Elijah Tsatas — and what comes next

Essendon fans have been left completely baffled by the club’s decision to drop Elijah Tsatas for Saturday’s game against Brisbane, with supporters already predicting he will request a trade at season’s end. Elijah Tsatas has emerged this Saturday as one of the stories drawing attention in Australia.

Key facts

• Essendon fans have been left completely baffled by the club’s decision to drop Elijah Tsatas for Saturday’s game against Brisbane, with supporters already predicting he will request a trade at season’s end.
• Footy reporter Rohan Connolly wrote on X: “Was prepared to give Essendon coaching panel benefit of doubt over Elijah Tsatas’s harsh treatment at selection the last couple of seasons, but having finally come back in and played his best footy yet, dropping him again now after three games just doesn’t make sense.
• Brad Klibansky wrote: “It’s time for Elijah Tsatas to find a new club!”
• The Bombers Banter account posted: “The worst part about the Elijah Tsatas handling is you just know he’s going elsewhere and thriving.
• Nat Martin said: “Did Elijah Tsatas run over Brad Scott’s dog?”

What we know

Going deeper, Footy reporter Rohan Connolly wrote on X: “Was prepared to give Essendon coaching panel benefit of doubt over Elijah Tsatas’s harsh treatment at selection the last couple of seasons, but having finally come back in and played his best footy yet, dropping him again now after three games just doesn’t make sense.

On the substance, Brad Klibansky wrote: “It’s time for Elijah Tsatas to find a new club!”

Beyond the headlines, the Bombers Banter account posted: “The worst part about the Elijah Tsatas handling is you just know he’s going elsewhere and thriving.

More precisely, Nat Martin said: “Did Elijah Tsatas run over Brad Scott’s dog?”

It is worth noting that Sports reporter Chris Da Silva said: “Can’t help but feel that Essendon’s handling of Elijah Tsatas mirrors what they did with Bachar Houli.

By the numbers

At this stage, Tsatas has had 18, 25 and 29 disposals in his three games this year and was looking like he might get an extended run in the senior side, especially with midfielder Darcy Parish managed this week.

On a related note, Tsatas has been on the outer under coach Brad Scott, playing just 19 games in four seasons for the Bombers since being taken at pick No.

Going deeper, the Bombers put together a solid few weeks after a rough start to the season but came back to Earth with a brutal 77-point loss to Collingwood on ANZAC Day.

On the substance, Essendon do welcome back Nik Cox for his first AFL game in 630 days on Saturday against the Brisbane Lions, where the Bombers are huge outsiders.

What they're saying

“(Tsatas) has had some things to work on and to his credit, he’s gone to work on it on his own admission.”

“Just utterly baffling areas, I cannot find a reasonable explanation given another inside mid is being rested for this game.”

“I’ve spoken about it the last couple of weeks, I love these reward effort stories because everyone sees the reward publicly, but that don’t see the effort behind the scenes,” Scott said.

The wider context

On a related note, Omitted from the side this week is Elijah Tsatas, with Archie May out to an MCL injury.

Going deeper, Footy fans have been left baffled by Essendon’s selection call, which many believe will prompt a young player to leave the club.

On the substance, But Tsatas was omitted at the selection table on Thursday night, much to the astonishment of Bombers supporters.

Beyond the headlines, Tsatas is going to go somewhere else and be elite.”

More precisely, Watch Essendon vs the Brisbane Lions on Saturday at 12.35pm AEST on Kayo Sports.

The bottom line

• The Bombers Banter account posted: “The worst part about the Elijah Tsatas handling is you just know he’s going elsewhere and thriving.
• The Bombers put together a solid few weeks after a rough start to the season but came back to Earth with a brutal 77-point loss to Collingwood on ANZAC Day.
• The Dons have announced its lineup for Saturday's Marvel matchup.