Countdown to Round 1, 2026. Day 44: Essendon Guernsey Number 44

With 44 days to go until Essendon’s Round 1 clash against Hawthorn, Don The Stat continues its daily countdown through the club’s guernsey history.

Guernsey Number 44 has been worn by nine Essendon players, appearing consistently across more than fifty years of the club’s history.

The first Bomber to wear the number was Len Halley, who played 35 senior games between 1970 and 1973. The jumper then became a regular fixture in the early 1980s with Justin Madden, who wore Number 44 for 45 senior games from 1980 to 1982.

In the late 1980s, the number became associated with the early career of Gary O’Donnell, who played 46 senior games in Guernsey Number 44 between 1987 and 1989, before switching numbers and later becoming a 1993 Premiership player and club captain.

Another future Premiership player, Steven Alessio, wore Number 44 briefly in 1992, playing five senior games, before switching numbers and going on to be part of Essendon’s 2000 Premiership team.

In the modern era, Tom Bellchambers wore the jumper from 2008 to 2012, playing 43 senior games, before the number passed to Shaun McKernan, who became the longest-serving Essendon player in Number 44, with 53 games and 51 goals between 2015 and 2020.

The most recent and current wearer of Guernsey Number 44 is Archer Day-Wicks, who debuted in 2025, playing five senior games, and will continue wearing the number into 2026.

Across its history, Guernsey Number 44 has been worn for 234 senior games, with the jumper often forming an important early chapter in players’ Essendon careers.

Next up: Day 43 and Guernsey Number 43.