Essendon Vs Port Adelaide: Essendon’s draft-pick dilemma meets Port Adelaide’s injury-hit final round
The essendon vs port adelaide match is the final game of the 2026 AFL home-and-away season, with both clubs entering at Marvel Stadium after difficult campaigns. Essendon’s result could decide whether it finishes with the wooden spoon and the No. 1 draft pick, while Port Adelaide is aiming to end a six-match losing run with a win.
Essendon’s draft-pick dilemma meets Port Adelaide’s injury-hit final round
Essendon is 2-20 and faces the possibility of matching the club’s equal-worst win total. A victory would lift the Bombers above Richmond and cost them the wooden spoon, along with the No. 1 draft pick attached to it, according to Fox Sports’ match report.
The match therefore carries a specific consequence for Essendon, rather than being an evenly shared wooden-spoon contest. Port Adelaide is 6-16 and has already secured 15th place, leaving the Power focused on ending the season positively after a difficult final month. AFL.com.au described a Port win as a chance to build positivity for the off-season.
Port Adelaide has lost its past six matches by an average of 48 points, while its last four defeats were by margins of 76, 97, 12 and 59 points. The Power’s recent form has deteriorated as injuries have affected several important players, with Before You Bet noting that the absences of Zak Butters and Connor Rozee had been particularly damaging.
Confirmed changes for the Power
Port Adelaide will make three changes. Jason Horne-Francis, Aliir Aliir and Willem Drew are out, with the club listing Horne-Francis and Drew as injured and Aliir as unavailable after concussion. Darcy Byrne-Jones returns from suspension, while Christian Moraes and Will Brodie come into the team. Brodie is set to play his second AFL game of the season, according to Port Adelaide’s selection announcement.
Essendon will take an unchanged team into the final round. The Bombers had recently suffered a heavy loss to Sydney, although they reduced the final margin after conceding nine goals in the opening term. The AFL’s match preview said a win against the injury-hit Power could be enough for Essendon to avoid the wooden spoon.
Match time and venue
The game is scheduled for Sunday afternoon at Marvel Stadium, with the opening bounce listed for 12.20pm AEST by AFL.com.au. Port Adelaide’s club announcement gives the corresponding start time as 11.50am in Adelaide.
Port Adelaide won the previous meeting by 63 points in Round 2 at Adelaide Oval, according to the Power’s selection report. The Power had also won nine of its previous 10 games against Essendon, as reported by Before You Bet, but it enters this rematch without three key players and after six consecutive losses.
The available reporting confirms the selected teams and the ladder implications, but it does not establish a final score or winner. At the latest verified stage, Essendon remains in contention to avoid the wooden spoon, while Port Adelaide is attempting to finish its season with a win.