Why Champion Data has changed tune on Essendon in 2024

Brad Scott’s defensive system is starting to shine through at Essendon, according to new numbers released by Champion Data on Tuesday.

A famous Achilles Heel for the Bombers in recent times, Scott was brought in at the end of 2022 with the primary focus of improving Essendon defensively and his methods are starting to bear fruit.

His side is in the top four ahead of Round 11 and are coming off one of the wins of the season in keeping to GWS to just 62 points in a three-goal triumph.

Now, Champion Data’s Daniel Hoyne can definitively say the Bombers are doing better without the ball than they ever have in recent memory.

“A few people hit me up on the weekend about Essendon, asking if I was finally going to give some praise,” Hoyne began on SEN’s Sportsday.

“Well yeah, I am, because the performances have changed… the last five weeks they’re 12th with the footy, 8th without the footy, 5th for clearances and 10th for their post-clearance work.

“I said this a couple of weeks ago, the only time we’re going to talk about Essendon again is when their 'without the footy' and their defensive profile changed, otherwise it was just a boring conversation.

“After the first four weeks of the year they were again 16th in terms of what they were doing without the footy after being 15th the year before and 16th the year before that… so to be 8th over the last five weeks, that’s a significant improvement and something that deserves to be recognised.”

While the Bombers do sit in the top four, their percentage is just 98.3, ranking 13th in the competition.

Hoyne acknowledges that what Scott’s troops are currently putting forward isn’t the model of a top four team just yet.

But given where they’ve come from, it’s praise Essendon fans have been craving for years.

“It’s not top four in the competition where you have to look it and say this is bulletproof… but from where it’s come from and the expectation of what we’ve seen over the last couple of years, it’s a significant improvement,” Hoyne continued.

“Their ability to defend ball movement, we spoke about how poor it was in the first three or four games this season, in three of the last four games this season it’s been exceptional… they’re flying at the moment.”

Essendon are set to remain in the top four for at least the next month given it plays North Melbourne and Richmond in the next fortnight, with a clash against West Coast not long later in Round 15.