When Nathan Bassett arrived at Essendon as an assistant coach last October, he was struck by one player who did everything right.
That player was Jason Winderlich.
During the pre-season, Bassett watched Jobe Watson control the midfield and Dustin Fletcher chop off numerous forward-50 entries – but it was Winderlich who stood out more than most.
"He's probably kicked about 150 goals this pre-season," Bassett said on Monday morning.
"He just does everything right as a forward and he plays a fair bit taller than his actual height."
Winderlich, who has played 112 games since making his debut in 2003, has been affected by a long-list of injuries over his career.
A series of hamstring injuries and a torn ACL in 2011 have been major blips on the radar for Winderlich.
But Bassett believes Bomber fans are yet to see the best of the 29-year-old.
"He's probably been held back by injury over his career, more than anything," Bassett said.
"People are actually getting to see how good he is. It would be great for him to play 18-plus games in a season, so that people could appreciate what a good player he is."
Winderlich joins captain Watson, Fletcher, Brendon Goddard and star recruit Paul Chapman as the headline acts named to take on Port Adelaide at Etihad Stadium on Tuesday night.
The Power welcome back star youngsters Hamish Hartlett and Chad Wingard, as well as ruckman Matthew Lobbe and forward Jay Schulz.
All eyes will be trained on Chapman as he makes his debut in the red and black, since crossing from Geelong as a free agent in the off-season.
The inclusions of Chapman and Winderlich will add another dimension to Essendon's forward line, Bassett said.
“We'll have some good finishers in our forward line and some good leadership for our young forwards," he said.
Bassett said there were few signs of Fletcher slowing down, as he approaches his 22nd season in the League.
"He's a great worker and very passionate about footy. He's a lovely guy and a good teammate," he said.
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