One fine summer’s morning.
The final week of pre-Christmas training offered another stunning summer morning, and I made my way down to observe the second-last session of Essendon’s training for the year. Here are my key notes and takeaways.
Who’s there, who’s not.
The most notable absence was Caddy, who didn’t make an appearance at all. Caldwell continues to sit out from full training, sticking to running laps as part of his build up to 2025.
Both Parish and Duursma purely ran laps, Duursma at a more intensive rate while Parish just jogged at a leisurely pace, while Gresham and Guelfi spent time running laps as well as participating in certain drills.
McKay once again kept the runners on, only running laps. Menzie continued to wear the yellow cap (the only player), indicating no contact in drills.
For the first time since I started attending training this offseason, Cox joined in and completed the whole session. Setterfield also made his first appearance, training with the main group for the majority of the drills before stepping away to run laps when the session shifted to match simulation.
Battling for the last spot available on the list (if Essendon decides to fill it), Baldwin trained for the entire session.
Drills.
The majority of the time, the players were grouped with their line coaches. Hurley and Cloke guided the forwards and backs, Stanton worked with the midfielders, while Giansiracusa oversaw the session.
For the forwards against defenders, the focus was on two forwards versus two defenders. The forwards concentrated on working together to block and create leading lanes and spaces for themselves or their teammate to lead into, while the defenders focused on being fluid in decision-making in handovers and protecting the space in front.
Under the coaches’ instructions, the plan was for the forwards to lead to the skinny side (boundary side) while also being mindful, if the space ahead was taken, to double back to the more central open side.
For the midfielders, most drills were centered around boundary stoppage set ups, with repeated efforts focused on wrestling off the ball in preparation for the restart and to simulate intensity.
Match simulation.
I dearly hope the main intent of the match simulation was to focus on stopping transitions through the corridor or defending out wide on the boundary side when exiting the backline with the ball in hand, because hardly anything went “up the guts” in terms of ball movement, either by hand or foot.
Gone was the handball, link, run, and overlap that was prominent in my first two attendances; instead, kicking and switching were much more prevalent this time.
Ultimately, multiple modes of ball movement are required when starting with the ball down back, but today seemed very much centered on patience, creating space, and foot skills.
The new guys.
The previous training I attended only featured Kako training with the main group, while Nguyen spent time with his fellow draftees in separate drills before running laps. This time, however, all new recruits—except for Johnson and Day Wicks (both of whom just ran laps)—mixed in with their more mature teammates.
Nguyen’s run and exuberance with the ball were impossible to miss, and Unwin showed his competitiveness in the air against small to medium backs. However, it was his follow-up work at ground level which was most impressive.
Gerreyn trained with the midfielders, lining up against Goldstein in stoppages and following the play once the ball was in motion again.
Kako trained and played as a forward as expected, focusing primarily on leading up at the ball and competing in the air. His effectiveness when given space was evident, as he was easily too quick for defenders who failed to stay tight or smart enough to cut the angles.
Positional changes.
For Cox’s first training run of the offseason, he spent most of his time as a forward, with a small portion spent on the wing.
Redman was grouped with the midfield in all drills—could his fitness be better utilised around the ball next season?
Shiel once again confirmed reports of playing at half-back in 2025, participating in all contest drills against small to medium forwards in Perkins and Davey, both in the air and on the ground.
Roberts trained exclusively with the small to medium defenders, matching up against Davey and Kako both in the air and at ground level. After finishing the year averaging just under six groundball gets per game—over five of them intercepts at ground level in the back half—it’s fantastic to see a player developing in this crucial position for the team. Most importantly, Roberts continues to get the training needed to thrive as he heads into his second year of football.
El Hawli spent much of the session in defensive drills, starting the match simulation at half-back. He was heavily involved in transition, with most of his touches occurring between the arcs as the ball moved forward.
Stand outs.
No one looked more comfortable on the track in any drill or simulation than Shiel, easily accounting for his forward matchup in the air and at ground level. His link in handball receives as a running defender was impossible to miss, and his voice was clearly heard as he sought to educate his teammates down back and have the ball in his hands as much as possible.
Nic “I have the freedom to do what I like” Martin continued to roam all over the ground, with no restrictions on getting back to assist in starting chains forward, and then slowly drifting further up to deliver inside 50 later in the chain. All his work was with the midfielders at stoppages, with his ability to “spit out” of the congestion and be a receiver by hand into space a weapon, as expected.
Reid consistently accounted for Wright in the air. The two were matched up together the entire time, with Reid's reach to spoil when playing from behind matching his timing to cut the angles when playing zoned off.
Baldwin once again backed up his early 2024 season form in the air, easily accounting for Cox in one-on-one contesting drills. His body positioning to nudge his opponent underneath the ball was just as good as his ability to push back and take the space when playing in front.
Prior’s foot skills are a sight to behold, whether his penetration to gain territory or to put the ball out into space in front when locked in deep down back. In the drill I wrote about earlier regarding two forwards versus two defenders, his precision in finding the leading Kako was exemplary and very well acknowledged by his teammates.
Sum it up.
Many pleasing aspects over the last three to four weeks. Both Perkins and Menzie have never looked slimmer or fitter, and the three most noticeable upgrades in size are Tsatas, Martin and Hayes, all players in their third or fourth year in the system.
Finally, as I have pleaded for years now, Martin appears to be playing as a midfielder when the game is in motion, though I would need to see full training simulations with centre bounces and the starting midfielders to confirm this.
While it’s too early to definitively predict what 2025 will bring, the training sessions I’ve attended show a willingness to experiment with roles, tactics, and methods of ball movement. I’ll certainly look to attend more sessions in January and February as the team sharpens its preparations for the season ahead.
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