Essendon held on for a nerve-wracking victory over Fremantle to kick the season off on the right foot at Marvel Stadium on Saturday.

Senior coach John Worsfold spoke to the media after the six-point win, and we’ve looked at five key points to take away from the press conference.

1. Why the Bombers faded out

The Dons held a comfortable lead for the majority of the game, entering the final change with a 26-point margin over the visitors.

But Fremantle charged home, piling on four goals in the last term to make it five of the final seven majors of the game to drag the game back into contention.

Worsfold admitted there could be a range of reasons behind his side’s sluggish finish, but he said a significant turnaround from the Dockers in the contest was one of the key catalysts for their comeback.

Essendon led contested possessions 73 to 64 to three-quarter time, but it finished the clash one adrift of Fremantle.

“We’re trying to work through that (fadeout), there could be a lot of factors. The players had a reasonable lead and had control of the game for such a big period,” Worsfold said post-game.

“We would have liked to have felt, with the dominance we had, that we could have been a little further in front.

“Freo started winning the contest around the ball, so that’s one part that we’ll certainly be trying to have a look at the reason for that.

“That was probably the biggest turnaround, because we’d been on top in that part of the game up until that last quarter.”

2. Towner did was Towner does

Experienced recruit Jacob Townsend lined up in the home and away season for the first time as a Bomber at Marvel Stadium and the former Giant and Tiger didn’t disappoint.

The tough and versatile forward was outstanding, particularly in the opening half where he booted three goals and turned every touch into gold.

He doesn’t stand particularly tall at 187cm, but Townsend was able to play a crucial role as a key forward, using his body brilliantly to take advantage in the air and cause no shortage of headaches for Fremantle’s defenders.

Worsfold was full of praise for the new Don who has quickly earned the respect of his teammates.

“He came in with a role to play – we know what his strengths are, and he brought his strengths.

“That’s what we’re trying to ask from all of our players; play to your strengths and play your role for the team.

“The communication to ‘Towner’ when he was selected from his teammates and them being rapt to have him in was about what he brought for the team in terms of playing his role and being a really strong team man. He certainly delivered that today.”

3. The impact of an empty stadium

The lack of a genuine atmosphere at the football in the absence of the passionate fans that usually flock to the stands has been a little tough to get used to. Worsfold noticed a number of changes on Saturday, with greater communication on the bench a clear pro and a lack of crowd input at home among the cons.

“You can certainly concentrate more as in listening to players, you’re not having to scream over the top of a lot of mayhem in terms of getting your messages through, so it feels calmer in that regard.

“Having the longer breaks at quarter-time and three-quarter time, it wasn’t as rushed, you could actually be quite measured in what you were discussing and what you wanted to present in terms of the numbers of the game.

“There were some really quiet moments patches post-goals as we were waiting for the next centre bounce – it seemed very quiet.

“It’s probably not noticeable, but I’ve got no doubt players react to the buzz of the crowd in terms of if they’re going to win a contested ball or they’ve got the ball and they’re going to get run down.

“They hear the vibe of the crowd noise and if it’s your home team you’re generally feeding off that, you rush your kick because they’re giving you an indication you’re going to get nailed.

“There are a lot of things that happen, they’re not really that noticeable, but they are real factors when you do have a big crowd in.”

4. How players will push for selection

Many questions have been raised in the football industry about the lack of opportunities for players on the fringe of senior selection to prove themselves.

With the VFL competition postponed for the time being, those fit Bombers unable to line up in the AFL team – alongside others returning from injuries – will have to put their hand up for selection in other ways.

But Worsfold is confident the club’s training program is sufficient.

“There are a few ways you can do it; one is just believing in the program you’re going to put them through; the training drills and sessions that they’ll do.

“We see gun players in the competition be out for six weeks where they’re injured and can’t train a lot, and they come back in and play good footy.

“These guys, for however long it is that they’re unable to play, they can still train so they’re not dropping too far off. We’ll be confident that they’ll be able to come in and (have an) impact.

“We’ll make sure that every aspect of what they need in terms of being available will be covered off in their training programs.”

5. Some big Bombers are ready to return

While Worsfold was pleased with his forward line’s efforts in the absence of a genuine key forward, he says the team could be boosted by the return of Shaun McKernan and fellow big man James Stewart next week against Sydney.

McKernan performed consistently in the Marsh Community Series before missing Saturday’s game with illness, while Stewart has been stuck on the sidelines for far longer having fallen to a groin injury following the opening round of the 2019 VFL season.

The pair could also be joined by experienced defender Cale Hooker, who appears to have fully recovered from a hip injury.

“I reckon (Hooker) will (play), depending on how much work he gets in over this weekend and whether he ticks the boxes to say he’s ready to play the minutes he would need to play.

“So he’s getting very close, James Stewart is also very close. (McKernan) should be right next week, he’s just been ill – he felt a lot better yesterday.

“Those guys are all back up and available.”