The following list details all of the major goalkicking records relating specifically to Essendon Football Club, including season highs, career highs, and game highs for both the Australian Football League (formerly the Victorian Football League) and AFL Women's, as well as the club's pre-VFL/AFL records. The AFL's annual leading goalkicker award, the Coleman Medal, is named after Essendon's John Coleman. At the 2009 Essendon Best & Fairest awards night, outgoing CEO Peter Jackson announced that the Essendon leading goalkicker medal would be named the Matthew Lloyd Medal in honour of the recently retired Matthew Lloyd.[1] This is sometimes referred to as the Matthew Lloyd Leading Goalkicker Award.[2]
The following is a list of Essendon leading goalkickers in each season.[3]
| Season | Player(s) | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| 1873 | ||
| 1874 | 4 | |
| 1875 | ||
| 1876 | 5 | |
| Season | Player(s) | Goals | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1877 | 3 | ||
| 1878 | 7 | ||
| 1879 | 7 | ||
| 1880 | 7 | ||
| 1881 | 4 | ||
| 1882 | 13 | ||
| 1883 | 14 | ||
| 1884 | 13 | ||
| 1885 | 18 | ||
| 1886 | (2) | 11 | |
| 1887 | (3) | 11 | |
| 1888 | 9 | ||
| Finlay | |||
| 1889 | (2) | 15 | |
| 1890 | Fergusson | 14 | |
| 1891 | 20 | ||
| 1892 | 56 | ||
| 1893 | (2) | 63 | |
| 1894 | (3) | 62 | |
| 1895 | 9 | ||
| 1896 | (2) | 29 |
| ✪ | Player won Coleman Medal (or equivalent) | ||
| † | Team played finals (which count for the tally) | ||
| Bold text indicates player currently plays in AFL or AFLW | |||
| Season | Player(s) | Goals | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1897 | (3) | 23† | |
| 1898 | 20† | ||
| 1899 | 15 | ||
| 1900 | ✪ (4) | 25† | |
| 1901 | ✪ | 34† | |
| 1902 | (5) | 32† | |
| 1903 | 15 | ||
| 1904 | (2) | 25† | |
| 1905 | 29† | ||
| 1906 | 31† | ||
| 1907 | 16 | ||
| 1908 | 26† | ||
| 1909 | 40† | ||
| 1910 | 30† | ||
| 1911 | 35† | ||
| 1912 | 43† | ||
| 1913 | (2) | 29 | |
| 1914 | 28 | ||
| 1915 | 14 | ||
| 1916 | Did not compete due to WWI | — | |
| 1917 | Did not compete due to WWI | — | |
| 1918 | 15 | ||
| 1919 | 15 | ||
| 1920 | 33 | ||
| 1921 | (2) | 17 | |
| 1922 | 36† | ||
| 1923 | ✪ | 68† | |
| 1924 | 50† | ||
| 1925 | (2) | 37† | |
| 1926 | (2) | 36† | |
| 1927 | 35 | ||
| 1928 | (3) | 39 | |
| 1929 | 40 | ||
| 1930 | (2) | 54 | |
| 1931 | 50 | ||
| 1932 | (2) | 52 | |
| 1933 | (3) | 51 | |
| 1934 | (4) | 61 | |
| 1935 | (3) | 52 | |
| 1936 | (5) | 50 | |
| 1937 | (4) | 44 | |
| 1938 | 68 | ||
| 1939 | (2) | 71 | |
| 1940 | 48† | ||
| 1941 | (3) | 65† | |
| 1942 | (4) | 61† | |
| 1943 | 31† | ||
| 1944 | 42† | ||
| 1945 | 48 | ||
| 1946 | (2) | 66† | |
