What This Week Reminded Me About Essendon

It has been a tough week to be an Essendon supporter.

That probably is not a controversial statement.

Another loss. More injuries. A week dominated by headlines, debate and strong opinions. The departure of Brad Scott. Questions about the future. Questions about the past. Questions about everything in between.

For those who know me well, it will come as no surprise that I have been quite reflective this week. What surprised me was how much it affected me.

Ten years ago, I am not sure I would have felt it the same way. I probably would have rolled my eyes, shrugged my shoulders and moved on. Football was important to me then, but it occupied a different place in my life.

This week, I found myself trying to understand why it felt different.

And I think I finally worked it out.

Don The Stat Started As Something For Us

When Ian and I started Don The Stat back in 2022, it was a pretty simple idea.

We wanted to talk about football the way we liked talking about football.

We wanted to go deeper than the headlines. We wanted to explore the tactics, the strategy and the numbers behind the game. We wanted to scratch our own itch.

There were already plenty of talented people creating Essendon content. We just felt there was room for something a little different. At the start, it was really just for us.

Then something unexpected happened.

People started listening. Not only that, they started telling us that the show was helping them enjoy football more. Helping them understand what was happening on the field. Helping them reconnect with the game and, in some cases, reconnect with the club itself.

That was never part of the original plan.

But it changed everything.

The Community Became The Best Part

Over time, Don The Stat became much bigger than the two of us talking footy.

It became a community.

One of the great privileges of my life has been getting to know so many Essendon supporters and hearing their stories.

People like Rick Edwards, who grew up around the corner from Windy Hill and has red and black running through his veins. People like Andrew, who experienced the glory years of the 1990s and is now trying to navigate the modern Essendon experience alongside his son Abraham, who has not seen many wins but loves the club just as fiercely.

People like Taz, whose heart might be bigger than the entire MCG.

People like Biff, living in the United States, who somehow found Essendon, or Essendon found him, and adopted the club with a passion that rivals supporters who have spent their entire lives in Melbourne.

People like Toby in Sweden and Dave in the Netherlands, setting alarms at ridiculous hours to watch games live.

People like Gail, who finally attended her first Anzac Day match this year and experienced it with the excitement and wonder of a kid on Christmas morning.

People like Craig, who grew up hearing stories about John Coleman from his father and inherited his love for the club the same way many of us did.

Different ages. Different backgrounds. Different countries. Different life experiences.

All connected by the red sash that runs across our chest.

Why This Week Felt Different

The longer I sat with my thoughts this week, the more I realised that my feelings had less to do with coaching appointments, board decisions or ladder positions.

Those things matter. Of course they do, we're all desperate for success. We all want our club back winning finals.

But that's not the whole story.

What affected me most was knowing how many people were hurting.

Some are hurting because of the results.

Some are hurting because they disagree with decisions that have been made.

Some are hurting because they are worried about what comes next.

Some are simply exhausted after years of disappointment and uncertainty.

For all the debate around coaches, players and administrators, the club is ultimately about people. It is about the generations of supporters who have invested their time, energy, emotion and identity into the Essendon Football Club.

That is what I think I have come to appreciate far more over the last few years than I ever did before.

Essendon is bigger than any coach.

Bigger than any player.

Bigger than the win/loss of any single season.

The Next Chapter

The reality is that nobody knows exactly what comes next.

There will be more debate. More uncertainty. More opinions.

There always are.

We all have different emotions right now, some of us are sad, some of us are pleased, there needs to be room for all of that, and everything in between.

But if there is one thing this week has reinforced for me, it is that the strength of this football club has never come solely from what happens inside the four walls.

It comes from the people who care about it.

The people who keep turning up.

The people who keep believing.

The people who keep supporting.

That is why I feel determined to keep fronting up. To keep supporting. To keep contributing in whatever small way I can.

I genuinely believe supporters can have an impact.

I believe the environment we create around this young playing group matters.

And I believe that if we can stay united through the difficult moments, we all get the chance to be part of the chapter that follows.

Our Essendon stories aren't finished yet, and one day, when success eventually comes again, we get to add another chapter.

That's what this club really is.

A collection of people and their stories.

Despite everything that has happened this week, I am still proud to be part of it.

And blow are just some of the reasons why. 🖤❤️

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Sarah Nutbean - From Simon Madden to My Daughters: A Lifetime in Red and Black

I was born into it, really. Mum was Richmond, Dad was Essendon, and Dad had us dressed up in Bombers gear before we had much say in the matter. To be fair, he always told us we could go for whoever we wanted, but then he’d add, “Daddy goes to see the Bombers.” So basically, if you wanted to go to the footy with Dad, it was Bombers or nothing. Top tier emotional manipulation, honestly.

I was already basically a Bomber, but when I was three I officially brokered a lifelong deal in exchange for the promise of a Simon Madden guernsey. And here I am. Deal honoured.

And honestly, what a deal. I’m 46, so despite the last 20 years, I’ve had the good stuff. The Baby Bombers. The 93 prelim comeback, sitting among Adelaide supporters calling out slaughter over and over until the game turned on its head and my brother got to call it back while I laughed beside him. Then the next week we beat Carlton in a Grand Final, which is about as good as football gets.

Then there was the 2000 team, which was basically football perfection. Hird doing Hird things. Lloydy leading out. Long, Mercuri, and that whole ridiculous side. And around all of it, the names that made being a Bomber feel massive: Wanganeen, Salmon, Harvey, Bewick, Fletcher, Misiti, Lucas. Too many to mention, really. All these players who somehow become part of your life in this ridiculous way, like you know them, even though obviously you absolutely do not.

Some of my favourite Essendon memories are quieter ones too. Going to Windy Hill, not far from where Dad grew up in Strathmore, where he was lucky enough as a kid to get lifts home from some of his Bomber heroes after training. It was never just football. It was Dad’s childhood, then mine, and now my girls’.

And now my girls have their own ones. Heppell, Tippa, Drapes, and now Kako and Duzz. They love them in the same ridiculous way I loved mine, and that is one of my favourite things of all.

Some of my best memories are Essendon memories, but really they’re Dad memories. Watching every game with him by my side. The car rides, the replays, the endless talking about our beloved team, and how every young player was definitely going to be a star. Always hopeful. Then shattered. Then somehow hopeful again by Tuesday.

