After a promising start to the season Essendon found themselves second on the ladder with a record of 8 wins and 1 loss (which was by a single point). The season then took an unexpected turn which saw Essendon lose 10 out of the last 13 games and miss the finals. They became the first club to have an 8–1 record and miss finals since Melbourne in the 1971 season.

Prior to the final round vice-captain Mark McVeigh announced his retirement from football after 14 season and 232 games at the club. After the Home and Away season completed Essendon captain Jobe Watson was awarded the Brownlow Medal. The highest individual accolade in the AFL. This was later handed back following the drug scandal.

The season became notorious for the illegal supplements program that was operated by the club prior to and into the 2012 season. After a three-year investigation, thirty-four players on the 2012 squad were suspected to have been administered the banned peptide Thymosin beta-4 and were suspended for the 2016 season.^[1]

Squad

Essendon Football Club
view
talk
edit
Senior list						Rookie List		Coaching staff
2 Ricky Dyson 3 Scott Gumbleton 4 Jobe Watson (c) 5 Brent Stanton 6 Angus Monfries 7 Leroy Jetta 8 Jason Winderlich 9 Brent Prismall 10 Mark McVeigh (vc) (vet) 11 David Zaharakis 12 Stewart Crameri 14 Sam Lonergan 15 Courtenay Dempsey 16 Tayte Pears 17 Jake Melksham 18 Michael Hurley 19 David Hille (vc) (vet) 20 Henry Slattery 21 Dyson Heppell 22 Jake Carlisle		23 David Myers 24 Alex Browne 25 Ariel Steinberg 26 Cale Hooker 27 Luke Davis 28 Elliott Kavanagh 29 Alwyn Davey 30 Paddy Ryder 31 Dustin Fletcher (vet) 32 Travis Colyer 33 Jackson Merrett 34 Kyle Hardingham 35 Nick O'Brien 37 Kyle Reimers 38 Michael Ross 39 Heath Hocking 40 Ben Howlett 42 Nathan Lovett-Murray 43 Michael Hibberd 44 Tom Bellchambers				13 Anthony Long 36 Lauchlan Dalgleish 41 Brendan Lee 45 Hal Hunter 46 Mark Baguley 47 Cory Dell'Olio		Head coach James Hird Assistant coaches Mark Thompson (senior assistant) Sean Wellman (defensive structure) Simon Goodwin (midfield structure) Matthew Egan (forward structure) James Byrne (development) Rick Ladson (development) Hayden Skipworth (VFL coach) Legend: (c) Captain(s) (vc) Vice-captain(s) (vet) Veterans list Updated: 20 October 2012 Source(s): Playing list, Coaching staff

Trades

Main article: 2011 AFL Trades

In

Player	Traded From	Traded To	Traded For
None

Out

Player	Traded From	Traded To	Traded For
Josh Jenkins Draft pick No. 41	Essendon	Adelaide	Draft pick No. 31

Drafts

Main article: 2011 AFL Draft

National Draft

Round	Pick	Name	From	League
1	19	Elliott Kavanagh	Western Jets	TAC Cup
2	31	Jackson Merrett	Geelong Falcons	TAC Cup
3	59	Nick O'Brien	North Ballarat Rebels	TAC Cup
4	75	Stewart Crameri	Rookie Promotion

Rookie Draft

Round	Pick	Name	From	League
1	11	Lauchlan Dalgleish	North Ballarat Rebels	TAC Cup
2	29	Cory Dell'Olio	South Fremantle	WAFL
3	47	Mark Baguley	Frankston	VFL
4	46	Hal Hunter	Calder Cannons	TAC Cup
5	78	Brendan Lee	East Perth	WAFL
6	85	Anthony Long	Essendon	AFL

Pre-Season Draft

Round	Pick	Name	From	League
No Picks

Delisted

Seasons^[s]	Player
4	Darcy Daniher
4	Jay Neagle
2	Mark Williams
3	Michael Quinn
3	Tyson Slattery
2	Taite Silverlock
1	James Webster

= Retired

Heritage Guernsey

On 2 July Essendon unveiled their Heritage Guernsey. It feature all the names of past premiership players in the background along with the name and signature of club legend John Colman on the breast. Under the signature include the traditional Essendon Football Club motto 'suaviter in modo, fortiter in re' which dates back to the 1870s and translates as 'gentle in manner, resolute in deed.'^[2] The most notable change to the guernsey was the removal of the black background to comply with AFL rules requiring each club to provide a clash guernsey. The new Heritage guernsey made its debut during the Round 15 game between St Kilda and Essendon. This marked the end of a 114-year-long tradition as the first time the Essendon Football Club would play an AFL/VFL game without wearing its famous black and red stripe guernsey.

Guernsey

Standard[edit]


Home		Away

Special Versions[edit]


Anzac		Dreamtime at the 'G		Clash for Cancer		Heritage		Heritage
Round(s) Worn	5	Round(s) Worn	8	Round(s) Worn	13	Round(s) Worn	15	Round(s) Worn	16, 22

Results

Pre-season (NAB Cup)

Round 1

The three teams in each pool play each other in games of two 20-minute halves, with all three games being played over a three-hour period at the one venue.


