Ramanauskas, 27, retired from senior football at the end of the 2008 season but found the lure of future Essendon success too good an opportunity to refuse.

“It has always been good being at the club so whatever I can do to help out the younger guys to fast-track them and make us a successful club again, I’ll do,” Ramanauskas said.

While admitting he misses some elements of his playing days, Ramanauskas confessed life on the sidelines was a lot easier than pre-season training.

“It is great not training actually,” he said.

“We all know he is an Essendon person who is really strongly linked to the club and the supporters. He is close to everyone’s hearts as well as having terrific skills that he can pass on to players,"" Hamilton said. 

“One of the advantages with Rama is that he has got the automatic respect. He will be able to play a mentoring role with the younger players.

“He has a good understanding of the way players think so we believe he is going to be very beneficial to the way the younger players develop. It is really perfect for him.”

Given his familiarity to the new era built under Matthew Knights, Hamilton felt Ramanauskas’ understanding of the game style would also be useful to both the players and coaches.

“With a match-day runner it is becoming more and more difficult to find someone to do that job because you want to find someone who is very close to the group, who understands the coaches’ roles, who knows the game plan and the game style,” Hamilton said.

“The days of using someone who comes in once a week to be the runner are gone – you don’t get the value out of that person.