Now I’ve got my own girls in the sash, somehow cheerful and die hard despite only knowing the last 11 years of Essendon, which honestly should qualify them for some kind of resilience award. They’ve done Auskick at half time, been to clinics at The Hangar, and one of them even ran out with Heppell before a game while Dad and I watched from the boundary. Just magic.

Dad passed away last year, the day after Dreamtime. Mum had passed two years before him, and he was pretty lost after that. I’d got him listening to Don The Stat, and it gave him something. A bit of sense, a bit of comfort, and a voice of reason when the football itself was sometimes hard to watch but still impossible to miss.

Footy feels more hollow now. I miss watching every game with him by my side. I miss ringing Dad and talking absolute nonsense about the Dons for far too long. I miss sarcastically thanking him for making me a lifelong Essendon supporter, usually after another deeply character building loss.

But mostly I’m grateful. For Dad. For the sash. For Windy Hill. For the Baby Bombers. For 2000. For all the players we loved, and all the ridiculous hope this club keeps dragging out of us.

Because despite everything, and I do mean everything, I love the Bombers. They’ve given me frustration, heartbreak, excitement, joy, and some of the best memories of my life. And now they’re giving me memories with my girls too.

Matt - A legacy that starts with his great grandad donning the sash

My great grandpa, Ramsey Anderson, played the 28 games across 1910 and 1911 but missed the 1911 finals series. Family on Dad’s side have been Bombers ever since.

Gary - The Man Who Named His Daughter Essie

Kind of find myself fortunate that Leon Baker worked for my Dad when he came over from WA as a brickies labourer.

The old man was Essendon, so he would let me go to work with him on occasions and fair dinkum I'd just follow him around starry eyed.

My first game of footy was the 84 GF and my second was the 85 GF.

I thought thats what happened after you won games, you got a giant trophy.

84 my favourite game and I can still commentate word for word the Ch7 broadcast of that last quarter. Its like singing the greatest song.

From there was hooked and from about 87 we went religiously, Ive missed only two finals since 1988, and probably a handful of games a year since then also.

After 93 GF, some mates caught train into city to meet me at the MCG and we all went back to Essendon and we slept in the Windy Hill scoreboard

From 96-2007 I was part of the pre-match entertainment for Grand Finals, so when 2000 came round I ditched my duties and was a wee bit blind before the game, so I ran over to the banner and held it up even though cheer squad was dirty on me. I then proceeded to run through after the team and do the run-throughs. Small sprints, pushups the whole deal whilst all my mates were pissing themselves on the sidelines. No one was none the wiser.

My daughters name is Essie and is named after the team and I always said if I had a son I'd name him Don, so I could have Ess n Don..

But alas, I have only the one child.

And I wish for nothing more than to watch a flag with her.

Craig - The Best Part of Essendon Was Sharing It With Dad

My Essendon journey started through my dad, who grew up a massive Essendon supporter, thanks to former players like John Coleman. He made sure I became an Essendon supporter.

My first memories were going to the footy with my dad, especially in the late 90s. It’s the one passion we got to share together and still did up until last.

Going to the football as a kid was a treat for me, as I didn’t get to go as much as I would like early on. My dad had a hobby of showing dogs on the weekend, which unfortunately took up most of our weekends. When we did go to the football, however, we mostly went to games at Waverley Park. I grew up in Ferntree Gully, so Waverley Park was only 20 mins away and easy to get to. As most would know, the carpark was a pain to get out of, so we would park just off Jells Road and walk the rest of the way. The first game I remember going to was the 1993 Night Grand Final (at Waverley). The funny thing is the only thing I remember was the fireworks. I was only a 5-year-old at the time, and I’ve been told I slept through the whole game. After that, my next clear memory (for obvious reasons) was the game in 1996 against st kilda at Waverley. As many would know, it was the night the lights went out. I just remember the lights going out and then trying to weave our way in the dark through the stands and carpark, which was hard to see at night, even during the best of times. As I said, I didn’t get to many games as a kid, but the one game we went to every year was the Hawthorn game. My grandparents were both Hawthorn supporters, which unfortunately led to my sister becoming a Hawthorn supporter herself. That was the one game we would go to as a family every year. The good thing about that was it was a game that we would always seem to win. At least that was the case back in the mid to late 90s . As much as I didn’t get to many as a kid, I still enjoyed that time. It was one of the best eras in the club’s history. The players I grew up watching from Michael Long, Wanganeen, Hird, Fletcher, Lloyd, Lucas, Misiti, Mecuri, Dean Rioli, and Jason Johnson, who became my favourite player, the list goes on and on, and one of the main reasons it was a pleasure and a privilege to follow the Essendon Football Club during that time.

Also to add to that, the 2000 year and the 2000 Grand Final, which was probably the biggest highlight for me. Even though I didn’t get to the game, I’ll never forget it. Also, I’ll never forget, I was in grade 6 and I remember getting a premiership t-shirt and proudly wearing it to school the Monday after.

That 2000 year and probably the comeback game against north 2001 the biggest memories and highlights of my childhood.

What keeps me coming back, well what kept me coming back initially, was my dad, his love for the club and our want to support the club during and post-Saga. So in 2013, we both decided to get memberships. And we both went to almost every home game together for the next 12 years, before my dad, due to his health, has been unable to attend. I personally still come back because despite everything, I love the club for good and bad. I also love that we have an amazing group of people who meet up pre-game at Goat Bar and Founders and throughout the year to watch interstate games at the pub, which has made the tough times of going to the footy so much more bearable. So thanks you guys Jono and Ian for creating such a great community 🙏

The modern players I love, Martin obviously, McGrath, Durham, Caddy, Kako, Roberts, SEH, ADW, and loving the new kids in Robey, Farrow, Sharp, Kondo. Also, can’t forget my boy Vigo who I think if he can get over his current injury setbacks and continues to develop the right way, he could be a good player for us.

Lastly, despite everything that’s been going on recently, I do still believe the club is on the right track, due to the kids we have drafted thanks to Rosa and co. They continue to give me soo much hope for the future, with their passion and drive to want to make this club better and whoever the club chooses for its next coach, they will have a great bunch of kids ready to put in the work to make this club, the club we want it to be again.

Natalie - I love this club with all my heart

My Dad donned the sash for a couple of years in the 70’s. As a kid growing up in the late 80’s early 90’s, I made him take me to as many games as possible.

