THE JLT Community Series gave players, coaches and fans their first look at the new rule changes for 2019, including the mandatory 6-6-6 setup for centre bounces.

AFL.com.au reporter Riley Beveridge gave his verdict on what he saw from the Bombers ahead of their season opener against GWS on Sunday, March 24.

Midfield: The Bombers trialled a new-look centre square partnership in their first outing, experimenting with youngsters Andrew McGrath, Darcy Parish and Kyle Langford. However, more senior bodies were thrown in down the line – including new recruit Dylan Shiel. A pretty orthodox approach was taken with the wings, with captain Dyson Heppell barely straying from that position.

Rucks: Despite suggestions that Essendon may flirt with dual ruckmen, they went with one each throughout their two games. Zac Clarke rucked the entirety of their first match, before Tom Bellchambers was put in charge for the second clash. Shaun McKernan was used as the chop-out ruckman in JLT 1, before Joe Daniher assumed that role for JLT 2. 

Back six at the bounce: It was normally pretty conventional. The Dons went man-on-man from the bounce, but still allowed interceptors like Michael Hurley and Aaron Francis to drift from their opponent once play had started. 

Forwards at the bounce: Daniher was the deepest forward throughout JLT 1, but was allowed to get higher up the field throughout the second outing. The Dons also trialled explosive players like Jake Stringer and Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti out of the goalsquare. Shiel spent a bit of time across half-forward, but expect him to play midfield in round one, while David Myers also rested forward for large periods of JLT 2.

Kick-ins: Hurley took a fair portion of Essendon's kick-ins throughout JLT. Interestingly, speedsters like Adam Saad and Conor McKenna were regularly the link player. They would receive the kick-in, normally from a short pass, before exploding out of defensive 50.

Other observations: Prepare for slingshot footy in 2019. While the Bombers might have gone 0-2 throughout JLT, what was most noticeable was their ability to move the ball from one end of the field to the other with lightning speed. Often, it was as simple as two kicks out of defence before an Essendon forward was marking running back to goal. Turn the ball over at your peril against this Bombers side throughout the year. 

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