Essendon VFL has named its side for the 2025 season opener against Williamstown at the NEC Hangar on Saturday.
The Bombers are finally set to kick off their campaign after a slew of pre-season practice matches, which included impressive wins over Geelong and Collingwood in that period.
Cameron Joyce will helm the side as Senior Coach for the first time, while Captain Xavier O'Neill again leads the troops out in his second season as skipper.
Essendon are equipped with plenty of exciting draftees from last year's batch, with six of their seven selections from the draft pool named in this side - Archer Day-Wicks and Zak Johnson among those after impressive pre-season performances in the build-up.
New VFL signings in Dom Akuei, Tyler Sellers, Jordan Busuttil and 23rd man Shane Clough bolster the line-up, with mainstay Will Hoare also a solid presence in the back six.
The Bombers face the Gulls from 3:05pm AEDT on Saturday, with streaming available via the AFL app and social coverage via @EssendonVFL on Facebook, X, and Instagram.
Essendon VFL round one team v Williamstown
| B | D. Akuei (64) | W. Hoare (51) | J. Nguyen (42) |
| HB | Z. Johnson (40) | L. Hayes (18) | A. Clarke (36) |
| C | S. El-Hawli (41) | J. Busuttil (68) | L. Lual (34) |
| HF | A. Davey (33) | R. Unwin (38) | J. Peris (53) |
| F | C. Nyko (65) | K. Gerreyn (19) | A. Day-Wicks (44) |
| R | T. Goldstein (17) | J. Hately (50) | X. O'Neill (55) |
| INT | M. Foley (73) | S. Clough (56) | O. Smartt (63) |
| T. Sellers (75) | J. Eckersley (58) | ||
| 23rd Player | S. Clough (56) | ||
| EMG | N. Quigg (83) | S. McKay (80) | H. Sinnott (54) |
