Picked at the end of the first round in the 2018 National Draft, Duursma will be looking to return to the form he showed in his debut year.
After playing 20 games in 2019, injuries have prevented him from averaging more than 13.2 games in the subsequent 4 years, with 16 games his best in 2023, 9 of those consecutive, the most consecutive games since his first year.
Yet to turn 24 years old, Duursma comes with finals experience, something the majority of the Essendon list doesn't have.
6 finals, including 2 preliminary finals will be valuable at the pointy end of the season.
In his first year, he started at half forward and from there, did his work at the coal face of contests and stoppages.
His work at ground level to impact in scoring, added with finding space to mark inside 50 made sure his average of 19.6 disposals counted, an average he would no longer match again for the next 4 seasons at Port Adelaide.
Injuries and a change of role the catalyst.
Only making 22 senior appearances over the course of his third and fourth years, he then was moved to an outside role on the wing and at times, to half back to sure up the defence.
Unfortunately it hurt his and the team's scoreboard impact.
His 11 goals in 2019 became 7, 3 and 6 in the next 3 years and his percentage of disposals being part of a score dropped from just over 20% to just over 14%
But that role suited the abilities he showed at under 18 level.
His marking and aerial prowess and his strength to run long and deep were the main reasons he was touted as a mid to late first round prospect.
In 2023, Essendon relied mostly on Nic Martin and Sam Durham to fill the wing role.
Both 22, Martin averaged 89.8% time on ground, the most by any Essendon midfielder, while Durham averaged 81.9%.
I've always seen the wing as a role play position.
Both in attack and defence.
There's selfless running to get back and support the defenders by helping outnumber behind the ball, and then switching to help in forward transition with teammates.
They're also a wide outlet option if needed, and to discourage the switch from the opposition from one side to the opposite side of the ground.
In all that is a lot of unrewarding work on their stat sheet, but certainly not on the team sheet.
Duursma brings speed to get from one area to the next, agility in the air to assist his backline and excellent decision making to know where to be at important times.
Knowing when to get involved with the immediate play or to drop off in order to aid fellow defenders, is a learning curve and something he has enough experience in coming from Port Adelaide.
Right now, that's an asset an improving Essendon team can do with.
His height of 186cm, together with his leap and confidence in taking intercepting pack marks, brings another layer to the defensive line.
Opposition are always wary of teams who have aerial assets, especially behind the ball, and with Duursma, Ridley, Reid and McKay all ahead for them to get through in the air, it will force a change in how they attack.
In recent times, opposition teams have been able to move the ball forward too easily against Essendon.
A change in defending without the football can be improved in multiple ways.
Better positioning strategically to cutoff passing lanes, and more intent through pressure on the ball carrier are two examples.
Forcing a slow down in territory gain through better positioning, will allow Essendon to dictate areas as to where the opposing team can attack to.
This will give time for aerial assets to move into position and force that team to take what's given or, a riskier approach.
Adding duress to the ball carrier to make rushed decisions, will mean precision football will be harder to achieve.
Put those into the mindset of your opponent early into the season and it will change the weekly planning of teams coming up.
"How do we find our way around McKay, Reid, Ridley and Duursma?"
Now assisting the defensive line is important, but so is the "bounce" you need to naturally have in your game.
The bounce when you have the chance to hurt offensively.
Duursma has a spring in his game in wanting to create overlap by hand, and that in turn, brings movement from the forwards in reacting to what he's generating.
It creates space and gets teammates active around him.
This is something that worked in numerous games early for Essendon last year.
Unfortunately it was left to McGrath and Redman most of the time. The longer that went on, the more predictable it became to the opposition to clamp down on.
This would be a major reason as to why we've seen reported that Martin and Alwyn Davey Junior have been trialling down back over preseason.
Duursma is another who can add to that mix.
Like I said earlier, he started his career at half forward so don't be surprised to see him spend some time there or thereabouts at different stages.
He has forward craft in knowing when, and importantly, where to lead to become a target.
This experience, coupled with his workrate, will see him push forward and find space in dangerous areas inside 50.
His size, aerial strength, and being quick off the mark, will give Brad another option to mix the set up depending on the opposition and game status.
I suspect we'll see a tempered start to the season for Xavier.
He missed 9 games last year after being subbed out in the first quarter of round 7 with a torn posterior cruciate ligament, and had been nursing a hip flexor ailment over the off season which held back his training.
But being already blessed with endurance capabilities and multiple preseasons under his belt, it shouldn't be delayed for too long.
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