LAST YEAR
Played: 22
Won: 8
Lost: 14
Finished: 12th 
Best and fairest: David Hille

2009 IN BRIEF
Coach: Matthew Knights   
Captain: Matthew Lloyd
Coaching staff: Gary O'Donnell, Scott Camporeale, Ashley Prescott, Alan Richardson, Adrian Hickmott (development/Bendigo Bombers), Stuart Cormack (high performance coach)

ARRIVALS & DEPARTURES
Arrivals
Exchange period – received: Brent Prismall (Geelong)
Rookie elevation: Jarrod Atkinson
NAB AFL Draft: Michael Hurley (Northern Knights), Tyson Slattery (West Adelaide), Michael Still (Northern Knights), David Zaharakis (Northern Knights)
International rookie selection: Michael Quinn (Longford, Ireland)
NAB AFL Pre-Season Draft: Hayden Skipworth (Bendigo Bombers)
NAB AFL Rookie Draft: Christian Bock (Woodville West Torrens), Bryce Carroll (Western Jets), Tom German (Calder Cannons), Kade Klemke (Murray Bushrangers)

Departures
Retired: Jason Johnson, Mal Michael, Adam Ramanauskas
Delisted: Tom Hislop, Courtney Johns, Andrew Lee, Damien Peverill, Danny Chartres (rookie), Dean Dick (rookie)

FIXTURE
The Bombers play 17 games in Victoria – nine at Docklands and eight at the MCG. This leaves Essendon with five trips interstate.

After kicking off the season with an away journey to Port Adelaide, two trips to Subiaco late in the season will ensure a tough closing for the men in red and black.

Of last year's finalists only Hawthorn, Collingwood and St Kilda loom twice.

INJURY LIST
Jason Laycock (foot) – indefinite
Andrew Welsh (ankle) – to miss three to four months of football
Brent Prismall (knee) – expected to return mid-season after September 2008 reconstruction
Mark McVeigh (ankle) – may play in round one
Kyle Reimers (quad tendonitis) – being assessed

MATT BURGAN’S PLAYER RATINGS
5 – Dustin Fletcher, David Hille, Matthew Lloyd (3 players - 15 points)
Fletcher and Lloyd are ageing stars but remain critical to Essendon's cause. Barring any unforeseeable mishaps, Fletcher is likely to again be in the defensive All-Australian mix and Lloyd among the Coleman Medal contenders. Hille is now in the top echelon of ruckmen after an outstanding 2008.

4 – Alwyn Davey, Andrew Lovett, Scott Lucas, Mark McVeigh, Angus Monfries, Paddy Ryder, Brent Stanton, Jobe Watson, Jason Winderlich (9 players - 36 points)
McVeigh has a pre-season ankle concern, but should bounce back. Lucas is less the champion he once was after an injury-marred 2008. Davey and Winderlich have injury history, but early indications suggest they're ready to stand up. Based on pre-season form, Lovett finally looks ready to fulfil his promise. Also expect further progress from Ryder and Monfries, while Watson remains a star in the making.

3 – Jarrod Atkinson, Tom Bellchambers, Darcy Daniher, Courtenay Dempsey, Ricky Dyson, Scott Gumbleton, Heath Hocking, Bachar Houli, Michael Hurley, Leroy Jetta, Sam Lonergan, Nathan Lovett-Murray, Adam McPhee, David Myers, Jay Nash, Jay Neagle, Kyle Reimers, Hayden Skipworth, Henry Slattery (19 players - 57 points)
Houli could step-up in 2009, but needs a full season first. Lonergan is also emerging. A pre-season quadriceps injury has held back Reimers. Daniher, Hurley and Myers are fine long-term prospects and will be given opportunities. Atkinson, Hocking and Neagle should also make strides forward. Jason Laycock's foot injury provides an opportunity for Bellchambers, while McPhee will be hoping to improve .

2 – Cale Hooker, Jason Laycock, Tayte Pears, Brent Prismall, Tyson Slattery, Andrew Welsh, John Williams, David Zaharakis, Kade Klemke (rookie), Rhys Magin (rookie) (10 players - 20 points)
Long-term injuries to Prismall (knee) and Welsh (foot) reduced their rating considerably. Laycock's set-back is also a concern. He could miss much of the first half of the season. Pears has potential but an interrupted pre-season kept in the ‘2 category’. Recruit Zaharakis is not without a chance of stepping up. And rookies Magin (who has four matches to his name) and Klemke are chances to play.

1 – Michael Still, Christian Bock (rookie), Bryce Carroll (rookie), Tom German (rookie), Michael Quinn (rookie) (5 players - 5 points)
Still is the fourth youngest AFL-listed player in 2009 and will be groomed via the Bendigo Bombers this year. Rookies Bock (a raw 205cm ruckman), Carroll and German will also be developed in the VFL. Irishman Michael Quinn – the club's first international rookie – will be a long-term prospect, although he gained some AFL experience playing in Essendon's opening NAB Cup match against the Western Bulldogs this year.

Total team rating: 133 (13 of 16, league-wide)

THE YEAR AHEAD
Crippled by injuries in 2008, the Bombers couldn't find the form to win enough games to play finals and trailed off late in the season. They sent many players in for operations early, with the hope this year would come with better fortune.

So far, their luck has been erratic. Andrew Welsh will miss half of the season after badly breaking his ankle in a pre-season game, while the return dates of Jason Laycock and Kyle Reimers are unknown.

Alwyn Davey, Bachar Houli, Jason Winderlich and Courtenay Dempsey successfully returned over the pre-season while Scott Lucas and Matthew Lloyd are fit and firing. Scott Gumbleton and Jay Neagle provided an exciting glimpse of the side's new-look goalkicking structure early in the NAB Cup.

Matthew Knights’ side will again play attacking football this year, and with the Bombers short on experience, anything could happen.

WHAT THE CLUB SAYS
"It's pretty difficult to put a finger on what the expectations are.

"Last year we unearthed a lot of players, but we still had a lot of young players miss through injury that we'd like to get more games through.

"You look at guys like Bachar Houli, Scott Gumbleton, Jay Neagle, Darcy Daniher, even David Myers and Tayte Pears.

"There were a number of them that played in bits and pieces but probably didn't get enough game time into them due to injury.

"That's one of the real goals."
- senior coach Matthew Knights

The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.