Although their AFLW trip to Adelaide didn’t bear fruit result-wise, Essendon Co-Captain Steph Cain believes the learnings from taking on an elite side will hold the Bombers in good stead going forward.

The Bombers’ 47-point loss was marked by lapses in the second and third quarters that saw the Crows take scoreboard advantage, which Cain knows will be key for the group to amend during the week.

“(Playing against) a dominant team of the competition in Adelaide is always going to be a day out,” Cain said.

“I think we were up for the fight, there were just momentum shifts in that game that were acted on too long and Adelaide got the jump on us. (It was a bit) disappointing in the end.”

Despite the Crows getting on top, the young Bombers continued to press into the late stages and piece together consecutive goals in the final term.

The ability to bring the fight to the competition’s best has been a focal point for the Bombers heading into 2023, and the effort to see out the contest wasn’t lost on their skipper.

“It is pleasing. As a group we’ll never give up, always galvanise and keep chipping away,” Cain said.

“It’s just the point of trying to get those momentum shifts back on our terms and I think the second quarters throughout the last three rounds have been pretty detrimental for us.

“It gives our group a lot of opportunity to realise what the best teams in the competition do.

“We’ll get back to the drawing board and see what we can do.”

Returning back to Windy Hill for a home clash against the Dockers on Sunday, the Bombers have a long break to bounce back.

With energy still high, Cain is eager for the group’s younger players to channel their takeaways from the weekend.

“We’ve still got so many girls that have only played a handful of AFLW games so they’ll take a lot out of this,” Cain said.

“Eight days is a great opportunity for us to rest and recover together, and hit the track hard.”