\n Announcement\n <\/p>\n
\n Second-year Don signs long-term extension.\n <\/p>\n
Emerging forward Isaac Kako has signed a contract extension to remain in the Red and Black until at least the end of 2029.
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A lifelong Essendon supporter, Kako\u2019s commitment underscores both his natural talent and his deep investment in the club’s long-term future.
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Selected with Pick 13 in the 2024 National Draft, the Next Generation Academy graduate made an immediate impact at Essendon. After a standout 2025 pre-season, he earned a Round 1 debut against Hawthorn, capping it with a dazzling first career goal that gave Bomber fans a glimpse of the club\u2019s future.<\/p>\n
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The small forward became a mainstay of the senior side, playing every game in his debut season. His hunger for the contest was best evidenced in Round 17 against Gold Coast, where a 17-disposal, five-tackle performance earned him a Telstra Rising Star nomination.
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Now 19 and coming off a promising 2026 pre-season, Kako is ready to take the next step.
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\u201cI can\u2019t see myself anywhere else. I believe in this Club and the direction we are heading, and I\u2019m absolutely over the moon with the re-signing,\u201d Kako said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSeeing how proud my family is means everything to me. That\u2019s the most rewarding part of playing AFL – putting smiles on their faces and making them proud every time I pull the jumper on.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve had a massive pre-season and I know there is another level to my game. I feel like I\u2019ve got so much more to give, and I\u2019m ready to take my footy to another level for this Club and the incredible fans.\u201d\u00a0
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Kako\u2019s flair on-field is matched by his character off it. A vibrant personality within the Hangar, he has quickly come to represent what it means to “Don the Sash” with pride.
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Essendon General Manager \u2013 List and Recruiting, Matt Rosa, said the club was thrilled to secure Kako’s future.
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\u201cWe\u2019re delighted to have Isaac commit to Essendon long-term. From the day he arrived, he has shown a relentless desire to improve and a genuine love for this club, his teammates, coaches and staff and all our members and supporters,\u201d Rosa said.
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\u201cAs a proud product of our NGA, seeing Isaac evolve into the person and player he is has been incredibly rewarding. He possesses that rare ‘X-factor\u2019, but more importantly, he carries the team-first mentality we value.
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\u201cTo have a player of his calibre and character commit until 2029 sends a strong message about the direction we are heading. He is a crucial piece of the puzzle we are building here.\u201d
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The Bombers will continue their preparations for the 2026 season with a match simulation against Richmond at the NEC Hangar on Friday, February 20, ahead of their Round 1 clash against Hawthorn at the MCG on March 13.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Announcement Second-year Don signs long-term extension. Emerging forward Isaac Kako has signed a contract extension to remain in…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":464630,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[64,63,85,83],"class_list":["post-464629","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\/464629","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=464629"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/464629\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/464630"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=464629"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=464629"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=464629"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}