He spent a considerable amount of his time trying to stop me yelling…and while I’m older and somewhat calmer, he still occasionally tells me to be quiet. It’s our father/daughter time together and something I’ll always cherish. We’ve seen 4 premierships together and I’d love him to be able to share that exhilarating experience with my 12 year old nephew.

My best friend since primary school and I have attended every Melbourne game since we were allowed to catch the bus from Nunawading station to Waverley Park and the train to Richmond station. We anticipate that we’ll be still attending games well into our 80’s 🤞 I love this club with all my heart…but doesn’t mean I have to like the decisions that it makes.

I hope that calm cool heads prevail in this next era of the club.

Matt Pocock - More Than a Football Club, Bigger Than Ourselves

Essendon is part of my identity; you might say it’s in my blood. My earliest memory, I can remember having a very small woollen Essendon guernsey with number 32 when I was about 4. I thought it was my Timmy Watson jumper, but given its age, it may have been a Barry Davis jumper. From then on, I’ve always loved the red sash.

I grew up in an Essendon area, and a healthy era for the club, so barracking for Essendon was great.

My first game: Round 10, 1997, against Footscray; we lost. Actually, the first 3 games I went to, we lost (ANZAC Day and Geelong in 98).

I’d go to the footy with my mum from Essendon train station, and we’d meet our family friends on the train. It was a ritual that I now miss, the family friends were huge fans of the club for many years, and are with us no longer. I miss those days.

My first memory that I really remember loving - watching Matty Lloyd kick 13 against Sydney (to this day, I love seeing the Swans in white shorts, probably because of that). I was absolutely captivated at the high marking, and the goals coming from everywhere. He’s probably the reason my passion and obsession grew exponentially. I wore out any old VHS tapes we had of Essendon games, at one stage I could recite the commentary from the 93 grand final word for word. It was a happy time.

1999 was great, though heartbreaking. I remember a lot of great games that year, watching Mark Mercuri mesmerise opponents, and a young Dean Rioli burst into the scene. I was so sure we’d win the flag, and then we all know what happened. My Carlton supporting sister was a bees appendage away from finding her own way home from Richmond station.

2000 was unreal, and unfortunately I was too young to really appreciate how good it was. The season started early because of the Olympics, which, for me, was like Christmas. I went to the first game at the new Colonial Stadium, and knew from there we were going to be hard to beat, after the devastation of 99. I remember Longy kicking 5 goals in the last quarter to beat the Crows, and the team playing the most scintillating footy you could play.

Which leads me to my favourite Essendon game, the 2000 qualifying final. To this day (bias aside), it’s the most complete display of football I’ve ever seen. They were just clinical. Hirdy’s redemption from injury, my idol’s 100th goal; the perfect day.

I can’t say I remember too much about the Grand Final, whether it was just nerves, but I do remember a mixture of joy and relief. I thought it’d last forever. Nine-year-olds are naive, hey?

The 2001 grand final was disappointing, but I was at the comeback game. That was a surreal day.

Since then? I kept going with mum until she stopped going, and I still go with my uncle. I really love that.

My passion for Essendon has been shaken, especially with the drugs saga. Probably the first time I really questioned my membership, but I’m really glad I stayed; which leads me to my next point.

My favourite day at the footy; Round 2, 2016. After all the stress of the previous few years, combined with losing 12 players for the season, all hope seemed lost.

That day, a fan march was organised by Scott McNeice and some other fans (you know who you are), I realised for the first time just how big, and important the Essendon community was. After years of heartache, pain and anxiety having the club turned upside down, the fans turned out in their droves. I recall standing on a bench at Fed Square, and there was red and black as far as the eye could see. It was a moment where I realised that I was a part of something bigger than just myself, a real eye opener. I was proud of us for that.

Then, when no one expected us to win, we come out and beat Melbourne. In those days, I was a ‘get up and cheer’ fan. That day, I just sat there with a smile on my face. It was like Marge Simpson when Bart and Lisa hugged at the end of the ice hockey game - ‘I’ve never been so proud of them’.

What got me through the rest of that period? A little bloke called Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti.

I so loved watching him play. He was authentic, natural and magical. I still giggle at some of his chase downs (especially the Selwood one). His smile and his magic gave me a reason to keep loving Essendon. I adored him.

Unfortunately, my dad had the audacity to turn 70 the day he made his comeback in 2023, so I missed his comeback game. There may have been a few tears when he kicked that goal.

What keeps me coming back? - I’m a teacher now, and last year a student asked me ‘Mr. Pocock, why do you barrack for Essendon?’ That’s a very, very good question.

My passion for footy, and indeed the club, has been really challenged over the past few years. I don’t feel like it’s the same club, or indeed game, that I grew up loving. I miss the early days, I really do.

I keep going because I want things to be better. I want to see improvement, and it’s been a really hard time. I’m trying to see the small green shoots, like Caddy and Kako, Robey and Sharp. There is hope for the future, but please, for God’s sake, get it right.

I think the main reason I keep going is for the wonderful people I’ve met through footy, that I’m grateful to call friends. My pre-game rituals at the pub for a Parma and a cider to chew the fat over footy? That’s what I love now. And still, going with my uncle, which I’ve been doing all this time. I really love that.

If you’ve read up to here, thank you. I hope there’s positivity in the horizon for us all. ❤️🖤

Will - And his American Grandmother

My family weren’t particularly into footy. My mum had grown up Geelong, but not an active follower. My dad was an American who had taken up rugby union upon his arrival in Australia.

It was his American mother who steered me to the Bombers, however. I think I would have been around 4-5 years old, she was visiting and decided to knit me a scarf. I remember looking at the paper, and she matched the team to her wool colours…’the BomBers’ (yes, I remember the b was pronounced). It went from there, and also helped that I was a kid in Beechworth, where the local club was also the Bombers.

Chris Ramsey - A Bomber in rugby territory

I’m from QLD and strong rugby league family. I don’t think either of my parents have been to an AFL game. However, we were a big sporting family and if a large event was on TV we’d watch it. So we get to 84 grand final and we watch the game.

My parents were always of the belief that if you don’t support a team on the match you’re watching then cheer for the underdog. So I’m 7 years old and cheering for the underdog Bombers. The comeback happens and I’m hooked. Then a year or two later I meet my best mate who comes from a Victorian family (moved to QLD) and is a Bombers fan.