	Round 1
Sunday, 18 February 4:45 pm	West Coast 0.9.3 (57)	def.	Essendon 0.5.6 (36)	Patersons Stadium (crowd: 27,581)	Report
Sunday, 18 February 5:50 pm	Fremantle 1.7.5 (56)	def.	Essendon 0.3.2 (20)	Patersons Stadium (crowd: 27,534)	Report

Round 2[edit]


	Round 2
Saturday, 3 March 7:00 pm (cancelled)	Essendon	def. by	St Kilda	Wangaratta Showgrounds
The match between Essendon and St Kilda was cancelled, because heavy rain prevented flights chartered by the Essendon Football Club from landing in Wangaratta.^[3] Initially the match was reflected as a draw with no score on the NAB Cup Ladder,^[4] but later St Kilda was awarded the four points.^[5]

Round 3[edit]


	Round 3
Friday, 9 March 6:10 pm	Essendon 1.14.12 (105)	def.	Sydney 1.14.10 (103)	Etihad Stadium (crowd: 12,000)	Report

Round 4 - NAB Challenge Round[edit]


	Round 4
Saturday, 17 March 3:30 pm	Essendon 16.16 (112)	def.	Brisbane Lions 8.8 (56)	Visy Park (crowd: 3,500)	Report
This game was played under regular season rules.

Home and Away season[edit]

Round 1[edit]


	Round 1
Saturday, 31 March 7:40 pm	North Melbourne	def. by	Essendon	Etihad Stadium (crowd: 45,699)	Report
	4.3 (27) 8.5 (53) 10.10 (70) 15.12 (102)	Q1 Q2 Q3 Final	3.2 (20) 9.8 (62) 13.14 (92) 14.20 (104)	Umpires: Stevic, Armstrong, Bannister Television broadcast: Fox Sports


Harvey 3 Adams, Edwards, Petrie, Thomas 2 Harper, MacMillan, McIntosh, Wells 1		Goals	2 Hurley, Lovett-Murray, Melksham, Stanton 1 Heppell, Hille, Jetta, McVeigh, Ryder, Watson
Wells, Swallow, Petrie, Firrito, Adams, Harper, Thomas		Best	Stanton, Watson, Heppell, Myers, Hille, Hibberd, Zaharakis
Tarrant (Hamstring)		Injuries	Hocking (Concussion), Hardingham (Shoulder)
Wright (Charging)		Reports	Nil

Former Essendon player Jordan Bannister made his senior AFL debut as a field umpire in this match. Bannister played for Essendon from 2001–2003, and later played for Carlton.^[6]

||


	Brownlow Votes
3 Brent Stanton (Essendon) 2 Daniel Wells (North Melbourne) 1 Jobe Watson (Essendon)


	Game Milestone
50 Cale Hooker

Score Worm

Round 2[edit]


	Round 2
Saturday, 7 April 1:45 pm	Essendon	def.	Port Adelaide	Etihad Stadium (crowd: 33,118)	Report
	5.2 (32) 10.6 (66) 11.13 (79) 16.15 (111)	Q1 Q2 Q3 Final	5.2 (32) 7.3 (45) 12.5 (77) 13.8 (86)	Umpires: Donlon, Ritchie, Armstrong Television broadcast: Channel 7


Jetta 4 Crameri 3 Stanton 2 Carlisle, Dempsey, Hille, Howlett, Hurley, Monfries, Zaharakis 1		Goals	4 Schulz 3 Westhoff 1 Ebert, McCarthy, Redden, P.Stewart, Thomas, Wingard
Stanton, Jetta, Ryder, Watson, Dempsey, Monfries, Hardingham		Best	Boak, Cornes, Westhoff, Schulz, McCarthy, Cassisi
Hille (Calf), Myers (Hamstring), Lovett-Murray (Hamstring)		Injuries	Wingard (Concussion)

||


	Brownlow Votes
3 Jobe Watson (Essendon) 2 Domenic Cassisi (Port Adelaide) 1 Dustin Fletcher (Essendon)

Score Worm

Round 3[edit]


	Round 3
Saturday, 14 April 7:40 pm	Gold Coast	def. by	Essendon	Metricon Stadium (crowd: 17,069)	Report
	2.3 (15) 7.5 (47) 12.7 (79) 13.10 (88)	Q1 Q2 Q3 Final	5.6 (36) 7.10 (52) 10.12 (72) 15.15 (105)	Umpires: Ritchie, Stewart, Grun Television broadcast: Channel 7


Ablett, Bock, Hall 2 Brennan, Caddy, Harbrow, Matera, Rischitelli, Russell, Shaw 1		Goals	4 Crameri 2 Hurley, Jetta, Ryder, Watson 1 Bellchambers, Davey, Reimers
Ablett, Harbrow, Hunt, Tape, Bock, Swallow		Best	Watson, Crameri, Hurley, Monfries, Howlett, Ryder
Nil		Injuries	Dempsey (Hamstring)

||


	Brownlow Votes
3 Gary Ablett, Jr. (Gold Coast) 2 Jobe Watson (Essendon) 1 Stewart Crameri (Essendon)


	Game Milestone
350 Dustin Fletcher 50 Michael Hurley 50 Tayte Pears

Score Worm

Round 4[edit]


	Round 4
Saturday, 21 April 1:45 pm	Carlton	def. by	Essendon	MCG (crowd: 73,172)	Report
	4.4 (28) 4.7 (32) 5.12 (42) 11.13 (79)	Q1 Q2 Q3 Final	3.6 (24) 8.11 (59) 12.17 (89) 15.19 (109)	Umpires: Margetts, Rosebury, Leppard Television broadcast: Channel 7


