NOW on the eve of coaching his first official game in the AFL ranks, Essendon coach Matthew Knights has highlighted just where he thinks the Bombers can improve in 2008.

Stepping out from behind the shadow of 27-year coach Kevin Sheedy, Knights said at Essendon’s community camp at Ballina on the NSW north coast that he was starting to feel more comfortable as the season approached.

Knights wants more flexibility in his playing group, more run from his back half, more youth in his line-up, and fewer points conceded at the defensive end.

He can’t wait to get his pre-season under way against the Brisbane Lions on February 16 and said he would settle for nothing less than a finals appearance in his first season.

 “I understood the first six months would be full-on,” he said of the new job.

“The players and coaches have supported me enormously and certainly made my life much easier in the first two or three months. It’s been busy but I’m fine and going well and I can’t wait for the 16th of Feb.”

Knights said while the team wanted to play finals, he was not putting a figure on the number of wins he was chasing.

“If you’re not here to play finals, don’t bother turning up,” he said.

“That won’t jeopardise the bigger picture with injecting younger players into the midfield and running defence. But when we step out we step out to win and that’s what we expect and the wonderful Essendon supporters expect. We’ll be playing aggressive footy, exciting footy and we’ll be going hard to win games.”

Knights said Bombers fans would see plenty of change in 2008, with flexibility being one of his key words. 

Matthew Lloyd would spend some time up the ground, David Hille and Jason Laycock would play deeper, Courtney Johns would play both ends, and Adam McPhee would spend an extended period on the wing and further forward.

But perhaps Knights’ biggest area of change will come in the back six, with his focus on players who could give the Bombers more run.

“We certainly have some strong bodies in Mal (Michael) and Dustin (Fletcher) there and Patrick Ryder came through strong last year, but what we want to add is some extra rebound in that part of the ground,’’ he said.

“Where those extra three or four come from in a pool of six or eight is yet to be decided. We will be a bit younger in our smaller, medium defenders and opportunities will be given to those blokes.

“It might be someone like (Jason) Winderlich or (Ricky) Dyson or (Courtenay) Dempsey or (Jay) Nash that are capable to play in those medium defender roles. With their skill level and their speed, they give you some rebound and they provide the opposition with some problems if they get it right. But also part of the equation is to mind your man and win one on ones.”