Countdown to Round 1, 2026 — Day 8: Essendon Guernsey Number 8

Don TheStat
4 hours ago
2 min read

Day 8 of the Countdown to Round 1, 2026 brings us to the history of Essendon Guernsey Number 8, a jumper that has been worn by Premiership players, prolific goal-kickers, and some of the club’s most durable performers.

The first recorded wearer of number 8 was Billy Griffith, who wore it during the 1911 finals series, the first time Essendon adopted numbered guernseys.

The early decades saw the number shared among short-term wearers before Jimmy Sullivan made it his own, playing 89 games between 1918 and 1924, including Essendon’s 1924 Premiership.

The standout figure of the wartime era was Elton Plummer, who played 141 games from 1934 to 1944, wearing the jumper during the 1942 Premiership.

In the post-war period, Bert Harper and then Ron Evans left their mark. Evans was one of the most lethal forwards to ever wear the number, kicking 210 goals in just 64 games, ranking 9th all-time in VFL/AFL history for goals kicked in guernsey number 8.

The modern era of the jumper was defined by Darren Bewick, who wore number 8 for 238 games, winning Premierships in 1993 and 2000. Bewick ranks 4th in VFL/AFL history for both games played and goals kicked in the number.

After Bewick, Jason Winderlich carried the number through the 2000s and early 2010s, before it passed to Martin Gleeson and then Ben Hobbs.

In 2026, guernsey number 8 will be worn by Brayden Fiorini, who arrives at Essendon having played 123 AFL games, 121 of them in the number during his time at Gold Coast.