Betts 4 Robinson, Garlett, Murphy, McLean, Gibbs, Judd, Hampson 1		Goals	5 Crameri 3 Davey 1 Melksham, Stanton, Ryder, Zaharakis, Hurley, Fletcher, Monfries
Simpson, Murphy, Judd, Scotland, Henderson, Waite		Best	Watson, Stanton, Crameri, Hardingham, Ryder, Davey, Heppell, Hibberd, Fletcher
Carrazzo (Shoulder), Laidler (Knee), Yarran (Toe)		Injuries	Hurley (Hamstring)


The match between Carlton and Essendon was the 2,500th senior VFL/AFL match hosted by the Melbourne Cricket Ground.^[7]

||


	Brownlow Votes
3 Brent Stanton (Essendon) 2 Jobe Watson (Essendon) 1 Stewart Crameri (Essendon)


	Game Milestone
Debut Cory Dell'Olio

Score Worm

Round 5[edit]


	Round 5
Wednesday, 25 April 2:40 pm	Collingwood	def.	Essendon	MCG (crowd: 86,932)	Report
	2.4 (16) 5.6 (36) 9.8 (62) 11.14 (80)	Q1 Q2 Q3 Final	1.3 (9) 3.6 (24) 7.8 (50) 11.13 (79)	Umpires: Donlon, Stevic, Meredith Television broadcast: Channel 7


Cloke, Swan 3 Blair 2 Sidebottom, Jolly, Beams 1		Goals	3 Davey 2 Zaharakis, Monfries 1 Hocking, Howlett, Lonergan, Dell'Olio, Stanton
Swan, Clarke, Pendlebury, Beams, Wellingham, Toovey		Best	Zaharakis, Heppell, Howlett, Dyson, Lonergan
Nil		Injuries	Hibberd (Hamstring)

||


	Brownlow Votes
3 Dane Swan (Collingwood) 2 Scott Pendlebury (Collingwood) 1 Dyson Heppell (Essendon)


	Anzac Medal
Dane Swan^[8]

Score Worm

Round 6[edit]


	Round 6
Saturday, 5 May 1:40 pm	Essendon	def.	Brisbane Lions	Etihad Stadium (crowd: 36,361)	Report
	8.3 (51) 12.9 (81) 16.12 (108) 19.15 (129)	Q1 Q2 Q3 Final	4.1 (25) 7.4 (46) 8.4 (52) 9.8 (62)	Umpires: Rosebury, Fila, Grun Television broadcast: Fox Sports


Crameri 4 Jetta, Davey 3 Lonergan, Monfries 2 Melksham, Dyson, Lovett-Murray, Dempsey, Watson 1		Goals	2 Brown, Polec, Crisp 1 Hudson, McGrath, Cornelius
Stanton, Watson, Bellchambers, Lonergan, Heppell, Hocking, Fletcher		Best	Rich, Brown, Redden, McGrath, Maguire
Crameri (Knee)		Injuries	McGrath (Adductor)

||


	Brownlow Votes
3 Jobe Watson (Essendon) 2 Brent Stanton (Essendon) 1 Dyson Heppell (Essendon)

Score Worm

Round 7[edit]


	Round 7
Saturday, 12 May 7:40 pm	Essendon	def.	West Coast	Etihad Stadium (crowd: 43,260)	Report
	1.6 (12) 5.10 (40) 12.14 (86) 16.17 (113)	Q1 Q2 Q3 Final	1.3 (9) 3.5 (23) 3.7 (25) 7.10 (52)	Umpires: Stewart, Fila, Meredith Television broadcast: Channel 7


Crameri, Davey 3 Jetta, Ryder, Stanton 2 Bellchambers, Dyson, Lovett-Murray, Melksham 1		Goals	2 Waters 1 Brennan, Darling, Hill, Kerr, McGinnity
Stanton, Watson, Zaharakis, Hooker, Melksham, Crameri, Fletcher		Best	Cox, Kerr, Gaff, Shuey, McGinnity
Nil		Injuries	Priddis (Concussion)

||


	Brownlow Votes
3 Brent Stanton (Essendon) 2 Jobe Watson (Essendon) 1 Paddy Ryder (Essendon)

Round 8[edit]


	Round 8
Saturday, 19 May 7:45 pm	Essendon	def.	Richmond	MCG (crowd: 80,900)	Report
	6.2 (38) 12.7 (79) 16.9 (105) 19.14 (128)	Q1 Q2 Q3 Final	4.2 (26) 6.8 (44) 11.16 (82) 15.19 (109)	Umpires: Rosebury, Stewart, Bannister Television broadcast: Channel 7


Ryder 4 Stanton, Monfries 3 Watson, Jetta, Davey 2 Crameri, Howlett, Lovett-Murray 1		Goals	3 Cotchin, Edwards 2 Grigg, Martin 1 Deledio, Jackson, Miller, Nahas, Riewoldt
Watson, Stanton, Crameri, Ryder, Jetta, Bellchambers, Heppell, Zaharakis		Best	Deledio, Cotchin, Grigg, Foley, Maric, Tuck, Jackson
Fletcher (Groin), Hardingham (Calf)		Injuries	Grimes (Hamstring)

||


	Brownlow Votes
3 Brett Deledio (Richmond) 2 Brent Stanton (Essendon) 1 Jobe Watson (Essendon)

Round 9[edit]