| 1947 | 50† | ||
| 1948 | 52† | ||
| 1949 | ✪ | 100† | |
| 1950 | ✪ (2) | 120† | |
| 1951 | ✪ (3) | 75† | |
| 1952 | ✪ (4) | 103 | |
| 1953 | ✪ (5) | 97† | |
| 1954 | (6) | 42 | |
| 1955 | 51† | ||
| 1956 | 33 | ||
| 1957 | 34† | ||
| 1958 | 31 | ||
| 1959 | ✪ | 78† | |
| 1960 | ✪ (2) | 67† | |
| 1961 | (2) | 33 | |
| 1962 | 39† | ||
| 1963 | (2) | 36 | |
| 1964 | (3) | 32† | |
| 1965 | 54† | ||
| 1966 | ✪ (2) | 76† | |
| 1967 | 40 | ||
| 1968 | (2) | 51† | |
| 1969 | (3) | 43 | |
| 1970 | 33 | ||
| 1971 | (4) | 31 | |
| 1972 | (2) | 107† | |
| 1973 | (5) | 63† | |
| 1974 | (6) | 77 | |
| 1975 | (7) | 48 | |
| 1976 | (2) | 39 | |
| 1977 | 38 | ||
| 1978 | 47 | ||
| 1979 | 57† | ||
| 1980 | 45 | ||
| 1981 | 42† | ||
| 1982 | (2) | 49† | |
| 1983 | (2) | 64† | |
| 1984 | 63† | ||
| 1985 | 48† | ||
| 1986 | 47† | ||
| 1987 | (2) | 43 | |
| 1988 | (3) | 37 | |
| 1989 | (4) | 39† | |
| 1990 | (5) | 43† | |
| 1991 | (3) | 42† | |
| 1992 | (6) | 59 | |
| 1993 | (7) | 65† | |
| 1994 | 32 | ||
| 1995 | 47† | ||
| 1996 | (2) | 39† | |
| 1997 | 63 | ||
| 1998 | (2) | 70† | |
| 1999 | (3) | 87† | |
| 2000 | ✪ (4) | 109† | |
| 2001 | ✪ (5) | 105† | |
| 2002 | (6) | 47† | |
| 2003 | ✪ (7) | 93† | |
| 2004 | (8) | 96† | |
| 2005 | (9) | 59 | |
| 2006 | 67 | ||
| 2007 | (10) | 62 | |
| 2008 | (11) | 62 | |
| 2009 | (12) | 35† | |
| 2010 | 24 | ||
| 2011 | 34† | ||
| 2012 | (2) | 32 | |
| 2013 | (3) | 30 | |
| 2014 | 28† | ||
| 2015 | (2) | 34 | |
| 2016 | (3) | 43 | |
| 2017 | (4) | 65† | |
| 2018 | 30 | ||
| 2019 | (2) | 33† | |
| 2020 | 19 | ||
| 2021 | (3) | 41† | |
| 2022 | 53 | ||
| 2023 | 51 | ||
| 2024 | (2) | 43 |
| Multiple leading goalkickers (5 minimum) | ||
|---|---|---|
| 12 | Matthew Lloyd | |
| 7 | Alan Noonan | |
| 7 | Paul Salmon | |
| 6 | John Coleman | |
| 5 | Ted Freyer | |
| Goals | Player | Opponent | Round | Year | Venue | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | Fitzroy | R7 | 1954 | Windy Hill | ||
| 13 | Sydney | R3 | 1999 | M.C.G. | ||
| 13 | Geelong | R8 | 1952 | Brisbane Exhibition Ground | ||
| 13 | Hawthorn | R18 | 1952 | Windy Hill | ||
| 12 | Geelong | R8 | 1957 | Windy Hill | ||
| 12 | Hawthorn | R1 | 1949 | Windy Hill | ||
| 12 | Melbourne | R1 | 1935 | M.C.G. | ||
| 11 | Western Bulldogs | R19 | 2003 | Docklands | ||
| 11 | West Coast | R15 | 1987 | W.A.C.A. | ||
| 11 | Richmond | R19 | 1986 | VFL Park | ||
| 11 | Footscray | R12 | 1972 | Windy Hill | ||
| 11 | South Melbourne | R2 | 1953 | Lake Oval | ||
| 11 | South Melbourne | R2 | 1950 | Windy Hill |
| Season | Player(s) | Goals | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 (S7) | 8 | ||
| 2023 | 16† | ||
| 2024 | 10† |