We have a mutual team to support and by now it’s the 90s and particularly the 93 final series. Never looked back from there. Had the good fortune to fall in love and marry another ex-pat Victorian Essendon fan too.

Raised our kids under the philosophy - you barrack for Essendon or Santa doesn’t come. I feel a bit guilty about that as they’ve never seen the success their Lions supporting friends have.

But we will get there one day and it will be sweet when we do.

Rob Drake - Born into it

My Grandfather barracked for Essendon so I was born into it. Great uncle played for Collingwood so am glad that wasn't my path. I lived near VFL Park so was a member there - went every week from the age of 1.

I remember when we were uncompetitive in the mid 70s and the arrival of Sheedy in the early 80s turning the club around from Bill Stephen. I went to the 84 and 85 Grand Finals - amazing memories.

I loved the early 90s because we moved to the MCG and seeing them every week was amazing. The arrival of players like Wanganeen and Hird, Misiti and Mercuri was exciting to watch. Attending the 93 Grand Final was amazing.

I left Victoria in 1996 and haven't seen many matches since that time. But I watch every week if I can.

Greg - Queensland Born, Essendon Forever

I was born in Brisbane and played and watched rugby league until we moved to Victoria when I was 15. Dad played for North Hobart and then Western Districts in Brisbane but Aussie rules was not big in Queensland and he worried as boys we would be picked on so I never played until I played U17 at Leitchville in 1970. My rugby league team was red and black so I chose Essendon when we moved despite Fad being a Tigers man and Mum followed the Cats.

I experienced some bleak years in the early 70’s and then the years of Elimination disappointment but oh the early 80’s made it all worthwhile! My son was under one when I got him up and he witnessed Tim Watson’s famous leap and goal in the 1981 Escort Cup grand final.

I moved back to Brisbane in 1989 and got involved in coaching at school and QAFL U19 level. One of my Essendon memories was Managing the Queensland Schoolboys team in the early 90’s where we visited Essendon training and I had a meal with Tim Watson and Terry Daniher.

While the 80’s and 90’s were good years the last two decades have been tough. I was shielded through the supplement saga a bit as I was living in New York and so wasn’t confronted on a daily face to face manner by my mates who supported other teams.

But through it all my blood runs red and black and I will support my team through thick and thin. Like a generation of supporters I loved James Hird as a player and still love watching highlights on YouTube when I need a lift!

Of the current crop I love the way Sam Durham and Archie Roberts attacks the footy and am looking forward to watching Caddy and May tear the league up.

I really appreciate this community that Ian and Jono have built.

Stick together folks and Go Dons.

Mitchell Nash - Saints, Tigers - Nah. Don for life.

I was almost a Saint and a Tiger in my youth; my parents owned a pub and the regulars tried to brainwash me (thank god they didn't!), but thanks to a family friend I was a Bomber before I knew it. I could talk for hours about my Essendon story but will keep it brief.

I remember heading down to Windy Hill from country Vic to the Mosquito Fleet clinics, photos with Darren Bewick, Hirdy, Barnes, all the old firm from the 2000 team, when I was about 7 or 8 years old. I’ve still got my old autograph book with signatures from all the greats, the Herald Sun cutouts when Lloydy kicked his 100s that were blown up and laminated on my bedroom wall, and Hirdy’s 250th signed jumper in a frame! Dad is a footy tragic and a mad Saints fan, so I have always been right into the footy and always trying to look deeper into the game.

Driving 4 hours down to Melbourne for games and getting home at 2am but you didn't care because you loved the team and the club. I guess it was easy back then as a kid because the Bombers were so dominant and it was a great time to be a fan! From early on you learn it's the Club above everything else; it’s always bigger than you.

I became an AFL member at a young age and have been going to as many games as possible since then. Had the privilege of going to the 14’, 15’ and 16’ Grand Finals and just filled me with hope that one day I’d get to see the Bombers raise the cup. Creeping just over 25 years supporting this great club.

My love for the Club probably only grew during the Saga, I was studying Sports Science at the time and it all was a bit closer to home as it was our friend Dank who was the architect of it all. Was lucky enough to work with North Ballarat Rebels and Melbourne City FC through uni which fostered a deeper desire of the data, tactics and strategy of footy, hence being drawn in to the Don the Stat family!

I’ve never really had a sense of “community” around supporting the club, I have mostly supported it alone. Most family and friends are Pies, Tigers and Saints etc and it wasn’t until I discovered Don the Stat that I realised there were so many others out there that were passionate and seeking the same kind of community and camaraderie that has fostered now, mixed with the analytical side that speaks to my education.

I love this club, I love this community that Ian and Jono have built up over the years and I can’t wait to see what comes in the future.

We’ll get there. One day we’ll all celebrate together when the cup is lifted and the collective weight on everyone’s shoulders is lifted. I really believe that the club will once again find itself back where it belongs and we can look back on the last 25 years as a blessing, rather than just negative times. Believe in these kids, believe in their ability and believe that the club will keep forging on with the great work that’s been done the last 3-4 years, despite the mistakes. We’re some of the toughest supporters in the league, other teams don’t know how good they’ve got it and that will just make it all the more sweeter when we finally get to break that hoodoo and be champions again.

Travis Dunn - My wife "made me do it"

Moved to Melbourne, via Banff, Canada, grew up in Sydney. Fairly apathetic to AFL at the time. Went to Dreamtime 2011 on a whim with my wife who is a Bombers supporter, like all her family. On the way, I was told I can choose who to support, but choose wisely.

Brought a Bombers scarf at the game and been fighting the good fight since.

Brought my first membership to any sporting club the following year the DAY BEFORE the ASADA presser. Stuck with them since, hoping for some good times soon.

Go Dons.

Jamie - A childhood well spent…before I was SilverTopHurley 🤪

Firstly, thanks Jono and Ian for allowing me to share my story, I hope others get some enjoyment out of reading how I became a Bomber fan.

I’m going to focus on and indulge upon what it was like growing up in the 80s with a couple of links to today and in particular how family and footy are woven together for me.

