Essendon coach John Worsfold has heaped praise on Shaun McKernan as the key forward looks to kick off the year in style in the absence of Joe Daniher.
McKernan played a key role in the Bombers’ mid-season resurgence last year, booting 16 goals from 10 games before succumbing to a season-ending hamstring injury in round 18.
The athletic big man provided a crucial target in the forward line as the side looked to overcome the loss of Daniher and he will once again be called upon to do just that when Essendon takes on Greater Western Sydney on Sunday.
While Worsfold admitted it was disappointing to lose Daniher on the eve of his long-awaited return to AFL football, he threw his support behind McKernan ahead of the season opener.
“(I have) absolute confidence in Shaun McKernan coming into the line-up,” Worsfold said on Friday.
“I was finding it very tough talking to Shaun a week or two ago saying, ‘you may miss out on round one’, because he’s had an outstanding pre-season and he has great leadership around the club.
“On one hand, I’m rapt for Shaun McKernan that he’s going to get to play, and with Joe we just support him through getting his body back in shape.
“Our aim has always been to make sure that Joe has the opportunity to play out a wonderful footy career, because he’s only got his best footy ahead of him.”
Shaun McKernan was a revelation for the Bombers in 2018.
The Bombers fell short in both JLT Community Series clashes this pre-season, but Worsfold said the results provided his side with the chance to iron out minor kinks ahead of the home and away season.
“In terms of getting the workload into the players, I was really happy, so we achieved that.
“We also learnt a lot about some of the new stuff we were trying to put in play and where there was maybe not a full understanding as a total unit about what we were trying to do.
“We really identified some areas, in the way the players were going about it, that they hadn’t really grasped, which is what the pre-season’s about.
“We’ve had the opportunity to work with them, to find out their understanding of it, ask them what they really want it to look like and put it into place, and we’ve really seen it come together.”
Worsfold said fans can expect the Bombers to be fit and ready to fire in what will prove to be an exciting challenge against the star-studded Giants on their home turf.
“Our team will be absolutely 100 per cent and ready to go,” he said.
“We’ve had a wonderful pre-season period, we’ve finished both of our JLT games running really strongly and I don’t know if any of our players cramped at all, which is a little indication that they’re fit and ready to go.
“We’re excited about taking on GWS, they have a wonderful squad of players.
“But I think we’ve a wonderful squad of players, too, that are becoming tighter and getting a stronger chemistry and are really driven to achieving the standards that they have set themselves.”
Essendon’s season will finally begin at 3:30pm on Sunday.
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