in 1963. In the years that followed, the jumper was worn by players including John Fanning, Wayne Headlam, and Hugh Delahunty, with Delahunty playing 46 games between 1971 and 1973, the longest tenure in the number during the early era.

Across the 1980s and 1990s, Number 40 was worn intermittently by players such as Trevor Spencer, Paul Hamilton, and Adrian Burns, before entering its most stable period in the 21st century.

That stability arrived with Ben Howlett, who wore Guernsey Number 40 from 2010 to 2015 and again in 2017, playing 124 senior games and kicking 58 goals. Howlett’s durability and leadership firmly defined the jumper.

He was followed by Will Snelling, who wore the number from 2019 to 2023, playing 64 games and kicking 28 goals, further embedding Number 40 into Essendon’s modern lineup.

More recently, Tex Wanganeen wore the jumper in 2022, before Zak Johnson debuted in the number in 2025 and continues to wear it into 2026.

Milestone players in Guernsey Number 40

• 50+ games  Will Snelling (64 games)

• 100+ games  Ben Howlett (124 games)

Guernsey Number 40 now stands as a modern-era staple — shaped by consistency, role clarity, and long-term ownership.

Next up: Day 39 and Guernsey Number 39.