Essendon’s revitalised 45-point win against Melbourne on Saturday was another step in the right direction after a more positive second half the week prior.

From the get-go, the Bombers applied a mountain of pressure which proved too much for the Demons – in addition, a blistering 11-goal-to-two run after half time showed their improvement down the stretch in games, continuing a recent trend in 2026.

The stats that mattered from Gather Round:

Score involvements: Chains kick off from everywhere 

On Saturday, a whopping 22 of the Dons’ starting 23 players registered multiple score involvements on the day – the link-up was seemingly always led by Darcy Parish in easily the midfielder’s best game of 2026 so far.

The 28-year-old racked up 34 disposals (13 score involvements and a game-high three goal assists amongst those) with seven clearances.

Alongside longtime midfield partner Zach Merrett (31 disposals, nine score involvements), the pair looked dynamic charging up the corridor.

On the note of territory, Archie Roberts’ whopping 42 disposals (a career-high) also made immense impact. The emerging star accumulated 11 intercepts and was equally as damaging with the ball, racking up a game-high 658 metres gained.

That willingness to drive through the middle crafted plenty of opportunities for forward targets in Nate Caddy, Archie May, Tom Edwards and Isaac Kako (all two goals each).

The Wright stuff: Key forward crucial all over the ground 

Matching it with Max Gawn is never easy but Peter Wright played a massive role in supporting Lachie Blakiston around the ground and even sitting in the hole defensively.

Continuing his work from last week, Wright’s ability to push back and support his defenders provided a huge relieving hand – five intercept possessions and a couple of contested marks proof of that.

Despite the good work of the midfield corps, it was actually Wright who led the Bombers in contested possessions with 14 and clearances with eight, throwing his weight around at stoppage and creating space for the mix of Parish, Merrett and Tsatas.

Team stats: Dons dictate possession, continue fourth quarter trend

The season’s opening fortnight held plenty of discussion on the Dons’ disappointing differentials in uncontested marks around the ground, but they’ve been able to buck the trend.

They dominated time in possession (50 per cent to 35 per cent) against the Dees and recorded 99 more uncontested possessions – with 296 total, the Bombers were more than 60 up on their season average.

Essendon limited Melbourne to just 78 total marks for the game while racking up 139 of their own, showing capability of playing keepings off at different stages.

The Dons’ willingness to put the foot down late and keep attacking despite the margin was another positive point among supporters – in every game this year so far, they’ve slotted at least four fourth quarter goals.

In five games, they’ve gone 4-1 in fourth terms.

Ridley all class on return, youngsters follow suit

The reassurance given by Jordan Ridley in his first game back was a sight Dons fans had longed for.

Going at 96 per cent efficiency from 26 touches, the returning defender didn’t put a foot wrong and was ably assisted by Kyle Langford (27 disposals), who recorded his highest possession tally in a game since 2021.

The shuffle to defence allowed Langford to float more freely around the ground and he still managed to generate attack from down back, gaining 393 metres and registering four score involvements.

A poised performance from Jacob Farrow at 82 per cent efficiency added even more dependability under pressure, the youngster relishing having Ridley and Ben McKay (23 touches, nine intercepts) in front of him.