Countdown to Round 1, 2026. Day 46: Essendon Guernsey Number 46

With 46 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 46 has been worn by nine Essendon players at senior level, often serving as a starting point before players transitioned into more permanent numbers.

The first Bomber to wear the number was Vic Papp, who played one senior game in 1968. The jumper appeared sporadically through the following decades, worn by William Berry in 1975 and David Johnston in 1987, with Johnston playing 11 games.

In the mid-1990s, Gary Moorcroft wore Number 46 across 1995 and 1997, playing 12 senior games and kicking seven goals, before later becoming a cult figure wearing Number 29.

The number was worn extensively in the early 2010s by Mark Baguley, who played 28 senior games between 2012 and 2013 before switching numbers and going on to play more than 100 AFL games. Orazio Fantasia also began his career in Number 46, playing eight games across 2014 and 2015, before moving to Number 13.

Shorter appearances followed from Tom Jok in 2019 and Mitchell Hibberd in 2020.

The most recent and current wearer of Guernsey Number 46 is Lachlan Blakiston, who debuted in 2025, playing 11 senior games and kicking one goal. Blakiston will continue wearing the jumper into 2026.

Across its history, Guernsey Number 46 has been worn for 80 senior games, making it a number closely associated with early opportunity and career progression.

Next up: Day 45 and Guernsey Number 45.