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"Look out": Mooney's league-wide warning for Bombers' return
SEN • November 25th, 2025 3:30 pm
Despite being one of the biggest clubs in the AFL landscape, the Essendon Football Club have far from performed to their lofty standards on-field.
The Bombers famously hold the least desirable record in the competition, going without a finals win since 2004 - a record spanning 7751 days, and given their next opportunity won’t arise until September next season, the drought will reach 8000 days this season.
That said, things are trending in a positive direction within the walls of The Hangar.
Enduring a strong off-season, the Bombers fought tooth and nail to keep hold of their superstar captain Zach Merrett, while also landing Brayden Fiorini from the Suns within one of the great trade periods in recent history.
And by adding Sullivan Robey, Jacob Farrow and Dyson Sharp to their strong crop of young talent, the club have the pieces necessary to fight their way up the table in the coming years.
Although they haven’t been the footballing giant that they once were on the field, Geelong great Cameron Mooney warns that Essendon’s turn of form may not be far away, and when they do return to the top, look out.
“We always talk about the big four clubs,” Mooney told SEN Breakfast.
“Essendon is still a big four club. It’s just not a great club.
“When it becomes a great club again… remember Richmond? Richmond was a big club; it wasn’t a great club. Then it became a great club, and we saw what happened there.
“Collingwood has always been a great club. Carlton, we almost saw it a couple of years ago, we almost saw them come back to being a great club. Taken a couple of steps back.
“But, if Essendon get going, look out. They will come from far and wide, and it will be huge. Carlton have been kicked for 30 years. If Essendon come back after 20 years of poor performances, watch them come. It will be huge!”
A player that will play a major role in Essendon’s hopes of a return is captain (for now) Zach Merrett.
Denied the opportunity to leave the club for greener pastures, Merrett has already knuckled down, speaking to club media about his current state of affairs and the transition back to life with the Bombers.
“It’s been a little bit different, obviously after the last six weeks, but it’s really nice to get back. The boys have been incredible,” Merrett said.
“There were some tough days (over the off-season), no doubt, throughout that period of time personally, but familywise as well. But footy is an amazing game and it brings people together, and I feel really loved and valued when I walk back into the building. So, I'm just really keen to get to work, get around my teammates and make the fans really proud.
“Through the whole period, to be honest, the players were incredible through messages and phone calls and catch ups for coffee, and the staff included in that. Andrew Welsh (club president), I think has brought a huge amount of unity across the board from top down, so there’s no doubt as a Club, we're coming together.”
Looking within the four walls, Mooney is confident that while Bomber fans may be reluctant to rediscover trust in their six-time best and fairest, the players and coaching panel will have already embraced their skipper, looking forward to the season ahead.
“The great thing about being inside a football club is that everyone moves on very quickly. Outside, not so quickly,” Mooney said.
“There will be still a lot of hatred, extreme disappointment towards him from Essendon supporters. It wouldn’t surprise me if he does cop a little bit of (booing).
“But his football will do the talking, and he is a superstar. As long as he plays great footy… he’ll get the supporters back on his side, but from inside the club, they’d be shaking hands and hugging him right now.
“It wouldn’t be a big deal whatsoever. Now that he is back, I know that he will train harder now than he ever has in his life, and I reckon he has trained to his full extent already.
“He will have number seven best and fairest next to his name by the end of the year.”
While Merrett’s urge for success may not be fulfilled by the Bombers in the immediate future, Mooney is holding out faith that the club can be in and around the mark next season, close enough to deter their star from attempting to jump ship once again.
“Injuries were a huge part of their season,” Mooney said.
“If they don’t have those, and of course that is an ‘if’ for every football club, but if they don’t and they do have a crack at playing finals – they are going to be thereabouts if they have a full list – we will have to wait and see.”
