Follow Tigers or copy Saints? How Dons can turn it around

SEN • February 5th, 2026 12:46 pm

Essendon must soon work out which path it wants to take in order to change the fortunes of the success-starved club.

That is the opinion of Dwayne Russell who has urged Brad Scott’s Bombers to follow Richmond’s rebuild via the draft, or cop St Kilda and target established players from other clubs.

The discussion comes after the Dons opted to keep star midfielder Zach Merrett last trade period instead of trading him to Hawthorn in exchange for a glut of draft picks.

A listener called in to Dwayne’s World and suggested the club’s recruiting had been “embarrassing” which has held them back.

Russell somewhat agreed: “Your recruiting hasn’t been good enough, we know that.

“We’ve given a few of these guys four or five seasons to find out whether they’re any good.

“It does open up the question: What does Essendon do?”

Russell reckons the Dons have to work out if they want to throw cash at someone like Port Adelaide’s Zak Butters or go down the youth route.

“Zak Butters could be on the table. Does Essendon look at what St Kilda has done and say, ‘We’ve got to do that, we have to offer $2 million a season for Butters to change our franchise’,” Russell added.

“There’s been a lot of criticism of St Kilda for throwing more money at Tom De Koning than he’s probably worth, but St Kilda wanted to change their franchise, change their history.

“They didn’t want to keep being the team that finishes 11th, 12th, 13th, and be the hard-luck story, the downtrodden Saints who are never going to win a flag, the longest drought in footy.

“The Saints said, ‘No’, we’re going to try it, and Ross Lyon is essentially saying, ‘If I fail then they’ll give me the sack, or if I get this done they’ll make a movie about us’. I like that attitude.”

Judging by what the Dons did by hanging on to Merrett when they could have hauled in a trio of first-round picks, Russell feels that the Tigers blueprint is not necessarily something they’re keen on doing.

“(New president) Andrew Welsh didn’t trade Zach Merrett, he wanted their star player to stay,” he added.

“They could have gone down the draft path like Richmond did.

“Essendon has made their bed, now they’ve got to lie in it. They’ve kept Zach Merrett, they’re not going to the draft, they don’t want draft picks.

“They’re going to have to go full on in this direction though, and try to get a Zak Butters, maybe a Ben King and pay him overs. If they can get Butters then maybe Merrett stays.

“What if Merrett gets told the club is bringing in Butters or King? What does Essendon do? Otherwise you are going to be 11th, 12th, 13th for the next four or five years.

“Then Tassie will come in, so if you’re trying to get a player then, well good luck. Now is the time to decide what you’re doing.

“You’ve got to do a Richmond by going to the draft heavily and sell everyone.

“Or do a St Kilda and buy some players in and pay overs.”

The Dons will kickstart their 2026 campaign against the Hawks in a blockbuster clash at the MCG on Friday, March 13.