I’ve chosen this angle because it not only highlights what the bombers mean but also how it’s helped build a bond with my dad that is unbreakable. I hope as you are reading it you can either reminisce with me, if you are of similar vintage, or continue to dream of what it will be like when we finally get to no 17. Or even just forget the footy for a minute in a practical sense and think how the Bombers help you connect to a person, place or deeper meaning.

Before twitter and inventing the twitter handle Silver Top Hurley (a reference to the Bear, Michael Hurley, and his run in with a taxi driver after the footy show grand final in his early days), I was simply Jamie, a kid born in the western suburbs of Melbourne in the late 70s to parents of a mixed marriage, and no I am not referring to their nationality (although that was culturally diverse too), I’m referring to their football allegiance and the battle was on in earnest for their first kid to follow in their footsteps.

For the first few years, my mum was winning the race. I would often be dressed in a yellow sash instead of a red one. My mums family were all Tiger tragic’s and mum would talk fondly of the successful Richmond era and of Billy Barrett, Royce Hart and Kevin Sheedy (the player).

We are talking early 1980s, mum had stopped going to games by then, I mean I was about 4 and my sister was just born so she had other priorities. So her efforts were confined to buying merch in a way. That would prove to be no where near enough of a carrot to win me over.

Dad was a Bomber, he would talk of the less successful Essendon of the 70s and players like Ken Fraser, Geoff Blethyn and Barry Davis. He was a frustrated Bomber fan who hadn’t seen a flag for over a decade and could only talk up a young up and coming brigade of Tim Watson and Simon Madden and the same Kevin Sheedy but this time the coach. He would tell anyone who would listen about Neale Daniher and he had number 6 stitched on my way too big duffle coat at the time. He still talks of him being the best Daniher and how tragic it was for him to never reach his potential. What a story of resilience Neale’s is in every way. Is there a more respected and loved figure in our sport, I can’t think of one. RIP great man, your legacy will live on, and I hope one day we cure “the beast” and your efforts bear fruit for others suffering.

Dad was initially was losing the battle to have me Don the right coloured sash, but he saw and seized an opportunity……..I was about 5/6 years old (1982/3) and he started taking me to games, Windy Hill sealed the deal, I became a Bomber for life.

I spent most Saturday’s with dad, although I use that term loosely. Him and his mates would take a slab or two and stand on the Hill and I would roam the oval, with 2-3 other kids a bit older than me who were the sons of my dads best mate. I initially wasn’t fixated on the footy I must admit, some days it was just about collecting cans trying to fill some with rocks trying to suck the can recycling bloke in and make some extra cash, so I could get a pass out to grab a chocolate milkshake from Jack and Jill’s. Maybe throw a coin at the peanut man for a bag of peanuts. It definitely wasn’t to buy a ticket in the raffle, I’m sure the Rank-A-Rena tv that was supposedly drawn at 3/4 time was never actually won 🤷🏻‍♂️

Other days it was to try and sneak into the restricted areas we weren’t supposed to be, and then yep there were definitely some days I would just sit on dad’s shoulders or stand on some empty beer cans to try and catch a glimpse of my first real hero Timmy Watson.

After the games we’d go back to the Royal Hotel and wait for mum to come and pick us up, dad usually pretty plastered and happy when we won, and pretty plastered and pissed off when we lost. So I guess you could say mum lost the battle and had to be the taxi driver each week too. Seems harsh looking back but it just was what it was. My only sister would go onto also follow the Bombers although not come to the footy with us for some reason, I will ask her why one day. I think deep down mum ended up caring more about if the Bombers won each week than the Tigers. Having a happy husband and kids was more a priority than her own team, she was pretty ambivalent on Richmond by then and probably a good reason, they were just starting their drought and probably wasn’t much fun supporting them at that stage.

What a childhood, I wouldn’t swap it for anything even though it wouldn’t be possible these days. The access to footy was so scarce, we would either listen to games on the wireless, or wait for Sevens big league where we would see an hour or 90 minute package of all of the games, hoping the Bombers were the match of the day so we got extended highlights and even one full quarter of footage. We’d set the VHS recorder and hope we didn’t bugger it up.

Trips that seemed to take a whole day to get to Waverley Park were horrible, if it wasn’t the uncomfortable wooden seats, it was the icy cold weather, or the fact I couldn’t see the other side of the field because it was like a bloody hill that would drop off on the other side. Then after the game you’d wait in the car park for hours to make the huge trip home, thank goodness they bulldozed the joint.

Most games were played at the same time on a Saturday arvo, and so you really only watched your own team live and then caught some of the other stars in highlights packages on TV. The live scores of other games on the scoreboards were great though and analysis was centered around goal kickers and that’s about it. It was very different but I must say as a quite analytical thinker I am very grateful for today’s access people like Humey and Jono provide. They help me not just hold footy as entertainment but also as a strategic analytical hobby, which I love and I learn so much all the time, anyway I digress, back to the story.

By now I was obsessed with footy and my idol, like many, was Timmy Watson. I named everything after him, toys, pets whatever needed naming was Tim, Timmy, Watto, Watson or some other variation in between. He just seemed bigger and stronger than anyone else I watched. He’d grab the ball in the guts and run and bounce and kick goals and I was just in awe of him. My photo with him on the Family day after the 1985 Premiership is still one of my favourite photos ever. That’s my dad (well his back anyway) with the white jumper and Essendon cap.

Like most Bomber fans of my vintage the 1984 Premiership was the pinnacle. I was 7 and it was my first ever live GF. I vividly remember my dad telling me at half time and again at three quarter time “we’re still in this, we have kicked poorly but we are still a chance” I would hang onto that hope, my cynicism and pessimism hadn’t kicked in yet. I saved them up for my twitter rants in the present day.

The day is a blur other than dad’s words and being dropped at my grandparents place after so dad could celebrate without a 7yo hanging around. I am sure my memories of the drought breaking flag are more due to the wearing out of the VHS last qtr than actually being there to be honest.

Then followed back to back in 85 with what I thought at the time was the best ever team assembled on a footy field. Maybe it was, although it’s great that we have another nominee (our 2000 premiership team) in that conversation.

From then on it’s fair to say I was cemented as a fully obsessed bomber tragic and until 2001 I thought I was a lucky charm, I wasn’t in the stands for 83 or 90, but saw all of 84,85,93 and 2000 live. Unfortunately I was in there for 2001 so that buggered that theory.