	Round 9
Saturday, 26 May 7:40 pm	Greater Western Sydney	def. by	Essendon	Skoda Stadium (crowd: 11,887)	Report
	0.5 (5) 2.9 (21) 4.11 (35) 7.11 (53)	Q1 Q2 Q3 Final	3.1 (19) 8.1 (49) 13.8 (86) 18.11 (119)	Umpires: McBurney, Ryan, Hosking Television broadcast: Channel 7


Cameron 3 Shiel, Treloar, Giles, McDonald 1		Goals	3 Crameri, Davey, Bellchambers 2 Ryder, Monfries 1 Zaharakis, Watson, Melksham, Hurley, Colyer
Treloar, Tyson, Kennedy, Cameron, Power, Shiel		Best	Dyson, Crameri, Lovett-Murray, Dempsey, Zaharakis, Davey



The match between Greater Western Sydney and Essendon will be the first AFL match played at Skoda Stadium, the new primary home ground for Greater Western Sydney. This is the first game former Essendon Coaching legend Kevin Sheedy will coach against his old club.

||


	Brownlow Votes
3 Jobe Watson (Essendon) 2 Tom Bellchambers (Essendon) 1 Brent Stanton (Essendon)

Round 10[edit]


	Round 10
Saturday, 2 June 7:40 pm	Essendon	def. by	Melbourne	MCG (crowd: 42,987)	Report
	1.5 (11) 2.9 (21) 5.13 (43) 6.16 (52)	Q1 Q2 Q3 Final	1.2 (8) 4.3 (27) 5.5 (35) 8.10 (58)	Umpires: McBurney, Jennings, Foot Television broadcast: Channel 7


Watson 2 Davey, Melksham, Hocking, Colyer 1		Goals	2 Garland 1 Howe, Morton, Moloney, Jones, Clark, Sylvia
Watson, Dempsey, Stanton, Howlett, Zaharakis		Best	Watts, Jones, Howe, Moloney, Rivers, Grimes, Nicholson

||


	Brownlow Votes
3 Jack Watts (Melbourne) 2 Jobe Watson (Essendon) 1 Daniel Nicholson (Melbourne)

Round 11[edit]


	Round 11
Saturday, 9 June 7:40 pm	Essendon	def. by	Sydney	Etihad Stadium (crowd: 42,785)	Report
	1.5 (11) 1.11 (17) 2.15 (27) 11.16 (82)	Q1 Q2 Q3 Final	5.3 (33) 8.6 (54) 11.8 (74) 13.8 (86)	Umpires: Margetts, Meredith, McInerney Television broadcast: Channel 7


Davey 3 Watson 2 Hocking, Howlett, Jetta, Lovett-Murray, Myers, Stanton 1		Goals	3 Jetta 2 Jack, Reid 1 Bolton, Everitt, McVeigh, Mumford, Roberts-Thomson, Shaw
Watson, Davey, Dyson, Howlett, Heppell, Hooker		Best	Jetta, Bolton, Armstrong, Bird, Kennedy, Richards, McVeigh
Nil		Injuries	Hannebery (Concussion)

||


	Brownlow Votes
3 Jude Bolton (Sydney) 2 Lewis Jetta (Sydney) 1 Jobe Watson (Essendon)

Round 12[edit]

Bye

Round 13[edit]


	Round 13
Saturday, 23 June 5:40 pm	Fremantle	def. by	Essendon	Patersons Stadium (crowd: 34,567)	Report
	6.1 (37) 8.2 (50) 14.4 (88) 14.5 (89)	Q1 Q2 Q3 Final	5.2 (32) 10.4 (64) 13.5 (83) 17.11 (113)	Umpires: Schmitt, Meredith, Bannister Television broadcast: Channel 7


Mayne 4 Pavlich 3 Clarke, Broughton 2 Barlow, Griffin, de Boer 1		Goals	6 Hurley 2 Monfries, Dell'Olio, Crameri 1 Heppell, Ryder, Hille, Melksham, Watson
Pavlich, Barlow, Mayne, Ibbotson, Clarke, de Boer, Lower		Best	Hurley, Watson, Myers, Howlett, Ryder, Crameri, Carlisle

||


	Brownlow Votes
3 Jobe Watson (Essendon) 2 Michael Hurley (Essendon) 1 Matthew Pavlich (Fremantle)


	Game Milestone
50 Ben Howlett

Round 14[edit]


	Round 14
Saturday, 30 June 7:40 pm	Essendon	def.	Western Bulldogs	Etihad Stadium (crowd: 40,824)	Report
	7.5 (47) 12.7 (79) 15.10 (100) 21.14 (140)	Q1 Q2 Q3 Final	1.2 (8) 3.5 (23) 6.7 (43) 8.8 (56)	Umpires: Margetts, Leppard, Findlay Television broadcast: Channel 7


Hurley 5 Reimers 3 Watson 3 Crameri, Ryder, Dell'Olio, Melksham 2 Hocking, Dempsey 1		Goals	3 Minson 2 Liberatore 1 Campbell, Smith, Boyd
Hurley, Watson, Dempsey, Stanton, Hibberd, Hocking, Reimers		Best	Minson, Liberatore, Boyd, Picken, Dahlhaus, Smith
Nil		Injuries	Murphy (Left Hamstring), Griffen (Calf)

||


	Brownlow Votes
3 Jobe Watson (Essendon) 2 Michael Hurley (Essendon) 1 Heath Hocking (Essendon)


	Game Milestone
50 Jake Melksham

Round 15[edit]


