When asked how he looks back on 2011, Essendon midfielder Brent Stanton smiles then pauses. There's many ways to answer the question, but he chooses the most composed option. ""There was a few ups and a few downs in there,"" he says.
 
The quietly spoken 25-year-old has it about right. On the positives, Stanton played 21 games, averaged 25 possessions a game and finished second in the club's best and fairest, a career-high after three third-places.
 
But they were balanced by a period he would probably prefer to forget. In a quiet patch during the middle of the season, Stanton was jeered by Essendon fans after being subbed out of the Bombers' round eight win over West Coast at half-time.
 
It was later revealed Stanton was playing injured, with a cracked shoulder blade limiting his output. Stanton doesn't want to dwell on the incident, saying he had tried to block out the controversy at the time.
 
""I never really took too much notice of it all,"" Stanton told essendonfc.com.au.
 
""I was more so concentrating on getting the injury right and getting back to playing the footy I knew I could play. I didn't really take a hell of a lot of notice of it and that was probably the advice I was getting from most people.""
 
Stanton doesn't use the injury as an excuse – ""You put yourself out there to play and you consider yourself fit,"" he says – but is thankful for the public shows of support from the club's leaders, including coach James Hird and assistant Mark Thompson.
 
""The coaches and my teammates were fantastic in the way they supported me through that, but that's just a part of football, you go through ups and downs,"" he said.
 
""To get through that and play some consistent footy through the rest of the year was great. As long as my coaches and teammates were happy with how I was going, that was the most important thing.""
 
Stanton's focus on playing good footy paid off. He found his rhythm, and in the second half of the year he was Essendon's standout player.
 
The relentless run was back. His link-up play through the middle of the ground had more conviction. He found space easier and broke free of taggers with less trouble. He was tackling with an increased ferocity and even moved forward to kick a few goals. ""I was certainly enjoying my footy,"" he says.
 
Aside from his material importance to Essendon's young midfield – he and captain Jobe Watson are the most experienced members of the club's engine room – Stanton holds a developing responsibility at the club.
 
Famously quiet when he arrived at Essendon at the end of 2003, he has grown into his position in the leadership group. It's now an important part of the overall value headds at Essendon; that of a consistent, durable, reliable player whose off-field presence is highly regarded inside the club.
 
""I'm part of the leadership group now so I have to work with the older guys as well as the younger guys to try and improve this group as quick as we can,"" he said.
 
""It's been fantastic the way everyone has worked through the whole pre-season and everyone is looking to get better each day they come to the club.""
 
This season marks Stanton's ninth at the club. In that time he has played in four finals, with the only winning final coming in 2004. In between there has been two disappointing elimination final losses, including last season's defeat at the hands of Carlton. The attitude he has seen at the club over summer, however, has Stanton confident that 2012 will see another positive step in Essendon's development.
 
""You learn each year that the game gets harder, quicker, tougher and faster and you've just got to really keep on adapting,"" he says.
 
""This group's open to any challenges that are being thrown at us at the moment and that's a key to hopefully keep on moving up the ladder.""