Essendon VFL responded to a late first-half challenge from Port Melbourne on Saturday to record a third win from their past four matches.

The 26-point victory showcased the notable development seen in the club's VFL side over the second half of the campaign, piecing together some of the best footy they've played all season.

Senior Coach Blake Caracella was impressed with the mentality of the group to bounce back and continue their improved form.

"We were really disappointed with the last 10 minutes of that second quarter where they got on top and started beating us out in the contest, which reflected on the scoreboard," Caracella said.

"The break came at a good time for us to readjust things and get back to work, which we did in that third quarter. We probably were a bit more efficient and kicked a few that they missed at the other end, which gave us a nice buffer.

"To concede a couple of goals on the siren was frustrating, but all-in-all I felt we were the better side as the game went on.

"To have three wins and a close loss to the reigning premier (away) over the last month of footy, it shows a lot of improvement. We’ve come a long way from the start of the season."

Caracella delves into the performances of our AFL-listed contingent from the weekend's win.

Elijah Tsatas

31 disposals, 10 clearances, six tackles

Elijah was good, particularly around the stoppages and with his clearance work.

He was really creative with his hands, which is a clear strength in his game in getting it to the outside, but he also kicked well on the day which was great.

He was really influential on the result.

Ben Hobbs

21 disposals, five tackles, four clearances

'Hobbsy' was really good, given he’s missed a bit of footy recently.

He always competes hard inside, wins the ball and pressures the opposition, which we saw again on the weekend.

In a midfield that was going pretty well, he was a solid contributor.

Will Setterfield

22 disposals, nine tackles, nine clearances, two goals

'Setters' has enjoyed a good run of form over the last few weeks.

He got forward a fair bit on Saturday and managed to hit the scoreboard for us but also dished out a few as well, which was really pleasing.

In addition to the usual inside work and clearance efforts, it was a strong performance.

Lewis Hayes

18 disposals, five marks, two tackles

'Hayesy' was really consistent over the course of the game.

For me, it was one of the better games he’s had over the last month – he didn’t have to intercept as much with Will Hoare cutting across, but he did his job all day and competed really strongly both in the air and at ground level.

Nick Bryan

50 hit-outs, 20 disposals, eight clearances, four marks, four tackles

Dominated in the ruck again, which he seems to do most weeks now.

We’d still love to see a bit more from him around the ground in terms of his marking and hitting the scoreboard, but he’s in really good form this year.

Alwyn Davey Jnr

11 disposals, seven tackles, five marks, two goals

Alwyn’s been really exciting for us at times.

He’s shown he can hit the scoreboard and put on pressure, and he gave us some good transition on the weekend when we needed it.

He found himself winning the ball on the inside more often this week too, so he’s rounding out his game quite well at the moment.

Luamon Lual

Nine disposals, four marks

Luey was asked to play a bit taller this week and that was a good experience for him.

As a bit of a deeper defender, he fought the game out well and provided some handy contests for us on bigger bodies.

He’ll learn a lot from it.

Jayden Davey

Seven disposals, three marks, two goals

Jayden’s getting more involved in the contest, which we’ve been wanting from him.

He had good scoreboard impact, especially with a nice goal late in the game which gave us some breathing room, but he also looked to get others involved around goal too.

He’s getting better each week.

Archie Roberts

32 disposals, seven marks, one goal

We moved Archie to half back this week and he performed really well.

He positioned himself well defensively, he won the ball in big situations and he typically used it well, so there was a lot to like.

He’s got a natural ability to find the footy and swing onto that left foot – he just keeps developing every week and we’re seeing that on display come game time.

Vigo Visentini

12 disposals, three marks, two goals

‘Vigs’ played mostly forward and he’s got a pretty uncanny ability to find the goals.

He took some good marks and played a pretty big part in us getting the chocolates on the day, hitting the scoreboard at a stage where goals were pretty important for our momentum in the second half.

Tex Wanganeen

20 disposals, three marks, three tackles

Tex played pretty well in defence after a 'corkie' hampered a bit of his game last week.

His positioning is getting better, but we just love when the ball’s in his hands, because he’s got blistering pace and uses it really nicely.

He’s been in good touch over the last month or so.

Jye Menzie

Eight disposals, three tackles, two marks, two goals

'Menz' got a tighter matchup in the second half but he was really lively again.

You can see his AFL experience when he’s on the footy, he’s got an ability to use it for the better and is always team-first in his approach.

He snagged a couple of early goals for us and I thought he was pretty good overall.