The Essendon Football Club has announced the details of its 2026 Hall of Fame night, with three former Dons to join an illustrious group at Crown Palladium on Monday, March 2.
1993 Premiership Captain and widely respected clubman Mark ‘Bomber’ Thompson will be inducted on the night.
Thompson’s VFL/AFL career began in 1983, coming onto the scene as a dependable defender for the famed back-to-back Premiership sides of 1984 and ’85, and later captaining the side from 1992–’95.
He would cement himself in the history books as skipper of the Club’s 15th flag and finish his 202-game playing tenure with three Premierships to his name.
After retiring, Thompson served with both Essendon and North Melbourne as an assistant coach, before again finding success as a senior coach with Geelong between 2000-2010, where he coached the side to two premierships.
Thompson returned to the Bombers as assistant coach in 2010, where he was eventually appointed as senior coach for the 2014 season.
Voted in 2002 as the Club’s 20th greatest player of all time on the Champions of Essendon list, Thompson will enter the Hall of Fame with accolades such as Most Determined Player, Best Clubman and multiple Best and Fairest awards to his name, as well as a total of five combined flags as player and coach.
Club champion and 2000 Premiership midfielder Jason Johnson will also be inducted on the night.
Spending his entire AFL career at the Bombers between 1997-2008, Johnson was known for his courage, explosiveness and a hard-nosed attack on both opponent and the footy - reminiscent of the tough, uncompromising sides of the Essendon era he played in.
2001 was a standout year for Johnson, playing a vital role in securing a famous round 16 win over North Melbourne where the Dons came back from 69 points down in the second term. The midfielder kicked four goals from 31 disposals and racked up 13 clearances and 10 inside-50's, polling three Brownlow points for his impact.
Johnson was named to the All-Australian team that year and received the Club’s prestigious Crichton Medal in the same season.
Posthumously receiving Hall of Fame recognition is the Club’s third inductee, Frank Maher.
Playing 137 games for Essendon between 1921-'28, the forward from Camberwell, Victoria also served in the First AIF as a machine gunner between 1916-’19.
Maher was a Victorian representative player on nine occasions and captained the side in 1927 and 1928. Standing at only 5’6”, Maher was grouped as one of the Dons’ legendary ‘Mosquito Fleet’ - a term derived from a maritime expression relating to small but powerful vessels.
Essendon’s Hall of Fame Committee Chairman and former champion Barry Capuano noted how deserving the three past players were of their achievements.
“The committee set certain criteria in place many years ago, and in all of the cases for this particular event, the three men were outstanding in regard to qualifying for the Hall of Fame - and as people in their own right,” Capuano said.
“Jason Johnson's been not just a great footballer, but he’s certainly carried it on now with his role in the Past Players Association and a number of other areas that he's heavily involved in with the Club.
“‘Bomber’s been outstanding in his time with our Club as a Captain and a Coach, and he’s well worthy of induction into our Hall of Fame.
“We regularly look at guys on the list from earlier years and try to incorporate them, and we had no hesitation in inducting Frank, who was a terrific Essendon person.
“There's still a number of others that are eligible to be inducted, and over a period of time they definitely will be.”
Re-live the careers of Mark Thompson, Jason Johnson and Frank Maher as they’re inducted into the Essendon Football Club’s Hall of Fame and watch as the full AFL team receive their jumpers for the 2026 AFL season.
Don’t miss your chance to be part of and celebrate Essendon’s rich history - link to tickets can be found here.
Event Details:
Date: Monday 2nd March 2026
Time: 6.30pm - 10.30pm
Venue: Crown Palladium
Dress Code: Jacket and tie or equivalent standard for women
Event includes:
Premium three course sit down dinner
Premium beverage package
2026 Player Jumper Presentation
Hall of Fame inductions