	Round 15
Saturday, 7 July 7:40 pm	St Kilda	def.	Essendon	Etihad Stadium (crowd: 45,838)	Report^{[dead link]}
	4.3 (27) 9.5 (59) 15.6 (96) 21.7 (133)	Q1 Q2 Q3 Final	3.5 (23) 5.6 (36) 7.8 (50) 8.14 (62)	Umpires: Stevic, Meredith, Mitchell Television broadcast: Channel 7


Milne 5 Riewoldt 4 Koschitzke, Siposs, Wilkes, Saad, Schneider 2 Gilbert, Gram 1		Goals	2 Hille, Melksham 1 Carlisle, Hurley, Reimers, Davey
Milne, Dal Santo, Hayes, Riewoldt, Siposs, McEvoy, Simpkin		Best	Dempsey, Heppell, Watson, Melksham, Lonergan
Nil		Injuries	Hurley (Hamstring), Reimers (Concussion)
Koschitzke (Rough Conduct)		Reports	Nil

||


	Brownlow Votes
3 Nick Riewoldt (St Kilda) 2 Nick Dal Santo (St Kilda) 1 Stephen Milne (St Kilda)

Round 16[edit]


	Round 16
Saturday, 14 July 1:40 pm	Port Adelaide	def. by	Essendon	AAMI Stadium (crowd: 17, 344)	Report
	4.3 (27) 8.6 (54) 11.9 (76) 11.13 (79)	Q1 Q2 Q3 Final	4.2 (26) 8.4 (52) 13. 8 (86) 19.13 (127)	Umpires: Farmer, Ritchie, Fila Television broadcast: Fox Sports


Westhoff, Ebert 3 D Stewart 2 McCarthy, P Stewart, Thomas 1		Goals	3 Gumbleton, Jetta 2 Dell'Olio, Bellchambers, Hille 1 Davey, Dyson, Melksham, Reimers, Howlett, Myers, Watson
Brad Ebert, Brett Ebert, Moore, Broadbent, Boak, Westhoff		Best	Bellchambers, Howlett, Jetta, Gumbleton, Heppell, Watson
Nil		Injuries	Michael Hibberd (Quad)

||


	Brownlow Votes
3 Leroy Jetta (Essendon) 2 Brett Ebert (Port Adelaide) 1 Dyson Heppell (Essendon)


	Game Milestone
Debut Mark Baguley

Round 17[edit]


	Round 17
Friday, 20 July 7:50 pm	Geelong	def.	Essendon	Etihad Stadium (crowd: 50,066)	Report
	4.5 (29) 9.7 (61) 15.11 (101) 20.14 (134)	Q1 Q2 Q3 Final	2.1 (13) 5.4 (34) 8.5 (53) 10.7 (67)	Umpires: Rosebury, Nicholls, Hay Television broadcast: Channel 7


Hawkins 5 Smedts 3 Johnson, Murdoch, Taylor, Chapman 2 Duncan, Mackie, Motlop, Walker 1		Goals	3 Bellchambers 1 Crameri, Davey, Dell'Ollio, Gumbleton, Jetta, Monfries, Myers
Duncan, Johnson, Smedts, Selwood, Mackie, Hawkins, Corey, Kelly		Best	Myers, Bellchambers, Stanton, Watson, Heppell
Steve Johnson (Right Groin)		Injuries	Nil

||


	Brownlow Votes
3 Andrew Mackie (Geelong) 2 Mitch Duncan (Geelong) 1 Steve Johnson (Geelong)

Round 18[edit]


	Round 18
Friday, 27 July 7:50 pm	Essendon	def. by	Hawthorn	Etihad Stadium (crowd: 44,899)	Report
	1.4 (10) 3.7 (25) 9.11 (65) 12.14 (86)	Q1 Q2 Q3 Final	8.5 (53) 14.9 (93) 20.15 (135) 27.18 (180)	Umpires: Meredith, Findlay, Jeffery Television broadcast: Channel 7


Gumbleton 4 Hille 2 Dell'Ollio, Howlett, Jetta, Lovett-Murray, Monfries, Winderlich 1		Goals	5 Hodge 4 Suckling 3 Gunston, Roughead 2 Young, Breust, Rioli, Smith 1 Lewis, Puopolo, Shiels, Whitecross
Watson, Gumbleton, Howlett, Heppell, Carlisle		Best	Rioli, Hodge, Suckling, Gunston, Mitchell, Whitecross, Sewell

||


	Brownlow Votes
3 Cyril Rioli (Hawthorn) 2 Sam Mitchell (Hawthorn) 1 Matt Suckling (Hawthorn)


	Game Milestone
Debut Elliott Kavanagh

Round 19[edit]


	Round 19
Sunday, 5 August 4:10 pm	Adelaide	def.	Essendon	AAMI Stadium (crowd: 40,030)	Report^{[dead link]}
	4.2 (26) 6.3 (39) 13.7 (85) 16.8 (104)	Q1 Q2 Q3 Final	5.4 (34) 9.7 (61) 12.7 (79) 15.10 (100)	Umpires: Donlon, Kamolins, Hay Television broadcast: Fox Sports


Walker 4 Dangerfield 3 Johncock, Jenkins 2 Jacobs, Sloane, Porplyzia, Riley, van Berlo 1		Goals	4 Winderlich 2 Browne, Gumbleton 1 Colyer, Dempsey, Davey, Hurley, Jetta, Lonergan, Watson
Dangerfield, Thompson, Sloane, Talia, Douglas, Walker		Best	Watson, Dempsey, Lovett-Murray, Browne, Carlisle, Heppell
Porplyzia (Shoulder)		Injuries	Howlett (Hamstring), Winderlich (Hamstring)

||


	Brownlow Votes
3 Jobe Watson (Essendon) 2 Patrick Dangerfield (Adelaide) 1 Rory Sloane (Adelaide)


