Essendon senior coach Ben Rutten spoke to the media at the NEC Hangar on Friday ahead of the Bombers' round nine clash with Fremantle at Marvel Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

Below are the five key takeaways from his media conference.

1. Flexibility to replace Stringer

Essendon will be forced to make one change to Sunday’s clash with Fremantle, with Jake Stringer set to miss several weeks with a hamstring injury sustained in last week’s loss to GWS.

The Bombers have options in the VFL with Alec Waterman, David Zaharakis and Patrick Ambrose all capable of playing in a forward role.

Rutten said he’ll be tossing up whether to bring in those who have been performing at state league level or adjusting the Bombers’ current 22 to fill Stringers’ role.

“It’s a shame about Jake (but) we’ve got flexibility,” Rutten said.

“We’ve got Kyle Langford who we’ve been playing a little bit more on the wing. He’s got the flexibility to play forward or inside as well.

“We really liked Matt Guelfi’s game as well coming on as the sub.

“He came on and (while he’s played predominantly down back for us)… he’ll play a bit more forward and wing.”

2. Injuries across AFL are a ‘concern’

Externally, an industry talking point has been the ‘injury crisis’ surrounding the AFL season, with 177 players, a quarter of the entire competition, listed as injured.

When pressed on the issue, Rutten said the magnitude of players sidelined is a ‘concern’, yet his focus will be on mitigating Essendon’s own injuries.

“It’s certainly a concern when it’s across the board across,” Rutten said.

“We’re looking at what we can do to minimise it (from our end) and what’s the possible cause.

“We’ve had a shorter pre-season and increase in game time.

“There’s plenty of things to consider (and) we’re looking at it more from a club point of view.”

3. Improving defensive structures

While the Bombers currently sit second in the AFL for average goals per game (13.8), the side has struggled to curb the very same statistic when facing opposition, placed second for average goals conceded per game (14.4).

With defensive lapses hurting the Dons, Rutten said the blame is not to be pointed at a lack of effort, rather the nuances of defensive structures, which are still being learned by an inexperienced back six.

“On the whole, our tackling and pressure around the ball has been good,” Rutten said.

“It’s a combination of where we turn the ball over and where we set up behind the ball. We want to be winning every week. You learn that a bit over time.

“If we look at our backline in particular, that group has only played 5-6 games together.”

4. Mason Redman’s purple patch

Defender Mason Redman has been lauded by Rutten after several weeks of consistent form off half-back.

The 23-year-old has bounced back from a down year in 2020 to become a vital member of the Bombers’ defensive unit, providing run and carry, while also playing as a tall defender, highlighting his versatility.

Following an impressive 23-disposal and one goal display against the Giants, Rutten believes a free run at playing and consistent training has been the key to Redman’s form.

“It’s been on the back of his training,” Rutten said.

“Last pre-season, he missed a fair bit of it. He’s done a lot of hard work over the off-season and hasn’t missed a beat.”

5. Executing inside 50s

With Essendon sitting ninth in the AFL for inside 50s (53.9) and 11th for marks inside 50, the Bombers will look to improve the quantity and efficiency of their forward entries against Fremantle.

With room for growth, Rutten believes the forward line is facing a similar journey which the back line is currently on; needing experience and more games to gel together to become a better offensive unit.

“Sometimes it’s the ball carrier’s decision-making and where he’s kicking the ball and part of that is also our forward line and building their chemistry and cohesion,” Rutten said.

“Similar to our backline, (there’s inexperience of playing together with) Peter Wright down there and Cale Hooker down there as a permanent forward as well.

“I think we’re always striving for that consistency and connection going inside 50, something we haven’t quite had in the last few weeks.”