Defender Andrew McGrath is enjoying his return to half back under new senior coach Brad Scott.

The Bombers’ vice-captain has grasped the opportunity to play in his early career position, becoming a key part of a Dons backline which is averaging an improved 79 points against per game in 2023.

McGrath himself is averaging 24.7 disposals (ranked elite for defenders) at 83.8 per cent efficiency (above average).

09:11

Dons on Radio | Andrew McGrath on SEN

Vice-captain Andrew McGrath joined the SEN crew for a chat about how the start of the season has looked, any changes he's made to his style of play and the emergence of defender Brandon Zerk-Thatcher.

The 24-year-old said he’s thrilled to be maximising his strengths in the Bombers’ backline after several years of plying his trade as a midfielder.

“I’m loving the opportunity. I played midfield the last couple of years, but I feel like I can add a different element to our backline and I’m loving that chance (to do so) so far,” McGrath told SEN’s The Run home with Andy & Gazey.

“Each year you learn about yourself, and you learn more about the AFL as a whole and what works and what doesn’t. I’ve been asked this a lot about whether I want to play midfield or back, but I had a really good conversation with Brad (Scott) about where he wants me to play, and he said just wants me to play to my strengths and my attributes.

“That was probably half back this year with how our demographic and our list pans out.”

02:15

Rd 3 | McGrath post-game

We chat with defender Andrew McGrath after our loss to the Saints.

Alongside McGrath, multiple Essendon players have switched positions for 2023, with one notable move being of former skipper Dyson Heppell from defence to the wing.

Despite external noise surrounding the 30-year-old’s performances this season, McGrath defended Heppell’s role in the team.

McGrath said Heppell is a pivotal leader amongst Essendon’s young playing group and his output in executing one of the hardest positions on the ground is valued internally.

“Dyson’s an exceptional human being. Internally, we all love him to bits and he’s very much still a leader like he was as the Captain of the football club,” McGrath said.

“Dyson plays a tricky role for us out on the wing, and a lot of the time, the wing can be an unrewarded position. You do a lot of running for sometimes for not much reward. Often people can overlook that and see a different performance than we see internally.

“He’s playing his role brilliantly and we value him so much.”