Essendon defender Brandon Zerk-Thatcher proved he could be set for a breakout season after a starring performance against Geelong on Sunday.

The 21-year-old conceded 14kg in his one-on-one match-up against Tom Hawkins but kept the Cats spearhead to just seven disposals and one goal in the Bombers' four-point win. 

With Cale Hooker set to miss the first month working back from hip surgery, Zerk-Thatcher is ready to add to the one AFL game he managed last year when the Bombers host Fremantle. 

"I didn't know much about him before I arrived at the footy club and he's got better and better with every training session and today he was almost best on ground," Bombers assistant Blake Caracella said post-game.

"I think he's ready to play round one but I'm not the coach. 

"I thought our whole backline was really good today.  

"We got beaten at the stoppages pretty badly, (but) the backs stood up, (Jordan) Ridley, Zerk-Thatcher, (Michael) Hurley, (Marty) Gleeson all those guys bounced the ball back out."

Hurley collected 32 disposals playing on Geelong's smaller forward options as the 195cm Zerk-Thatcher wrestled Hawkins and then Esava Ratugolea in the final term. 

The 89kg South Australian can now pencil in a date with Fremantle's Rory Lobb and Matt Taberner on March 21. 

He could be joined by Conor McKenna after the Irishman played his first minutes of the pre-season between defence and attack in the VFL curtain-raiser on Sunday. 

Caracella confirmed Jake Stringer would be ready to face the Dockers after he missed against the Cats due to personal reasons and sat out the trip to face West Coast last month.