Essendon senior coach Ben Rutten spoke to the media at the NEC Hangar on Thursday ahead of the Bombers' round five clash with Brisbane at the Gabba on Saturday night.

Below are the five key takeaways from his media conference.

1. Taking on Joe

 The Bombers will line up against former teammate Joe Daniher for the time, after the 27-year-old requested a trade to the Lions at the end of last season.

Externally, many think Essendon may have a special plan to combat the 108-game ex-Don on Saturday night at the Gabba.

But Rutten said there would be no special treatment for Daniher, insisting diffusing Brisbane’s potent attack will be the main focus.

“He’s spent a lot of time here, but we’re going to treat him as we do with all the other Brisbane players,” Rutten said.

“We haven’t spent too much time on it to be honest. They’re a pretty well-balanced team across the board and have played in the last couple of finals series so we know what we’re up against.

“I’m not sure (who plays on Daniher) at the moment. Aaron Francis has been doing a really good job on those sorts of guys.

“Jayden Laverde will be back there as well and Rids (Jordan Ridley) is a quality player. It’ll be a team effort about the way we defend.”

2. Youngsters in the mix 

With Essendon having already blooded four AFL and three club debutants in 2021, there may be a chance two more young guns could be utilised.

Rutten flagged ruckman Nick Bryan and key defender Zach Reid as two players who may be called upon to face a tall Brisbane side.

“Absolutely they’re a chance (to be selected),” Rutten said.

“They’ve been performing really consistently well in training and in the VFL games.

“They haven’t done their chances any harm with their performances.” 

3. Versatile Cox

With an injury to first-choice ruckman Sam Draper in round two, Essendon has been searching to find the right balance between filling the No.1 key position and limiting the impact on other players’ roles.

A solution which worked to surprising effect against the Swans was the utilisation of young wingman Nik Cox, who battled well against a much more experienced opponent in Tom Hickey.

While Rutten acknowledges the 202cm Cox will look to set himself as an outside midfielder, the four-gamer may have to provide a chop-out in the ruck as the Bombers search for the perfect tonic.

“With Draper out, we’re looking at what we can do in the ruck,” Rutten said.

“'Coxy' is a pretty unique player in the positions he can play.

“We want him to settle down and learn positions and learn the way the game is played as well, but we also want to keep stretching him and make sure he’s improving and growing as well.” 

4. Clearances the main focus

While Essendon’s first use of the footy may have been affected by the lack of a genuine ruckman, Rutten believes a key component to improving will be capitalising on clearances.

In round four, Sydney won the clearance battle 45-26, a statistic Essendon will need to improve against a much-vaunted Lions midfield. 

“We obviously struggled, but it was more clearances in general as opposed to hitouts,” Rutten said.

“That’s not just on the ruckman, but our whole midfield group.

“That’s certainly an area we want to get better at.” 

5. Optimism in improvement 

At the start of the season, Rutten preached a mantra in becoming a ‘blue collar’ football team which had no ceilings on the improvements it could make.

After a shaky loss to Port Adelaide in round two, the Bombers have produced a stunning 75-point win against St Kilda in round three and a closely fought loss to the undefeated Swans, highlighting the growth in Rutten’s side.

With the Bombers fielding the most inexperienced side in the competition across the first four rounds and still being competitive against quality opposition, Rutten hopes the improvement of his young brigade is warming the hearts of the red and black faithful.

“I’m glad that they (Essendon supporters) are seeing that (improvement),” Rutten said.

“I think something we’re trying to create here at the club is a real energy, optimism and anticipation about what we can do.

“We said right from the start we’re not going to put any ceilings or limitations on the growth of our group, because we think there’s a helluva lotta growth in us.”