\n 180-gamer to take reins as Bombers confirm 2026 leadership group.\n <\/p>\n
The 27-year-old was officially unveiled as the 42nd skipper in the Club\u2019s 153-year history to teammates and staff on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
A No.1 draft pick, Rising Star winner and the recipient of Essendon\u2019s Best Clubman award in three consecutive years, former Vice-Captain McGrath is a universally respected and admired figure at Essendon and the AFL.
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McGrath takes the reins following the decision of former skipper Zach Merrett to step away from the role ahead of the 2026 season.
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Entering his 10th campaign in the red and black, McGrath\u2019s gratitude and excitement towards taking on the captaincy was palpable in his address to the club today.
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Essendon\u2019s General Manager of Football, Daniel McPherson, spoke to his pride in McGrath as the next Captain of Essendon.
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\u201cThe overwhelming approval from the playing group and coaching staff in naming Andy as our new Captain tells the story in itself, really,\u201d McPherson said.
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\u201cThis is a well-deserved achievement and a fitting honour for someone who\u2019s frequently set the example of exactly what an Essendon person should be.
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\u201cWe\u2019re thrilled for Andy and we know he\u2019ll handle the responsibility with the level of character and dedication we\u2019ve grown accustomed to seeing from him.<\/p>\n
For a second consecutive year, Kyle Langford, Mason Redman and Nic Martin will shape the extended leadership group.
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Langford, the highly respected forward, is the longest-serving active forward on the list and a two-time winner of the Dons\u2019 goalkicking (2023-\u201824).
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A staple of the Bombers\u2019 defensive unit over 143 games, Redman is known as one of the Club\u2019s most tenured and dependable players.
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Despite being set to miss the 2026 season, Martin will play just as critical a role with his off-field leadership, setting a strong example in his diligence on the training track and support of his peers.
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Midfield duo Sam Durham and Jye Caldwell will be stepping into the leadership group for the first time in 2026.
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Showcasing influence on and off the field, Caldwell has earned himself a spot in the group for 2026, bringing his confidence, positivity and a fresh perspective.
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Durham has also exemplified what it is to be a Bomber. The 24-year-old shows leadership qualities beyond his years and influential on-field experience with 91 career games to his name so far.
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Brayden Fiorini\u2019s strong impression in his first months as a Don has also been recognised with a berth in the leadership group.
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The 28-year-old former SUN has been a standout in pre-season largely due to his professionalism and high character around the Club, the group a clear beneficiary of a fresh, new voice.
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The Essendon Board ratified the appointments of the leadership group today.
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\u201cIt is great for Kyle, Mase and Nic to continue in their leadership roles and it highlights their growth as leaders; they are a terrific voice for our players who command respect for good reason,\u201d General Manager – Football Daniel McPherson said.
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\u201cWe\u2019re also rapt to have Jye, Sam and Brayden to round out our leadership group this year. They\u2019ll all play key roles for us both on-field and off \u2013 we feel really confident in the mix of experienced and newer faces we have on board there.
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While Zach Merrett will not be in an official leadership role, he will continue to play an important part in supporting the leadership group through his experience and elite football knowledge.
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\u201cZach was consistently outstanding in his service as Captain and did himself proud. Although he won\u2019t be in a formal role this season, he remains an integral person for our players to look up to and learn from,\u201d McPherson said.
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\u201cWe can\u2019t wait to throw our support behind Andy and the group as they lead our Club forward to bigger and better things.\u201d
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The Club\u2019s leaders are appointed through a player-led process that reflects our values and leadership qualities, both on and off field. The playing group and key senior staff nominate and vote on candidates, before a final recommendation is made to the Board for approval.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"180-gamer to take reins as Bombers confirm 2026 leadership group. The 27-year-old was officially unveiled as the 42nd…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":353031,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[64,63,85,83],"class_list":["post-353030","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sports","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-sports","tag-text"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/353030","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=353030"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/353030\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/353031"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=353030"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=353030"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=353030"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}