Essendon began this season in a state of transition, with new coach Ben Rutten taking the reins for the first time without John Worsfold alongside him.
How would the youthful Bombers go? It was a genuine mystery, despite some early season promise in an AAMI Community Series game against Geelong, which they didn’t end up winning but their new blueprint was there for all to see.
After six rounds, Essendon has been more than competitive in four matches and have only been smashed by Port Adelaide and Brisbane away from home – two sides who featured in preliminary finals last year.
While they may have only won two games from six, it’s worth digging a little deeper to see how Rutten has reshaped and refreshed an outfit that laboured to a 13th-place finish in 2020 and largely lacked any discernible style of play.
These are five coaching and selection moves which have seen the club turn into one of the best pressure sides in the competition, transforming themselves into the hard-working, blue-collar Bombers:
Darcy Parish becomes a full-time midfielder
This move is largely as much about Dylan Shiel’s long-term injury as anything, but the former top-five pick has been transformed from a dual role forward pocket/midfielder to the full-time inside midfielder Essendon has been craving for years.
Since Shiel went down during the Round 2 clash with Port Adelaide, Parish’s switch into the middle on a more consistent basis has seen him go from averaging just 17 touches in the first two games to 31 possessions in the last month of football, capped off by a best on ground 42-disposal and two-goal game on ANZAC Day against Collingwood.
Even when Shiel does return from his knee injury in the latter weeks of the season, one suspects Parish won’t be heading back to his old role away from the coalface.
Jayden Laverde’s move down back
A former top-20 draft pick, Laverde’s career up to this season has been defined by his injury struggles, largely meaning he’s been unable to make an impact in the forward line during the first six seasons of his career.
The 25-year-old’s move to defence has been a masterstroke by Rutten, allowing two of his best attributes to shine - his strength and intercept marking – while also providing his side with another tall marking option alongside Jordan Ridley.
Gone are the days of his injury struggles which restricted him to just six games last year. Laverde under Rutten looks a completely transformed footballer.
The next generation defence and Cale Hooker becoming a forward
It’s not just Laverde’s move to defence which has given their back six a completely different look, with Rutten making the bold call to play Cale Hooker forward.
With Michael Hurley sidelined for an indefinite period and Patrick Ambrose playing in the forward line at VFL level, the youthful nature of their defence is set to continue for much of this year.
Jordan Ridley is now a known commodity after starring last season, but the likes of Aaron Francis and Brandon Zerk-Thatcher have benefited from the faith shown in them by the new senior coach, even if they do remain susceptible to being exposed by the very best forwards in the competition.
Top draft pick Zach Reid has also been fast-tracked and made his AFL debut a lot earlier than many people predicted, before illness saw him sidelined ahead of Essendon’s Round 6 win over Collingwood.
The beauty of the club declaring their hand during pre-season as being a developmental side in 2021 is it buys them time to bed in their next generation of defenders and it already looks to be paying off.
Jake Stringer’s impact across the ground
The Bombers made no secret of their desire to recruit a big-bodied midfielder and only Western Bulldogs’ trade demands saw their ambitious move for Josh Dunkley fail during the off-season last year.
While the way Rutten is using Jake Stringer won’t solve any longer-term issues in the middle, his strengths were on full display against Collingwood.
Used predominantly as a medium-sized forward in recent years, Stringer played the majority of the match in the middle, with 12 of his 16 touches being contested. He also laid eight tackles and had five inside 50s, highlighting just how crucial he was for Essendon and their ability to win the ball at the source.
The club has struggled in recent seasons to take control of matches in midfield and instead relied on speed off half-back, but in 2021 Stringer’s role is emblematic of a wider tactical shift currently taking place at the Dons.
Backing in the kids and laying out the blueprint
In declaring 2021 the year of development and growth at Essendon, it has allowed Rutten to continue to play plenty of younger players, even if their form doesn’t warrant it.
While last year’s pick seven Nik Cox has shown himself to be a unique player of immense quality so far during his short career, both Archie Perkins and Harry Jones have showed promising glimpses without putting together a complete game so far.
Rutten’s reluctance to send some of the club’s inexperienced players back to the VFL and instead back them at AFL level is admirable and will ultimately pay dividends later down the track.
Kevin Sheedy always used to say that playing one ANZAC Day game was equivalent to eight games worth of experience. That’s especially true for a number of the club’s emerging stars, who would’ve taken plenty from playing in front of almost 80,000 fans at the MCG last Sunday.