Thirteen senior-listed Bombers featured in Essendon's 48-point VFL defeat to the Casey Demons at Casey Fields on Sunday.
VFL coach Leigh Tudor has reviewed each player below.
Tom Cutler
Stats: 35 disposals, six marks
“I thought Tom was one of our better players on the day. I think 30 of his 35 possessions were effective, he made really good decisions with the ball and his skill execution was of a high standard. He played a really good game for us, he ran really hard, got the ball in good spots and he used it really well so I thought it was a good game from Tom.”
David Zaharakis
Stats: 27 disposals, five marks, five tackles
“'Zacka' after being the sub the night before, it's always tough to get prepared for the game. He had 12 contested possessions and he got a lot of the ball on the outside as well, so he joined in our attack really well. He also defended, he had five tackles and it was a really solid game as a midfielder.”
Tom Hird
Stats: 20 disposals, five marks, five tackles
“I really liked Hirdy’s game. He played as a permanent forward and he played as a high forward, and he got quite a bit of the ball for the position he played. I thought he made good decisions. He kicked a goal and was unlucky not to kick another one. I thought he played his role really well. His work rate was really fantastic and for a small forward to have five tackles, he really joined in our defence, so it was one of his better games."
Martin Gleeson
Stats: 16 disposals, three marks, two tackles
“Marty is just a fantastic leader for the VFL. He really sets us up and he’s almost a coach on the ground for our young boys. He really helps them out and they really go to him for advice and for help during the games. Marty’s effect on the game is always really high because of his experience and he had another really good game for us.”
Zach Reid
Stats: 16 disposals, seven marks, two tackles
“It was really fun to watch him play on Ben Brown. Ben Brown is such a good player - he’s an experienced AFL player and it was a really good experience for Reid. I think he (Brown) probably kicked two or three on Reidy when he was on him - a little bit of that was his craft and a little bit of that was Casey’s ball movement, which was hard for him (Reid) to defend at times. Probably at times Zach didn't get a lot of help - sometimes our pressure on the ball wasn’t great so there were some easy entries and it was hard to defend, but I thought he committed himself really well to the role.”
Ned Cahill
Stats: 15 disposals, six marks, four tackles
“Ned played as a permanent forward which is probably his best spot. He’s a really smart, crafty forward. He kicked two goals and tackled well so he attacked and defended as well as a small forward. I think he showed his smarts. He was a good player for us.”
Patrick Ambrose
Stats: 13 disposals, three marks, five tackles
“Patty didn't really finish the game. He was a little bit sore, so that was disappointing, but then again he just competes really hard and that's what we love about Patty. He’s a real competitor.”
Nick Bryan
Stats: 11 disposals, five marks, two tackles, 34 hitouts
“Like Reid he played on an experienced player in Majak Daw and he probably won the hitouts on the day which was a good result for Nick. Again he’s just working on his running patterns around the ground. It was just another good game to learn how to play on good, strong ruckmen, so he competed hard.”
Sam Durham
Stats: 10 disposals, two marks, four tackles
“He was nearly the best player on the ground in the first quarter. He started really well and played on the wing for us this week. He was involved in a lot of the play in the first quarter. He probably fell away a little bit after that, but it was really good to see if he could play on the wing. He competes really hard, which is what we really like about him."
Josh Eyre
Stats: 10 disposals, three marks, two tackles
“[Josh] had his first game as a backman this week. What I liked was he really embraced the challenge. Casey had a really strong forward line, and I thought he competed really hard in the air which is what we wanted him to do. It was a really good experience from him - learning how to defend but also learning off the good forwards he was playing against. He competed hard and he learnt a lot form that game.”
Lachlan Johnson
Stats: Eight disposals, three marks, seven tackles
“Again his defensive pressure and his tacking is a highlight - that's what he does really well. Unfortunately he got a knock to the knee, but what I really liked was that he didn't give up at all. He was challenging our medical staff to get back on the ground. He got back on and then competed, so I really liked that about his game. He never gave up.”
Cian McBride
Stats: Three disposals, two marks, two tackles, eight hitouts
“Cian played his second game as a forward. He got a little bit lost at times with the positional stuff which is to be expected because he’s just learning the positions. When it's in his area, he does compete, which is what we like about him."
Andrew Phillips
Stats: One disposal
“Phillips hurt his hamstring in the first three or four minutes of the game, which was disappointing."