Countdown to Round 1, 2026. Day 55: Essendon Guernsey Number 55

With 55 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 55 has been worn by six Essendon players at senior level, appearing intermittently across several eras of the club’s history.

The first Bomber to wear the number was Darryl Gerlach, who played four senior games in 1963 wearing Number 55, before switching to Number 17 the following season.

He was followed by Neville Fields, who wore the jumper for two games in 1969, before moving into Number 1, where he would spend the bulk of his Essendon career.

In 1970, John May appeared in Guernsey Number 55 for three games, kicking one goal, before later switching to Number 21.

The longest-serving wearer of the jumper was Ross Wright, who played nine senior games across the 1973 and 1974 seasons, before moving to Number 29. Wright’s 9 games in Number 55 are actually the most by any player in VFL/AFL history.

The number then reappeared briefly in 1975, worn for a single senior game by Andrew Radchenko, who later wore Number 35.

The most recent appearance of Guernsey Number 55 came in 2016, when Nathan Grima wore the jumper for two games during a season played under extraordinary circumstances, with Essendon relying on top-up players to field a side.

Across its history, Guernsey Number 55 has been worn for 21 senior games, making it a number defined by transition rather than long-term ownership.

Next up: Day 54 and Jumper Number 54.