4 flags in 23 , I certainly was blessed. The next 25 years have been a test of resilience for all of us, and it’s not lost on me how lucky I am to have grown up when I did.

I have a million stories I could tell, the 2000 premiership and celebration was the other angle I was thinking of writing about, but I thought this one might have a bit more depth than the ridiculous drinking and getting thrown out of windy hill social club on Sunday night still singing the song in the tiny elevator and the thing was rocking at some stupid hour (best day ever Muzz)

Ironically the mixed marriage I mentioned way back at the start would repeat for the next generation. My partner, Danni (who will read this and say hey where’s the ring buddy it ain’t a mixed marriage yet), she’s a Collingwood die hard but I love her anyway and my sister is even worse, she married to a Carlscum tragic. Can’t aim for perfection I guess. I wonder if any of the 6 kids between both couples will tell a story similar when they are old, probably not.

I’ll finish on this note, the Essendon Football club is part of me, it transcends footy and entertainment, it established family connections and particularly the bond I have with my dad. I can directly link to our love and our passion for this club, it’s more than footy, it’s part of who we are.

At the risk of ending on a slightly somber note my relationship with dad is also now my biggest challenge as a dad myself. Having a son who is now 10 and who doesn’t live with me full time because of a broken marriage, I yearn for that connection my dad and I have. Jackson isn’t footy obsessed and doesn’t even follow or care about the bombers at this stage. I must admit it is a little bit sad for me. In fact if I was to have a bet I’d say he’ll end up a West Coast fan with all his mates in his ear, but such is life.

This doesn’t obviously define me or our relationship which is amazing, but deep down I still hold a small little glimmer one day he will share my love of the bombers, until then I will hold this pic dear to my heart as it’s the first and one and only ever game my dad, my son and I watched the Bombers live together. We beat Adelaide at Marvel in a shootout about 6 years ago. If nothing else, i will have that memory when he grows older. And so my task of recruiting a new generation of Bombers continues…..

Thank you for reading my story, and thanks again, Jono and Humey for allowing me to tell it.

Sonya - 5 generations, all mad Essendon

My Essendon story began when my Grandfather came home from WW1, where he had been a Bandmaster and Stretcher Bearer.

He was from Birchip and he stayed with his sister who lived in Essendon. He studied Law and moved back to the country after that! His daughter Ruth went to Lowther Hall as a boarder and they were allowed to go to Essendon games on a Saturday and Church on Sunday.

She watched John Coleman, and all the other stars as she stayed in Melbourne. She was the same age as Jack Jones and they both lived to 96 years old.

Of course when I was little she took me to Essendon games and provided a little stool I stood on. My daughter is a mad fan and one of her sons, so that is 5 generations. My grandson gets teased at school for that!

Zac - 3rd Generation Don

I am a 3rd generation Essendon supporter steming from my grandfather who adopted the Bombers as his local team after growing up in the northern suburbs. As a kid I'd hear him rave about seeing Ken Fraser and John Coleman dominate through the 60s. He was lucky enough to see 7 premierships in his time.

My dad was the next in line to adopt the Bombers and would often tell me about the hardness of the 1980s. He recalls the excitement and disappointment of 1983 and how he had to beg my grandfather to turn the TV back on after switching it off a 3QT in 1984. He would tell me of how a young Tim Watson would dominate along with the danihers and Simon Madden.

Having been born in the mid 90s I grew up as kid on the back of the baby bombers. I grew up with dad watching Hird, Lloyd and Long dominate all the way through to the domination of 2000 (I was sent to my grandparents as a 5 year old so dad could watch the game in peace).

As I grew an interest in footy the tragedy of my life as an Essendon supporter began. I recall footy days at school being proud of wearing my Essendon gursney and scarf. My first memory of going to a game was vs Fremantle at Colonial Dome with my parents in 2002 where Matthew Lloyd kicked 4.5 cementing him as my favourite player as a young kid. I have no recollection of our last finals win. I guess at that point I was so used to us winning them.

As I grew up and Hird, Lloyd and Sheedy retired, I remember enjoying watching Monfries and Davey as dynamic forwards. I remember being in the crowd during the 2010 draw vs Carlton where Windelich and Dempsey both did an ACL and we still fought hard. And I remember being so excited when Hird came back to coach.

During that time I really thought we were building something special with the likes of Hurley, Hooker, Heppell, Jobe and Zaharakis. I remember watching the Brownlow medal count from start to finish and celebrating with my Dad when Jobe won the medal. But I also remember when the news broke about the ASADA scandal.

When the news broke I don't think I, or anyone, was prepared for what would happen. I remember scrolling through forums and following through the investigation, the interviews, the initial relief of acquital and the culmination of a 12-month ban of the players I had grown up admiring.

In a bizzare way this galvanised my support to the point where I felt obligated to become a member. I attended most games during that 2016 season and was bolstered by the development of Parish, Walla, Fantasia and Daniher which made the season oddly enjoyable.

When Daniher asked to leave I could feel a bit of a shift in the club. Very quickly, there were lackluster performances and a lack of soul creeping in from a seemingly cold Worsfold/Campbell which was exacerbated Through COVID. Although still attending games I felt disengaged at the end of Rutten's tenure and felt as though we had neglected the football side of Essendon for too long.

When Scott came in I was relieved that there was a focus on football again and was quite happy with the direction of a rebuild of all facets of the club. Over the last 12 months, however, I have felt that dark cloud coming back of disengagement with the club amongst the supporter base which brings us back here again.

Overall, despite the highs and (mostly) lows, this club means the world to me. It's a connection to my dad and now passed grandfather and a connection to the thousands of people who are there everytime I attend games stemming back over 150 years. It's a sense of community and a common ground to talk footy with people who might be from different walks of life. And it's a gift I hope to pass down one day to my children, although I hope the club treats them better than me.

Derek - Born into it.

My maternal Grandfather grew up near WH (I guess that would have been in the 20's/30's). I never got a chance to talk to him about it, he died when I was very young. My mother was a passionate and forever-optimistic supporter (I'm somewhat glad she didn't live to see what happened in February 2013 and since). Follow the Bombers or eschew footy were my choices (my brother went with option two).

Living in regional Vic for a chunk of my school years meant I wasn't very connected to the game or the club - probably what you'd call 'casual'. I knew some players but not who they were playing that weekend. I was too young to really appreciate the 84/85 flags and even 93 wasn't a massive cause for celebration. I have stronger recollection of the preliminary final that year.

