Don The Stat Season 2026 Opener: Optimism, Pessimism? Where Are Essendon At?

The 2026 season is officially underway at Don The Stat. With just weeks until Essendon’s first practice match and Round 1 against Hawthorn looming, Jonathan Walsh and Ian Hume return for the first formal episode of the year to take stock of where the Bombers are really at. In this season opener, the boys cover: Year five of Don The Stat and the growing Patreon community The 2026 countdown series exploring every Essendon jumper number A quiet but encouraging off-season and what “no news” actually means The ongoing CEO search and whether it should concern supporters A first entrant for the 2026 Terrible Media Takes Award (an award that has a new name) Insights from club media day, including interviews with Darcy Parish and Xavier Duursma Three reasons for optimism heading into 2026 Three genuine areas of concern Listener questions on improvement areas and realistic ladder position Plus, a look ahead at what’s coming next at Don The Stat HQ Balanced, honest, and grounded in evidence - this is your starting point for the 2026 Essendon season. ________ Footy Tipping Comp (password: DonTheStat2026) https://www.footytips.com.au/comps/Don_The_Stat_2026_Tipping?p=DonTheStat2026 Watch 'The Moment that Mattered' and listen to our Post Match First Thoughts exclusively on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/donthestat Don The Stat Website: https://www.donthestat.com/ Follow Us on Twitter and Bluesky: Jono at twitter.com/JonathanJWalsh / https://bsky.app/profile/jonathanjwalsh.bsky.social Ian at twitter.com/Kyptastic1 / https://bsky.app/profile/kyptastic.bsky.social Don The Stat Facebook Page - https://www.facebook.com/donthestat Follow Don The Stat on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/donthestat?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==