2012 season | |||
---|---|---|---|
President | David Evans | ||
Coach | James Hird (2nd season) | ||
Captain(s) | Jobe Watson (3rd season) | ||
Home ground | Etihad Stadium | ||
AFL season | 11th | ||
Best and Fairest | Jobe Watson | ||
Leading goalkicker | Stewart Crameri (32) | ||
Highest home attendance | 80,900 vs. Richmond (Round 8) | ||
Lowest home attendance | 33,118 vs. Port Adelaide (Round 2) | ||
Average home attendance | 47,607 | ||
Club membership | 47,708 ( 2,567 / -5.38%) | ||
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The 2012 Essendon Football Club season is the club's 114th season in the Australian Football League (AFL).
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]