My earliest memory of being at a game that I recall was against Geelong at some point, but couldn't tell you the year - maybe 90 or 91.

I moved back to Melbourne for uni in '95 and met another Dons supporter in a Commercial Law workshop early that year. Started going to games, signed up as a Bronze concession member in '96 and have been going ever since (with that same guy).

I managed to attend the 2000 and 2001 Grand Finals.... Standing room behind the black fences on the bottom of the Southern Stand.

As far as what keeps me coming back... Blind loyalty, I guess. I do enjoy going to the games. When I was younger and more pissed-off with University bullshit the games were a good place to let out some expletives and de-stress. These days, with all sense of hope long beaten out of me I tend to watch the team with a feeling somewhere between glum detachment and bemusement, rarely getting excited or upset about anything that happens on-field. (Yes, Essendon, this is what you've wrought.)

I think of the club as amateurish, pathetic and with a consistently poor administration that produces a lacklustre culture. It's tragicomic... All the more so because they maintain this bizarre sense of arrogance that is completely misplaced. So, I guess I'm supporting whoever is currently wearing the jumper rather than the club itself.

I'd say my favourite player from recent history was Raz. Just such a beautifully skilled player... I loved watching him play (between injuries). I see some of the same attributes in Kako, which is pleasing. I'm not sure I can raise myself to picking favourite players from the current team... maybe Nic Martin?. There are some good players in the crop from the last couple of years, but I just kinda expect that we'll ruin or waste them somehow and they'll go on to play a decade of mediocre football.

I hope to be able to name players like Cads, Kako, Robey and Sharpe as favourites in years to come.

Debra Ford - Come on the Dons, keeping the family legacy alive.

The beginning of my family’s Essendon story can be traced back to the early 1940’s. My father would head to Windy Hill with his brother, sister and friends for every home game. They’d sit in front of the Reynolds stand cheering on champions such as Reynolds, Hutchison and Coleman. I am very proud of this iconic photo (below) that has been published in many VFL and club history books even though my father didn’t make the cut. My uncle made the banner and we believe it was one of the first to adorn the fences of the MCG.

The Ford family tradition of meeting up at the footy was re-imaged in the 1970’s when Dad, my uncle and the next generation would gather in front of the Windy Hill scoreboard. Despite the lack of success, I have great memories of these times. We headed out every Saturday to the games at all the suburban grounds. We can all remember lining up at the gates early to get the best spot, standing on tin cans for a better view, the peanut man, running on the ground after a win and playing kick to kick until it got dark. I can’t forget to mention the four premierships we celebrated together as a family - Grand Final week was just the best. Packed Windy Hill for the last training run, the Grand Final parades, the match itself and the local celebrations on the Sunday.

However, my footy experience has changed over the years. Gathering at games as a family for me has morphed into a new family of fellow passionate Bomber friends, great people I have met via my involvement in the player sponsorship program - I now treasure the special inner sanctum and game day experiences we have together.

My father stopped going when it became too much for him but he watched on at home and sadly we lost our 93-year-old Bomber patriarch early in 2023.

2023 was a tough year for our family for many reasons and going to the footy each week, meeting up with my new Bomber ‘family’, enjoying the wins and watching the development of many of our younger players has brought some joy through a lot of sadness.

Our family is forming the next generation of Bomber members and I’m the educator of all things Essendon to these five young boys, just like my dad and uncle were my ‘educators’ over fifty years ago. Enjoy the ride boys. Come on the Dons.

Warren Somerville - Cousin of....

My personal EFC story started in the mid 60's as primary aged farm kid who happened to have a cousin playing for the Dons. My father was the youngest of a large family and his oldest nephew and he were only about 10 years apart and had a close relationship.

So it wasn't unusual for my cousin to visit us when he came back.

So as young kid I was in awe of my towering happy premiership winning cousin.

Dad was a Dee's supporter but never pressured us to follow suit.

So my love for Essendon was entrenched early and my hatred for Carringbush was established in the 1965 preliminary final when my cousin was King hit from behind by Duncan Wright rendered unconscious he spent over a week in hospital missing the 65 flag.

Our family never forgive that side.

So I have been lucky to have a family connection to the club, having seen both John Somerville in the red sash and son Peter.

Both premiership players.

That's my back story,

I like you all so want to see stability and success.

Cheers, and Go Dons.

Jon Cooper - A Canberra Don

I’m from Canberra and started to get into footy in 89-90 as a 6 yr old. My extended family were Dees fans and my mum was a Carlton fan, neither of those appealed to me.

Heard about a young guy from Canberra who had just been drafted to Essendon, seemed like as good a reason as any as a little guy so it started there. Turns out he ended up being pretty good and my early years as a fan were pretty happy ones.

I always seemed to gravitate towards our Indigenous players, Wanganeen was my favourite and broke my heart when he left. We always had an easy team to love, Mercuri, the Johnsons, Lloyd, Lucas and I loved Dustin Fletcher, and still do.

Post 2000 it’s obviously been lean, but guys like Tippa and Hurley have always had me coming back. Anzac Day 2009 is one of my favourite memories, in the stands in the rain hugging strangers after the Zaka goal.

I think my favourite Bomber of all time is Jobe, I’ve never respected a player as much as I do him. Being the face of the saga could have, and almost did break him, but he was the leader we needed.

I get to 5-6 games a year now, and generally go by myself so I don’t have to apologise to anyone for my behaviour. Two of my three kids are now Bombers fans, and I’ll bring my 8 year old daughter to her first game in Melbourne later in the year, after a couple in Sydney.

I’m energised by the new crop of kids coming through, and was super impressed with the time and energy they gave my daughter at a snap and sign session in January.

Life is busy now, 3 kids, 2 dogs and a busy job. Watching the Bombers is my time of the week, my family gets it and gives me the space to be fully consumed by it.

Hopefully we see some results soon, I think we all deserve it.

James Lowrie - Escaped the madness

Grew up in a mad Carlton family. My grandfather was Essendon but didn’t find out till years later that he was a very casual fan. Wanted to be an Essendon supporter. Dad fought it really hard and only took me to Carlton games, we eventually had a bet that whoever won the Carlton v Essendon game that weekend I would barrack for.

