[2] Due to many key players being injured in the 2004 pre-season, Stanton was immediately brought into the Essendon team for the round 1 match against Port Adelaide where the Bombers were comfortably defeated by 96 points.

Stanton started his 2005 season by changing to the number 24 jumper, previously worn by former Essendon great Joe Misiti.

Stanton became renowned around the AFL for his endurance and quickly established himself as one of the club's key players and most dangerous midfielders.

In the 2008 pre-season, Stanton would be handed the number five guernsey, worn by retired club captain James Hird.

[6] Stanton amassed 477 possessions and kicked 13 goals in 20 games for an Essendon team which won seven matches and lost fifteen in a year that would see their coach, Matthew Knights, sacked one day after the conclusion of the regular season.

[citation needed] Into his ninth AFL season and in the Essendon leadership group, Stanton finished second in the 2011 Crichton Medal behind David Zaharakis.

Wearing the famous number 5, his tireless running and ability to accumulate possessions played a huge part in every victory during the 2012 season.

In Round 6 of the 2012 AFL season, Stanton collected a record 193 Dream Team points in Essendon's win against the Brisbane Lions at Docklands Stadium.

He was suspended for two years which, with backdating, ended in November 2016; as a result, he served approximately fourteen months of his suspension and missed the entire 2016 AFL season.

[16] He also plays for the Banyule Bears in the Northern Football League who were eliminated in their preliminary final after they were beaten by the Lower Plenty Jabba's.