In a nutshell: Melbourne have been the superior side this year. They sit in the top six with eight wins and five losses, and come off a tough win against Collingwood on the King’s Birthday weekend. Essendon, on the other hand, have been poor. They are searching for their second win of the season, but at least showed a level of improvement in a fighting five-point loss to Carlton last week.
Head-to-head: Essendon have beaten Melbourne the past two times these teams have met – both encounters on Adelaide Oval during Gather Round. That might count for something. But Melbourne have been unbeatable at the MCG this year, literally. The Dees are 7-0 on their home turf in 2026, including wins over Hawthorn, Collingwood and the Brisbane Lions.
Milestone man: The Bombers will be led out today by defender Mason Redman who plays his 150th game.
At the selection table: Melbourne have made four changes, losing Brody Mihocek to a neck injury and Caleb Windsor (toe), while dropping Tom McDonald and Latrelle Pickett. They bring in Joel Fitzgerald, Lukas Cooke, Bailey Laurie and Jake Melksham. The Bombers bring in Jordan Ridley and Dyson Sharp after dropping Max Kondogiannis and Saad El-Hawli.
