Essendon hosts the 2026 Crichton Medal this Thursday night at Melbourne Park’s CENTREPIECE, celebrating the standout performers from its season.

Formal proceedings get underway from 7pm AEST, with the event to be broadcast on the EFC website via an ongoing live stream.

The contenders

Can Zach Merrett claim a record equalling seventh Crichton Medal?

Plenty of eyes will be on the star Bomber as he potentially chases history but he’ll have some tight competition throughout the night.

Archie Roberts’ hot start to the campaign is sure to deliver him some love on the voting front – he had it on a string in the opening two months, most prominently during Gather Round where his 42 disposals and a goal ripped up the Dees.

Despite an untimely injury setback, Peter Wright was back to his best for large segments of the campaign, slotting a season-high six goals against Adelaide and producing arguably his greatest ever game statistically with an industrious rucking effort against eventual premiers Brisbane.

Sam Durham’s middle patch of the season was especially elite, hitting his stride with dominant performances against the Blues and Roos while shouldering a brunt of the midfield load.

Youngsters such as Jacob Farrow, Dyson Sharp and Sully Robey were consistent performers in their first seasons, while Nate Caddy’s unflappable work rate and ability to find the goals in a challenging year should see him feature frequently in the votes.

The awards

Crichton Medal – Essendon’s best and fairest, the club’s highest individual honour

Runner Up and Third Place

Matthew Lloyd Leading Goalkicker

Bruce Heymanson Best Clubman Award – The player who best embodies the Essendon values around the Club

John Kilby Staff and Trainers Award – Voted on by staff members and volunteers for how they conduct themselves

Lindsay Griffiths Rising Star – The highest vote getter under the age of 21 to have played fewer than 10 career games at the beginning of the season

McCracken Medal – Voted on by the players at the end of each game for the player who best represented team values on-field

Adam Ramanauskas Most Courageous Player

Most Improved Player

The live stream will be presented on the homepage of the Club’s website on Thursday night.