Essendon VFL have continued their push towards the home-and-away season with a 35-point win over Collingwood in Saturday's practice match at the NEC Hangar.
The Dons fielded a large contingent of AFL-listed youngsters on the day, including Zak Johnson, Archer Day-Wicks and Jayden Nguyen for their first taste of game time in 2025 following their recoveries from respective off-season and pre-season injuries.
Johnson was a clear standout and the most influential player on the ground in the first half especially, with his poise on the ball and delivery inside 50 creating several early opportunities.
Day-Wicks showed glimpses of his mercurial talent around goal, snaring a freakish snap from the boundary line on the wrong side for a left footer, while Nguyen's pace and pressure in the forward half made him a danger for the Pies' defence.
Equipped with a more experienced line-up in terms of AFL presence, the Bombers dictated proceedings with the breeze early but couldn't take full advantage with their conversion, which was also a similar issue for Collingwood in the second and fourth terms.
The blistering speed of Saad El-Hawli off half back and through the midfield was on full show, with the 23-year-old producing his most well rounded display of the pre-season to date, while forwards Jye Menzie and Tom Edwards also looked threatening around goal and were each unlucky not to finish with a couple of extra majors to their names.
Kayle Gerreyn is showing promising signs as a ruck-forward target for the future, with the 200cm 18-year-old equally as adept below his knees as he is in the air.
Jackson Hately and Jordan Busuttil were high accumulators in the engine room, while Cam Nyko offered plenty in his second game back from injury - the winger's ability to weave out of congestion providing some dynamic highlights throughout the afternoon.
Opting for new looks, the potential move of Tyler Sellers into defence looks like a promising one for the VFL Dons. The former Roo was powerful in the air both on the last line and when repelling kick-ins further up the ground, often helping the home side hold attacking territory.
Although relatively close throughout the second and third terms, an explosive burst of goals in the last quarter iced the contest - Nic Quigg's long-range effort out of a centre bounce stoppage closing out the game well for a Dons side that look to be finding a nice groove building into the season.
The VFL Bombers take on Box Hill at the NEC Hangar on Friday afternoon in their final pre-season match.
ESSENDON 3.6 5.7 8.11 14.12 (96)
COLLINGWOOD 1.1 4.7 7.8 8.13 (61)
GOALS
Eckersley 3, Edwards 2, Menzie 2, Gerreyn, Day-Wicks, Unwin, Clough, Monteath, Quigg, Nguyen
