Essendon senior coach Ben Rutten spoke to the media at the NEC Hangar on Friday ahead of the Bombers' round seven clash with Carlton at the MCG on Sunday.
Below are the five key takeaways from his media conference.
1. Francis given until game day to prove himself
Defender Aaron Francis will be given every opportunity to prove his fitness for Sunday’s crunch game against Carlton.
The 23-year-old hurt his ankle after landing heavily on it in the second quarter of Essendon’s Anzac Day win over Collingwood.
With Francis being labelled as a ‘test’ to play this week, Rutten says he will give the versatile defender as long as he possibly can to prove his fitness.
“He’s been taking it pretty easy this week,” Rutten said.
“We’ll give him up until the game. It’s a bit of a straightforward ankle which can come up in a week, but he may miss as well, so we’re not sure yet.”
2. Bryan to become Dons’ sixth AFL debutant
Young ruckman Nick Bryan will become the Bombers’ sixth AFL debutant in 2021 after Rutten named him a certain starter for round seven’s clash.
Taken at pick No.38 in the 2019 NAB AFL Draft, the 202cm key tall will become the 1179th player to don the sash when he takes to the MCG against Carlton.
After scintillating performances in the first two rounds of the VFL, Bryan will claim the No.1 ruck mantle at the expense of Andrew Phillips, who’s an unfortunate out after sustaining an injury in Essendon’s win over Collingwood.
“He’ll (Nick Bryan) play this week,” Rutten said.
“Unfortunately for ‘Flip’ (Andrew Phillips), he got a bit of knock during last week’s game, battled on and did an exceptional job for us, but he won’t play this week.”
“He’s (Bryan) been showing some great signs, but we understand it’s (No.1 ruck role) a big task, so we’ll try and manage that the best we can.”
3. Ridley ready for Blues
A welcome inclusion into the Dons’ best 22 for Sunday’s match will be reigning Crichton medallist Jordan Ridley.
Ridley has made a comprehensive recovery from an accidental head knock suffered in round five against the Lions, which forced the 22-year-old to miss a round due to concussion protocols.
Rutten said there was no doubting Ridley’s return, even jestingly responding to the question of his availability by saying the defender would not be making his way back into the side through the VFL.
“Yeah, we won’t bring him back through the twos,” Rutten said.
“He was pretty good last week. We followed the protocols, so he’ll come back in.”
4. Squad depth a good selection headache
Rutten admitted the form of multiple players in the VFL would make for a tough team selection on Sunday.
Following the VFL Bombers' commanding 35-point win over Collingwood, where a host of senior-listed players impressed, Rutten said there would be several unlucky non-selections when the team is announced at 6:20pm on Saturday.
“We’ve got some good form with those guys playing in the VFL and it’s exactly what we want as a footy club,” Rutten said.
“'Cuts' (Tom Cutler) played well, (Alec) Waterman played well, Paddy Ambrose did, along with Nick Bryan.
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“We can’t fit them all in though, so we’ll finalise our team later today.”
5. Truck expecting Carlton’s best
While every Essendon-Carlton clash is enormous, Sunday’s game promises to be another fascinating 250th instalment between the two traditional rivals.
Even though both teams enter round seven’s clash at the MCG with a 2-4 win-loss record, many externally have touted this game as a defining moment for either side’s 2021 season.
As the Bombers look to register back-to-back wins for the first time this season, Rutten expects a fired-up Carlton side and is wary of the damaging football David Teague’s men can play.
“We’re expecting them at their best,” Rutten said.
“We’ve seen through stages this year of what they’re capable of.
“We’re fully aware that they’ve got some critical players who can play some decent footy.”
