Hawthorn will be disappointed with its Round 0 performance and will look to bounce back against arch rival Essendon. The Bombers unveil three debutants, while Zach Merrett faces the team he attempted to join during the off-season.<\/p>\n
These two clubs already have plenty of history, and the Zach Merrett off-season saga has added even more spice to this clash.<\/p>\n
The Hawks were underwhelming in Round 0 against a depleted Giants side, while Essendon will field something close to its strongest 23 for the first time since Round 9 last year.<\/p>\n
That said, the Bombers remain one of the youngest and least experienced sides in the competition and will debut three players in their opening match of the season, making an upset unlikely.<\/p>\n
Essendon often starts seasons strongly before fading as the year progresses, and recent Round 1 meetings between these sides have been high scoring.<\/p>\n
The Bombers and Hawks have met in Round 1 four times since 2021 and all four games have gone over the total, averaging 189.5 points. The last three meetings have comfortably cleared this line.<\/p>\n
Overall, 11 of their last 13 matchups have gone over, and with Hawthorn conceding 122 points last week another high scoring contest looks likely.<\/p>\n
Butler kicked two goals in last week\u2019s loss to the Giants after booting 2.2 in the Community Series clash with the Bulldogs.<\/p>\n
With Nick Watson spending more time through the midfield and Connor Macdonald also rotating through the centre, Butler should lock down the small forward role this season.<\/p>\n
Based on the Community Series game against St Kilda, Essendon\u2019s primary midfield rotation looks set to feature Parish, Caldwell and Durham.<\/p>\n
Durham recorded 20 disposals in that game and has averaged 21 disposals across the past two seasons.<\/p>\n
He cleared 20+ disposals in 14 of his 20 games last season, with the few misses largely due to injury.<\/p>\n
McGrath will act as a key link player in defence for Essendon in his first season as captain.<\/p>\n
He recorded 20+ disposals in 13 of his final 16 games in 2025, including the last eight matches of the season.<\/p>\n
The addition of Jayden Nguyen should free McGrath from more defensive responsibility and allow him to play that distributor role more consistently.<\/p>\n