Dons Digital is taking you behind the scenes of a landmark draft and the start to pre-season in the second episode of documentary series The Road to 2021.

Released to members first, the New Beginnings episode explores the early weeks of the first pre-season under senior coach Ben Rutten, before taking a candid look at the workings of the recruiting team in a draft that welcomed three top-10 selections for the first time in Essendon history.

Watch the episode and find a guide below.

1:03 - The first coaches meeting, featuring a fresh face.

4:03 - The first players meeting, and a couple of introductions.

4:33 - How Nick Hind's return to the club came about.

6:55 - The coaches' views on pre-season so far.

9:00 - List and recruiting administrator Georgia Harvey sets the scene for a bumper draft.

9:35 - The pre-draft meeting between the recruiting team and coaches.

17:33 - Bringing you inside the inner sanctum on draft night.

25:03 - The wash-up from a massive draft.

Stay tuned for more episodes of The Road to 2021 in the lead-up to the 2021 season.

If you haven’t already, watch the first episode of The Road to 2021 here.