Richmond should prepare for a physical Essendon team in next Saturday's Dreamtime game at the MCG, with coach John Worsfold keen to make the brutal approach his team showcased on Sunday a trademark.
The Bombers' were outstanding at the contest against West Coast at Etihad Stadium, battering their opponents when the ball was in dispute on the way to an important 61-point win.
They won the contested ball count convincingly (143-113) and were particularly unforgiving with their tackling inside forward 50 (22-18), with the physical edge something Worsfold wants to see more of.
"That's building. That's part of us defining who we want to be," the coach said.
"There's been a lot of things we've put a lot of work into over our summer and leading into the season, and some of it we're refining as we go.
"That (physicality) is part of what we've asked for from each other."
A delighted Worsfold said Sunday's win was significant for the Bombers, who now sit 5-4 and just percentage out of the top eight as they prepare to face a Richmond team that has lost four consecutive matches.
"We have been a bit up and down, we acknowledge that, so we wanted to back up an effort from last week with another good one," Worsfold said.
"We're nowhere near having a team that understands everything about each other, but it's slowly coming.
"It was an important game for us and just another step forward for us to take on a good team and see where we're tracking."
The coach praised the evenness of his midfield, which included another standout performance from Zach Merrett (37 possessions), and excellent contributions from David Zaharakis (31 and five inside 50s) and Jobe Watson (30 and six clearances).
Small forward Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti and Orazio Fanatasia also stood out in pinch-hitting roles in the centre square, while combining with Josh Green to kick seven goals.
"We're seeing a better balance now across the board," Worsfold said.
"It was probably our most consistent effort by all our mids today, with Zaharakis backing up really good form and obviously (Dyson) Heppell and Jobe.
"Even some of the work McDonald-Tipungwuti and Fantasia are doing through the middle is improving, adding more depth."
Worsfold praised the work of tall forward Joe Daniher (five goals) and key defender Michael Hurley (26 possessions and nine marks), who flourished on Sunday.
"It's a credit to both of them that they started the year reasonably well, they weren't out of form, but they're working really hard to bring better form and it's paying off for us," the coach said.
