Essendon Drops Ben McKay in Six-Change Afl Teams Round 9 Shake-Up

Essendon made six changes for afl teams round 9, and Ben McKay was among the outs before Saturday’s match against Greater Western Sydney. The swing came after the Bombers were thumped by Brisbane last weekend, forcing a wider reset in the back half and across the senior side.

McKay Out, Six Changes In

McKay, Essendon’s full-back, was dropped as the club moved on from the Brisbane loss. Six changes from that team is a clear sign the selection panel was not treating the result as a one-off.

Greater Western Sydney made four changes of its own, and Jesse Hogan did not overcome the hip injury he had been carrying. That left the Giants making their own adjustments while Essendon altered a side that had been beaten heavily only a week earlier.

Round Nine Selection Moves

Carlton brought George Hewett back into the side for Friday night’s game against the Lions after a month in the VFL. The call gave him his first senior game in that stretch and added another experienced body to Carlton’s midfield mix.

Port Adelaide also reshuffled, dropping Todd Marshall for its battle against the Bulldogs at Adelaide Oval at 7.40pm ACST. Adelaide went the other way, regaining skipper Jordan Dawson for Richmond while still missing Darcy Fogarty because of a back injury and Callum Ah Chee because of a hamstring injury.

Richmond brought Tim Taranto back from concussion to replace injured veteran Dion Prestia, and North Melbourne named Luke Davies-Uniacke to face Sydney despite concern over a niggling hamstring problem. George Wardlaw also returned to the 23 after missing last week through illness, giving the Kangaroos a healthier look for the 1.15pm AEST start at Marvel Stadium.

Other Weekend Changes

Geelong remained without Gryan Miers because of a knee injury for its match against Collingwood, but Collingwood gained Scott Pendlebury, Jeremy Howe and Beau McCreery. Gold Coast left veteran Jarrod Witts out for the trip to St Kilda in Darwin after managing him last week, while West Coast dropped Elijah Hewett for Sunday’s match against Melbourne.

For Essendon, the biggest immediate takeaway is simple: six changes, one dropped full-back, and a selection group that has already reacted sharply to the Brisbane defeat. Saturday’s team sheet showed the Bombers were not standing still.