	Game Milestone
150 Jobe Watson 100 Jason Winderlich

Round 20[edit]


	Round 20
Sunday, 12 August 4:40 pm	Essendon	def. by	North Melbourne	Etihad Stadium (crowd: 42,674)	Report
	5.2 (32) 8.6 (54) 9.10(64) 11.10 (76)	Q1 Q2 Q3 Final	6.2 (38) 8.4 (52) 11.7 (73) 15.10 (100)	Umpires: Donlon, Meredith, McInerney Television broadcast: Fox Sports


Davey, Hurley 3 Crameri, Lovett-Murray, Lonergan, Melksham, Watson 1		Goals	3 Harvey, Hansen, Tarrant 2 Garlett, Gibson 1 Wells, Wright
Watson, Fletcher, Bellchambers, Colyer, Davey, Hurley		Best	Harvey, Wright, McMahon, Swallow, Grima, Gibson, Goldstein, Anthony
Nil		Injuries	Leigh Adams (Left Shoulder), Daniel Wells (Calf), Nathan Grima (Hamstring Tendonitis)

||


	Brownlow Votes
3 Sam Wright (North Melbourne) 2 Tom Bellchambers (Essendon) 1 Jobe Watson (Essendon)

Round 21[edit]


	Round 21
Saturday, 18 August 1:45 pm	Essendon	def. by	Carlton	MCG (crowd: 59,381)	Report
	2.5 (17) 6.6 (42) 7.8 (50) 8.12 (60)	Q1 Q2 Q3 Final	5.3 (33) 15.4 (94) 20.9 (129) 25.12 (156)	Umpires: McBurney, Farmer, Schmitt Television broadcast: Channel 7


Crameri, Ryder 2 Watson, Lonergan, Stanton, Hurley 1		Goals	5 Waite 3 McLean, Simpson, Walker, Garlett, Casboult 2 Betts, Murphy
Watson, Browne, Hooker		Best	Murphy, Gibbs, McLean, Waite, Simpson, Judd, Betts, Casboult
Fletcher (Hip Flexor), Carlisle (Ankle)		Injuries	Nil

||


	Brownlow Votes
3 Marc Murphy (Carlton) 2 Jarrad Waite (Carlton) 1 Kade Simpson (Carlton)

Round 22[edit]


	Round 22
Friday, 24 August 7:50 pm	Richmond	def.	Essendon	MCG (crowd: 47,590)	Report
	5.5 (35) 8.11 (59) 12.16 (88) 13.24 (102)	Q1 Q2 Q3 Final	3.2 (20) 4.6 (30) 7.9 (51) 8.9 (57)	Umpires: Nicholls, McInerney, Mollison Television broadcast: Channel 7


Riewoldt 3 Edwards, McGuane 2 Astbury, Deledio, Grigg, Martin, Nahas, O'Hanlon 1		Goals	3 Monfries 1 Browne, Gumbleton, Hurley, Jetta, O'Brien
Tuck, Cotchin, Deledio, Houli, Jackson, Edwards, Riewoldt, O'Hanlon		Best	Heppell, Monfries, Hibberd, Crameri
White (Hamstring)		Injuries	Davey (Hamstring), Crameri (Shoulder)

||


	Brownlow Votes
3 Trent Cotchin (Richmond) 2 Shane Tuck (Richmond) 1 Brett Deledio (Richmond)


	Game Milestone
Debut Nick O'Brien

Round 23[edit]


	Round 23
Saturday, 1 September 7:40 pm	Essendon	def. by	Collingwood	MCG (crowd: 56,491)	Report
	4.3 (27) 7.3 (45) 9.7 (61) 10.12 (72)	Q1 Q2 Q3 Final	5.5 (35) 7.11 (53) 10.17 (77) 14.20 (104)	Umpires: Donlon, McBurney, Jennings Television broadcast: Channel 7


O'Brien, Zaharakis 2 Crameri, Monfries, Hurley, Myers, Watson, Heppell 1		Goals	5 Cloke 2 Fasolo 1 Beams, Goldsack, Paine, Swan, Krakouer, Shaw, O'Brien
Watson, Stanton, Zaharakis, Heppell, Hille, Hurley		Best	Swan, Cloke, Beams, Fasolo, Pendlebury, Thomas
Nil		Injuries	Goldsack (Ankle)

||


	Brownlow Votes
3 Dane Swan (Collingwood) 2 Travis Cloke (Collingwood) 1 Scott Pendlebury (Collingwood)


	Game Milestone
150 Angus Monfries Debut Jackson Merrett

Ladder[edit]

