Essendon coach Brad Scott has remained grounded after his first win at AFL level in 323 days, which saw a forceful Bombers outfit upset Melbourne by 45 points in Gather Round.
The club’s 17-game losing streak was snapped predominantly off the back of their stunning second half surge where Essendon kicked 11 goals to the Demons’ two in overcast and slippery conditions.
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It was an incredibly even spread of output across the Bombers’ playing 23, as their list slowly but surely returns to full strength after a nightmare run with injuries in 2025.
“It’s not just about personnel, but this is the first time I can remember selection pressure. We’ve had it in my time, but I just don’t remember it — it was that long ago,” Scott told journalists post-game at Adelaide Oval.
“It means you have some flexibility to do some different things and move some things around. There are certain levers that you can pull, but to be able to pull some personnel levers and have options, it certainly helps.
“Personnel definitely helps. I don’t want to fill the excuse bag up, but it’s been challenging to coach a style when personnel is just turning over at a rate of knots and you can’t get any continuity.
“The silver lining to that is, that we have a surplus of players who we now think can play in our best side.”
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Among the four inclusions for the Round 5 match was Jordan Ridley, who when on the park, has been a brick wall for the best part of his 105-game AFL career.
He, fellow key defender Ben McKay and veteran Kyle Langford were certainly among the best on Saturday, with excellent contributions from their running types also in the likes of Archie Roberts (42 disposals, 11 intercepts) and second-gamer Jacob Farrow (22 disposals, 12 marks).
Essendon’s win follows three promising quarters of football on Easter Sunday last weekend, and while Scott acknowledges there’s still so much more for his group to learn, the trajectory remains constant win, lose or draw.
“Sometimes the reality is, you need the reward or the effort. Because it’s hard to see the positive progress and things moving in the right direction when you’re not getting the result,” Scott said.
“The point about the result is important. The tangible improvement probably started at about the 20-minute mark of the second quarter against the Bulldogs last week. So, we were really keen to make sure that we reviewed that really strongly — and almost bank that improvement to go again.
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“We’re still a massive work in progress. I think perspective is just such an important thing in this game.
“I’m really pleased for the players to get that reward, I’m really pleased for our supporters who have been through a really tough time … but perspective is important. It’s not like we’ve done anything miraculous.
“We’ve still got a hell of a lot of work to do. Even if we don’t get the result today, I think the trajectory we’re on is still the same.”
Having been heavily criticised throughout the first month of their season for their defensive efforts and communication, the Bombers looked miles better than they have all season on both fronts.
“I don’t know if it was enjoyable; it’s satisfying (the win), that’s for sure,” he said.
“The players looked like they enjoyed themselves late in the game, even in the first half. Playing the way that we wanted to play, and the level of competitiveness I think they enjoyed.
Essendon’s next challenge will see them head up to People First Stadium next Saturday to take on premiership contenders Gold Coast.
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