Senior coach Ben Rutten spoke to the media at the NEC Hangar today as his side prepares to rectify last week's disappointing loss in Saturday's clash with the Lions at Marvel Stadium.
Here are the five key takeaways from his media conference.
1. Disappointment driving performance
The disappointment of round one is spurring on the Bombers to make amends against the Lions.
Ben Rutten said he “didn’t see it coming” when referencing Essendon’s 66-point loss to Geelong.
However, he’s confident his team can bounce back and turn their fortunes around on Saturday.
“It was a pretty disappointing performance for us, in particular the middle part of the ground,” Rutten said.
“We’ve certainly reviewed it and it’s disappointing because it’s not what we’ve seen from those guys.
“We’re looking forward to a response and we’ve reviewed it comprehensively. (I’m) looking forward to the guys responding this week - this week’s game can’t come around quick enough.”
2. Rutten feels for Martin
Late on Thursday night, Essendon’s NAB AFL Rising Star nominee Nic Martin was ruled out of Saturday's game due to the AFL's COVID-19 health and safety protocols..
Martin has been forced into seven days of isolation after being deemed a close contact of a positive COVID case, which has left Rutten feeling disappointed for the 20-year-old that he couldn’t build on his spectacular debut.
“It was an awesome game from him on debut,” Rutten said.
“He’ll be disappointed but that’s just a part of life these days. We’re not the only club having to deal with it. We’ll be able to replace that but it’s certainly disappointing for Nic.”
3. Stringer’s back
Explosive midfielder/forward Jake Stringer will play his first game of 2022 this weekend.
Rutten confirmed Stringer had overcome groin issues to be fully fit and firing to either make his mark up forward or in the Dons’ engine room.
“He’ll play, Stringer will come back in this week,” he said.
“That extra week of training has set him up really well.
“We understand we want him at both (positions) on the ground, but those calculations will come into how much time he spends there.”
4. McDonald-Tipungwuti to keep building fitness
Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti won’t play in the VFL Bombers' season opener against Geelong on Saturday, but he’s building towards playing competitive football at some stage in the near future.
Rutten said the club was “pleased” with the trajectory of McDonald-Tipungwuti’s fitness program, but still can’t give a definitive return date for the small forward.
“Not this week, but he’s working towards it,” he said.
“We’re really pleased with how he’s tracking along and we’re loving seeing him out there training.
“We don’t want to put a timeline on it because we want to give him the best opportunity we can to get him back fit, healthy and at his best.”
5. Lions' whole midfield a danger, not just Neale
After three consecutive top-four finishes, it’s no secret the Brisbane Lions have one of the AFL’s most daunting midfields.
A hot question at today’s presser was how the Dons were planning to limit Brownlow medallist Lachie Neale, who started season 2022 with a damaging 31-disposal performance.
Rutten said while they were aware of Neale’s ability, focusing too much on him would open the door for the Lions’ other midfield stars to shine.
“We understand what he can do, so we’re certainly aware of him,” he said.
“Jarryd Lyons, Hugh McCluggage, (Zac) Bailey go through the midfield as well which we’ve noticed is giving them a bit more run and drive through there.
“We understand Lachie is a really important player and one of the best players in the competition, but it’s not a one-man show in there for them.”
