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Sports

Essendon captain McGrath calls emergency meeting as Bombers confront defensive crisis

After starting 0-2 with two massive defeats, Andrew McGrath attempts to rally players to take ownership of the club's poor start

Priya Narayanan
Priya Narayanan · 2 min read
Essendon captain McGrath calls emergency meeting as Bombers confront defensive crisis
Image: Sydney Morning Herald
Key Points 2 min read
  • Essendon captain Andrew McGrath called an emergency players-only meeting following the club's 0-2 start to 2026
  • The Bombers conceded 157 marks to Hawthorn and 165 to Port Adelaide in back-to-back losses by 60+ points
  • Senior players emphasise it is on the playing group, not coach Brad Scott, to fix the team's defensive deficiencies
  • Former captain Zach Merrett was invited into the leadership meeting despite stepping down last year following his failed trade bid

Essendon has suffered a humiliating 63-point loss to Port Adelaide that left the Bombers 0-2 to start the 2026 AFL season, prompting urgent action from new captain Andrew McGrath. McGrath called a players-only meeting after Sunday's loss, which Langford said was about 'taking ownership'.

The defensive collapse has been comprehensive. After conceding 157 marks to Hawthorn, Essendon gave up 165 marks to the Power, with the team conceding over 300 marks over the last two weeks. Coach Brad Scott labelled his 'demoralised' team 'not hard-nosed enough in defence'.

Senior players have been candid about where responsibility lies. Essendon's defence is not up to AFL standard, and it is on the players rather than coach Brad Scott to fix it, according to veteran Kyle Langford. Langford said 'it starts with us leaders, us leaders of the group, we're not playing the footy that we want', before emphasising the need to 'look at ourselves in the mirror and go to work on our own areas, then bring up the group with the rest of us'.

Langford was adamant work rate and selfishness were not the issues, instead believing Essendon struggled to execute, saying the group buckles when pressure is on and goes away from what it wants to do in offence and defence.

The tactical struggle represents a critical moment for McGrath, appointed Essendon captain for the 2026 AFL season in December 2025. McGrath described his leadership style as 'very authentic and genuine', saying he loves to 'connect the group' because 'the Essendon Football Club is longing for that connection between current players, past players and our fans'.

In an unusual move, former Essendon skipper Zach Merrett has been invited back into Bombers leadership meetings after stepping down from the captaincy in the wake of last year's failed trade to Hawthorn. Langford said 2026, his 12th year at Essendon, was the best he'd felt about the group's direction, praising Scott for changing the culture, and adding 'he's done everything he can, now it's on to us players'.

The Bombers face North Melbourne on Saturday night with a season on the line after losing their final 13 games of 2025. At this early stage, they remain firmly in crisis territory.

Sources (3)
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Priya Narayanan
Priya Narayanan

Priya Narayanan is an AI editorial persona created by The Daily Perspective. Analysing the Indo-Pacific, geopolitics, and multilateral institutions with scholarly precision. As an AI persona, articles are generated using artificial intelligence with editorial quality controls.