2012 AFL ladder
Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	L	D	PF	PA	PP	Pts
1	Hawthorn	22	17	5	0	2679	1733	154.6	68	Finals series
2	Adelaide	22	17	5	0	2428	1833	132.5	68
3	Sydney (P)	22	16	6	0	2290	1629	140.6	64
4	Collingwood	22	16	6	0	2123	1823	116.5	64
5	West Coast	22	15	7	0	2244	1807	124.2	60
6	Geelong	22	15	7	0	2209	1886	117.1	60
7	Fremantle	22	14	8	0	1956	1691	115.7	56
8	North Melbourne	22	14	8	0	2359	2097	112.5	56
9	St Kilda	22	12	10	0	2347	1903	123.3	48
10	Carlton	22	11	11	0	2079	1925	108.0	44
11	Essendon	22	11	11	0	2091	2090	100.0	44
12	Richmond	22	10	11	1	2169	1943	111.6	42
13	Brisbane Lions	22	10	12	0	1904	2092	91.0	40
14	Port Adelaide	22	5	16	1	1691	2144	78.9	22
15	Western Bulldogs	22	5	17	0	1542	2301	67.0	20
16	Melbourne	22	4	18	0	1580	2341	67.5	16
17	Gold Coast	22	3	19	0	1509	2481	60.8	12
18	Greater Western Sydney	22	2	20	0	1270	2751	46.2	8

Source:^{[citation needed]}
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) percentage; 3) number of points for.
(P) Premiers

Ladder progress[edit]

Round	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23
Ground	A	H	A	A	A	H	H	H	A	H	H	B	A	H	A	A	A	H	A	H	H	A	H
Result	W	W	W	W	L	W	W	W	W	L	L		W	W	L	W	L	L	L	L	L	L	L
Position	9	5	4	3	5	4	2	3	2	2	4	6	3	4	6	6	6	7	8	8	10	11	11

Source: Competitive Matches
A = Away; H = Home; B = Bye; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Lose

Tribunal cases[edit]

Player	Round	Charge category (Level)	Verdict	Points^[a]	Result	Victim	Club	Ref(s)
Sam Lonergan	2	Rough Conduct (2)	Guilty (Early Plea)	185.63	1 Week	Travis Boak	Port Adelaide	^[9]
Leroy Jetta	8	Striking (2)	Guilty (Appeal Denied)	137.50	1 Week	Dylan Grimes	Richmond	^[10]
David Zaharakis	9	Striking (2)	Guilty (Early Plea)	93.75	Reprimand	Tomas Bugg	Greater Western Sydney	^[11]
Jake Carlisle	9	Wrestling	Guilty (Early Plea)	0	$900	Jeremy Cameron	Greater Western Sydney	^[11]
Alwyn Davey	9	Wrestling	Guilty (Early Plea)	0	$900	Taylor Adams	Greater Western Sydney	^[11]
Paddy Ryder	10	Tripping (1)	Guilty (Early Plea)	66	Reprimand	Daniel Nicholson	Melbourne	^[12]
Alwyn Davey	11	Rough Conduct (3)	Guilty (Early Plea)	243.75	2 Weeks	Dan Hannebery	Sydney	^[13]
Stewart Crameri	14	Rough Conduct (3)	Guilty (Early Plea)	243.75	2 Weeks	Dylan Addison	Western Bulldogs	^[14]
Heath Hocking	15	Rough Conduct (2)	Guilty (Early Plea)	297.19	2 Weeks	Lenny Hayes	St Kilda	^[15]
Jake Carlisle	16	Rough Conduct (1)	Guilty (Early Plea)	93.75	Reprimand	Paul Stewart	Port Adelaide	^[16]

Season statistics[edit]

Home attendance[edit]

Round	Opponent	Attendance
2	Port Adelaide	33,118
6	Brisbane Lions	36,361
7	West Coast	43,260
8	Richmond	80,900
10	Melbourne	42,987
11	Sydney	42,785
14	Western Bulldogs	40,824
18	Hawthorn	44,899
20	North Melbourne	42,674
21	Carlton	59,381
23	Collingwood	56,491
Total Attendance		523,680
Average Attendance		47,607

Awards[edit]

2012 Brownlow Medal[edit]

Votes	Player
30	Jobe Watson
14	Brent Stanton
4	Tom Bellchambers
4	Michael Hurley
3	Dyson Heppell
3	Leroy Jetta
2	Stewart Crameri
1	Dustin Fletcher
1	Heath Hocking
1	Paddy Ryder

Crichton Medal[edit]

^[17]

Votes	Player
551	Jobe Watson
310	Dyson Heppell
256	Dustin Fletcher
240	Brent Stanton
232	Ben Howlett
214	David Zaharakis
208	Courtenay Dempsey
198	Stewart Crameri
195	Paddy Ryder
117	Michael Hurley

Other Awards[edit]

^[17]

Award Name	Player
Best Clubman	Dyson Heppell
Matthew Lloyd Senior Leading Goal Kicking	Stewart Crameri
Lindsay Griffiths Rising Star	Michael Hibberd
Most Improved Player	Jake Carlisle
Adam Ramanauskas Most Courageous Player	Ben Howlett
Best Team Player	Dustin Fletcher
Essendon Goal of the Year^[18]	Stewart Crameri
Essendon Mark of the Year^[19]	Dyson Heppell

Season Financials[edit]

EFC Annual Report 2012

Item	$2012	$2011	Change
Revenue	$65,431,425	$51,416,731	$14,014,694
Membership & Reserved Seating	$9,367,066	$10,363,690	$996,624
Gate Receipts	$726,504	$963,101	$236,597
Marketing Revenue	$15,902,153	$15,532,108	$370,045
Merchandise Revenue	$3,226,302	$2,563,026	$663,276
Football Department Spend	$19,200,704	$18,510,078	$690,626
Operating Profit/Loss	$401,429	$1,024,086	$622,657
Total Profit/Loss	$12,345,536	$2,059,379	$10,286,157

Notes[edit]

^a "Points" refers to carry-over points accrued following the sanction. For example, 154.69 points draw a one-match suspension, with 54.69 carry-over points (for every 100 points, a one-match suspension is given).
^s Denotes amount of seasons on the Essendon list only.

