Essendon has named five players for its Sunday night meeting with the Eagles at Optus Stadium, locking in a changed side for the trip west. The Bombers finalized their team on the eve of a 7:20 PM AEST bounce, with Saad El-Hawli, Elijah Tsatas, Will Setterfield, Nik Cox and Max Kondogiannis all added to the lineup.
The timing makes the selection more than a formality. Fans searching for Eagles Game Today are looking at a side that has been reshaped around fitness, recovery and opportunity, with the match now just hours away in Perth.
El-Hawli’s return stands out most. He is back after making a full recovery from a broken collarbone, while Tsatas and Setterfield were set to come back after being withdrawn from last week’s VFL match as a precaution. Those two management calls suggested the club was still taking no chances with availability, even as the senior side moved closer to final selection.
Cox also earned his place after a strong VFL performance, and Kondogiannis was named for what would be his fourth game of senior footy. The five inclusions give Essendon a different look for a match that now carries immediate consequence, because there is no time left for further assessment once the team takes the field at Optus Stadium.
The one piece left unstated is just as important: the club did not say which players made way for the five inclusions. That omission leaves the final balance of the side to be read on match night, when Essendon’s choices will be tested against the Eagles in real time.
There was also movement away from the club, with Ben Jacobs and Ben Robbins departing Essendon Football Club. But the immediate story is the one now in front of the Bombers: a final team, a primetime start, and a Sunday night test in Perth that will show whether the selection calls hold up.
