‘Great footballer, better person’.
It’s an adage that gets thrown around often these days, but there aren’t many better suited to it than Dyson Heppell as he approaches his 250th AFL game on Saturday night.
Through thick and thin, the former Captain has been a stalwart for his boyhood club, providing leadership through trying times and frequently setting an example for his younger teammates with on-field poise and a classy demeanour off it.
Joining the Bombers from Leongatha as a shaggy-haired 18-year-old with pick No.8 in the 2010 National Draft, Heppell instantly endeared himself to the club faithful with a stellar 2011 debut season, accumulating 20 touches in his first game at AFL level.
Playing every game for the campaign, Heppell established himself as a composed and courageous performer in the back half and became the first Essendon player to ever win the Rising Star Award, polling 44 of a possible 45 votes in a landslide victory to go with his AFLPA Best First Year Player honours.
The rise continued for Heppell, who continued to flourish as a defender and on-baller throughout 2012 and ’13, claiming the AFLCA Best Young Player in just his second season followed by back-to-back top three finishes in the Crichton Medal, but it was in 2014 where his ascent became most apparent.
Floating between midfield and the wing, Heppell was the standout performer in a Bombers side enjoying one of its better seasons of the 2010’s – by year’s end and at the age of just 21, he’d laid claim to the Crichton Medal (its youngest winner in a decade), was named on the wing in the All Australian side and won a second Best Clubman Award.
After another third place Crichton Medal finish in 2015 and an International Rules Series appearance, Heppell’s trajectory was interrupted by club-wide suspensions in 2016, but the then-23-year-old ignored rival offers to confirm his future in May of that year as a large group of experienced Bombers reclaimed their places on the list ahead of 2017.
Although skipper Jobe Watson was one of those recommitments, he opened 2017 by passing the captaincy onto Heppell, who would become the 40th Captain in the club’s history.
On a special Saturday night to open the 2017 campaign, Heppell kicked off his tenure as skipper with a riveting 34-disposal, three-goal performance against Hawthorn at the MCG, capping off a night devoted to the Dons’ returning players.
Heppell led the Dons to a finals appearance in his first year at the helm and was named a Life Member of the club in 2018, reaffirming his place as a budding champion in the annals of Essendon.
A staple in the on-ball mix by this stage, Heppell had fought through the wear-and-tear of his inside role throughout 2019.
Leading into the season, he’d only missed six possible games in his career and often found himself playing through soreness and injury troubles in the back half of the year to lead the Bombers to another finals campaign.
In a COVID-interrupted 2020 season, Heppell would only manage three games due to foot and ankle surgeries as the Dons struggled to recapture their early season form in the hub, but the Captain managed to turn a corner leading into the new year.
Finding a new lease on life in his old position at half back, Heppell looked rejuvenated in 2021 and racked up at least 20 disposals in each of the 19 games he played that season, providing a cool head on the last line within a young Bombers outfit and winning the Adam Ramanauskas Most Courageous Player Award.
Since that move back to defence, Heppell hasn’t missed a beat, playing every possible game over the last few seasons in the Bombers’ transitional period under Senior Coach Brad Scott.
Ahead of the 2023 campaign (the first under Scott), Heppell passed on his duties as Captain after six years in the role, allowing Zach Merrett to take on the mantle and giving the veteran a chance to relinquish any added pressure.
Heppell’s showed no signs of slowing since, piecing together a consistent campaign in 2024 with the Bombers sitting at 9-4-1 for the season to date.
Entering another exciting run of games which kicks off with his 250th game, Heppell becomes just the 15th player in club history to reach the milestone, reflective of his standing at Bomberland.
While his on-field exploits have already ranked him among greats at the Bombers, it’s Heppell’s generosity and ‘loveable larrikin’ personality off the field which has made him equally beloved among all Essendon people.
Whether it’s being the last player off the ground from signing autographs and taking photos with fans, shaving off his trademark long locks for charity or the heartwarming friendship he’s made with young Harrison and the subsequent awareness raised for Scleroderma sufferers, the positive effects of Heppell’s high character have been felt by many over the past 14 years.