References[edit]

^ Travis King (12 January 2016). "Guilty: court bans the Essendon 34 for 2016". Australian Football League. Retrieved 12 January 2016.
^ "Essendon unveil heritage guernsey". BigPond. Archived from the original on 14 July 2012. Retrieved 27 October 2012.
^ Lowther, Andrew (3 March 2012). "Dons, Saints game cancelled". Australian Football League. Archived from the original on 6 March 2012. Retrieved 3 March 2012.
^ "2012 NAB Cup ladder". Australian Football League. Archived from the original on 21 February 2012. Retrieved 3 March 2012.
^ "AFL awards St Kilda the four points". Essendon Football Club. 3 March 2012. Archived from the original on 4 March 2012. Retrieved 4 March 2012.
^ "2012, Match Review – Round 1, Saturday March 24, Thursday-Friday-Saturday-Sunday, March 29-30-31, April 1". Footystats. Archived from the original on 16 May 2013. Retrieved 15 April 2012.
^ Green, Warwick; McFarlane, Glenn (20 April 2012). "MCG reaches 2500-game milestone". Herald Sun. Retrieved 21 April 2012.
^ "Swan dines out in Anzac classic". AFL.com.au. BigPond. 25 April 2012. Archived from the original on 27 April 2012. Retrieved 3 May 2012.
^ "Full MRP". AFL.com.au. BigPond. 9 March 2012. Archived from the original on 10 April 2012. Retrieved 9 March 2012.
^ "Full MRP". AFL.com.au. BigPond. 21 May 2012. Archived from the original on 19 July 2012. Retrieved 23 May 2012.
^ ^a ^b ^c "MRP full statement". AFL.com.au. BigPond. 28 May 2012. Archived from the original on 31 May 2012. Retrieved 28 May 2012.
^ "MRP full statement". AFL.com.au. BigPond. 4 June 2012. Archived from the original on 6 June 2012. Retrieved 4 June 2012.
^ "MRP full report". AFL.com.au. BigPond. 11 June 2012. Retrieved 7 July 2012.^{[dead link]}
^ "MRP report: round 14". AFL.com.au. BigPond. 2 July 2012. Retrieved 7 July 2012.^{[dead link]}
^ "Full MRP report". AFL.com.au. BigPond. 9 July 2012. Archived from the original on 12 July 2012. Retrieved 22 July 2012.
^ "Full MRP report". AFL.com.au. BigPond. 16 July 2012. Archived from the original on 19 July 2012. Retrieved 22 July 2012.
^ ^a ^b Twomey, Callum (4 October 2012). "Watson wins 2012 Crichton Medal". essendonfc.com.au. BigPond. Archived from the original on 7 October 2012. Retrieved 18 October 2012.
^ "Video: Essendon Goal of the Year". essendonfc.com.au. BigPond. 14 October 2012. Archived from the original on 18 October 2012. Retrieved 18 October 2012.
^ "Video: Essendon Mark of the Year". essendonfc.com.au. BigPond. 13 October 2012. Archived from the original on 18 October 2012. Retrieved 18 October 2012.

External links[edit]

v t e Essendon Football Club
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AFLW seasons (2)	2022 (S7) 2023
Related articles	Anzac Day match Archer–Hird Medal Carlton rivalry Dreamtime at the 'G The Hangar Line in the Sand Match Round 16, 2001 comeback against North Melbourne Supplements saga
Essendon did not participate in the 1916 and 1917 VFL seasons due to World War I (indicated in grey)

v t e 2012 AFL season
Events	NAB Cup Premiership season Finals series Grand Final
Awards	AFL Players Association awards All-Australian team Brownlow Medal Coleman Medal Goal of the Year Leigh Matthews Trophy Mark of the Year Michael Tuck Medal Norm Smith Medal Rising Star
Club overviews	Adelaide Brisbane Lions Carlton Collingwood Essendon Fremantle Geelong Gold Coast Greater Western Sydney Hawthorn Melbourne North Melbourne Port Adelaide Richmond St Kilda Sydney Western Bulldogs West Coast
Player changes	Trades National draft Pre-season draft Rookie draft Debuts Retirements and delistings

v t e Essendon Football Club supplements saga
Players	Tom Bellchambers Alex Browne Jake Carlisle Travis Colyer Stewart Crameri Alwyn Davey Luke Davis Cory Dell'Olio Ricky Dyson Dustin Fletcher Scott Gumbleton Kyle Hardingham Dyson Heppell Michael Hibberd David Hille Heath Hocking Cale Hooker Ben Howlett Michael Hurley Leroy Jetta Brendan Lee Sam Lonergan Nathan Lovett-Murray Mark McVeigh Jake Melksham Angus Monfries David Myers Tayte Pears Brent Prismall Paddy Ryder Henry Slattery Brent Stanton Ariel Steinberg Jobe Watson
Administrators	Danny Corcoran Stephen Dank David Evans James Hird Paul Little Dr Bruce Reid Dean Robinson Ian Robson Mark Thompson
Organisations	Australian Football League Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority Court of Arbitration for Sport Essendon Football Club World Anti-Doping Agency
Related articles	AFL seasons 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 Essendon seasons 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 (Top-up players) 2012 Brownlow Medal Thymosin beta-4