Was the 81 game where Neale Daniher won it in time on. I was standing on a platform of empty steel VB cans so I could see the game. Dad was crushed.

I never got to go to games and was dragged to the Melbourne show on 84 GF day. Didn’t get home till 3/4 time. What timing. That was the day my support turned to real passion.

Not a single member of the next generation of my family support Carlton now, mostly Essendon.

I did get to tell the 81 Carlton v Essendon story in my dad’s eulogy last year. 30 year member this year and know blue skies are ahead with these kids once we get the right people around them 🖤❤️

Dale Pearce - My Essendon journey is a straightforward one.

My grandmother’s brother played a handful of games for the Bombers after WW2 so my dad naturally followed them. And then I followed my dad, as did my brother. Unfortunately the females of the house went in other directions, perhaps because they didn’t want a hand knitted Essendon jumper like my aunt made for me 😂

Growing up in Swan Hill we were in Richmond’s zone but I was always red and black. My earliest memories are of kicking the ball around the back yard pretending to be my Essendon heroes. The closest I got was a few games on some VFL grounds during schoolboys football.

Dad was my first football coach but he didn’t watch me play much senior football after I moved away to university in Melbourne and later to Geelong. And being tied up on Saturdays I never got to see the Bombers much either.

Dad passed too young in ‘98 and my final two words to him were ‘Carna Bombers’. I married wisely…..nuptials were in doubt unless she was an Essendon fan and our two girls have been brought up in the faith, so it’s a red and black household. Times change however, as our oldest reminded me yesterday when discussing the Essendon coaching job. ‘Who’s James Hird?’ indeed.

I’ve been a member for 25+ years. Moving back to the country made getting to games harder and recently my health has limited movement a bit as well, but will be back to it next season I hope. Love getting to games even when we’re not travelling well, especially to watch the kids play.

Players I loved watching? Mercuri, Hird and Tim Watson. And I always liked the hard men we had at the club: Rotten Ronny Andrews, Roger Merritt, Dean Wallis. The last quarter of the ‘84 grand final still brings a tear to the eye.

It’s been terrific to connect with DTS. Having tapped in momentarily to other online groups I found them often too negative and in some cases just disrespectful to players. Apart from the brilliant work Jono and Humey do I love the wide range of views we get on here and I learn something every time I visit the site.

Chris - The Boy in the 1965 Grand Final Photo

As with many of us I was born into an Essendon family and I would head up to Windy Hill with my dad each Saturday. But my story really began much earlier. We lived around the corner to Bill Hutchison and I went to kindergarten with one of his sons. We became friends and remain so to this day. Although I certainly didn’t appreciate it at the time Bill Hutchison taught both of us how to kick down at the local park!

We subsequently joined the cheer squad when we were about 12 or 13 and we would go to all the games with Bill who was coaching the reserves at that stage. The picture attached was taken at the ’65 grand final when a photographer asked if he could take our photo for a book he was producing (I am on the left with the hat). I can’t recall if I ever had a copy of the publication, but I did remember that it was called ’The Australians’. Well over 30 years later I came across the book in a second-hand bookstore while holidaying at Echuca.

Thanks to Chris for sharing his own photo.

I drifted away from the Bombers during the seventies as I was busy playing local football and playing in bands. I didn’t reconnect until the 80’s when I started taking my kids to Windy Hill. I still recall the many hilarious comments while standing on the ‘Hill’ in the outer.

The ’84 Premiership was clearly the best game I have ever witnessed! The fairytale come from behind was simply amazing!

I drifted in and out over the years when ‘life’ simply got in the way although ’93 and 2000 where pretty special. What got me back in a big way was the fallout from the supplements saga! Robert Shaw probably articulated it best when he said ‘I just want my team back’!

Well its been tough going ever since but support is what the club needs now more than ever.

My experience tells me that things will eventually turn and how sweet that will be!

Thanks Ian and Jono for your thoughtful analysis and positivity.

Biff - Our US Correspondent

I live in US and I’ve never been to Australia (I’ll correct that next year). I’m very close with my University of Minnesota friends; college football season is the only time we see each other regularly, and in early 2017 we were missing jabbering about football all weekend.

One friend lived in Sydney in 2005 and supported the Swans. He suggested we try footy by sharing his AFL Live subscription. I loved it immediately.

I was most likely to go to Melbourne or Sydney someday so I focused there. I didn’t want the easy way by picking the hot team of the moment. I wanted one with deep history, support and success, and hope to reclaim it. I also didn’t want to pick a team someone else in the group had.

Eventually it was down to Essendon and Melbourne.

But Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti won me. It’s hard to tell what constitutes “good” in a sport you don’t understand. But pure effort, athleticism, and positive attitude transcends cultures and sports. I LOVED watching Tippa; couldn’t imagine any other choice after I’d seen him play. Cried a bit when he retired.

To learn more I watched old Essendon games on YouTube and posted about them. That’s how I encountered Humey and Jono, and they introduced me to a community that confirmed I’d made the right choice.

Thank you for letting me participate, for being welcoming, and fun. My fanhood has been dominated by dark times but that’s what I signed up for; pride comes through struggle. Give me a proud, old team working for the future, not to reclaim past glory but to elevate it…it just has that extra sense of meaning. I love this team and the community around it, this place deserves happiness.

As for my Minnesota friends, we have an active footy chat going at all times. We’ve got a Sydney, Gold Coast, West Coast (poor guy), Brisbane, and Doggies. But we’ve got 3 Bombers; I recruit :)

Andrew Rawlin - From Sammy Durham Territory

I grew up in Yea (near Seymour where our great man Duz is from), my parents having moved there when I was born to be the GPs in the town. My Dad was from Sydney so was a NRL/Rabbitohs fan, so I always thought we went for the Bombers because my best mate from kindergarten was a Hawks fan, and Bombers was his second favourite team, so that became my team. But turns out Sheedy travelled up with some players to meet the Yea Tigers, and my Dad met him with me and decided for them to be our team. That was in the early 90s.

The first game I remember going to was Round 19, 2001 - when Steve Alessio kicked the winning goal against Sydney. And last year was the first time I ever took my kids, Round 2 vs Adelaide, but I doubt they remember aspects of the game as we were sitting in the full sun and they wanted to leave within 20 minutes (they are 3 and 5).