Essendon has named one change to its round 18 lineup, with defender Mason Redman a confirmed starter for Sunday's game.

The dashing defender will take his place against the Suns after being forced to miss the Dons' round 17 win against Brisbane due to entering the AFL's Health & Safety Protocols.

Senior coach Ben Rutten said Redman's return was a great get for his side.

"It’s great to get Mason back after he missed with Health & Safety protocols," Rutten said.

"He’s been such a solid contributor down back all season and it’s great to have him back."

Brayden Ham has been omitted from the side, as has young defender Massimo D'Ambrosio.

Rutten said while D'Ambrosio has been impressive in his first four games, his omission is a case of selection squeeze, with the Bombers currently enjoying full availability amongst its small defenders group. 

"'Mass' has been here five weeks and has played four games of AFL footy which is really impressive and credit to him," Rutten said.

"But the last couple of weeks, we’ve got Redman and (Andrew) McGrath back in, so it’s a good problem to have in terms of our selection squeeze.

"We certainly love what we’ve seen from Mass and he gets an opportunity now to play some good footy in the VFL and put some pressure on again."

Essendon is aiming for three consecutive wins in a row when it faces Gold Coast at Marvel Stadium on Sunday.

Essendon's round 18 team

Backs: Jordan Ridley, Jayden Laverde, Brandon Zerk-Thatcher
Half-backs: Mason Redman, Jake Kelly, Andrew McGrath
Centreline: Sam Durham, Dylan Shiel, Dyson Heppell
Half-forwards: Matt Guelfi, Nic Martin, Kyle Langford
Forwards: Peter Wright, Jake Stringer, Harrison Jones
Followers: Andrew Phillips Zach Merrett, Jye Caldwell
Bench: Nick Hind, Ben Hobbs, Will Snelling, Sam Draper

Emergencies: Brayden Ham, Massimo D'ambrosio, Alec Waterman, Jye Menzie

In: Redman

Out: D'Ambrosio (omitted), Ham (medi-sub)

Last week’s medical sub: Brayden Ham (used)