Former Bomber Adam McPhee can expect an ""icy"" reception when Essendon clashes with Fremantle on Sunday according to coach Matthew Knights.

After a lengthy career at the Bombers, McPhee deserted his Windy Hill teammates at the end 2009, nominating for the pre-season draft before being picked up by his previous club, the Dockers.

“When a player leaves a club, the reception they often receive when they meet again is not very favourable,”  Knights told Bomber.tv today.

“I expect that the reception received by Adam McPhee will be icy and cool, which is natural and part of the mystique of this great game.”

Knights said McPhee’s departure had a strong upside, creating room in the side for a number of up-and-coming players.

“Once he decided to move it was no longer an issue for me and as a result of him leaving we’ve been able to give other guys opportunities,” Knights said.

“It has been great to be able to play David Zaharakis and Mark Williams and hopefully young guys like David Myers, Sam Lonergan and Bachar Houli will also continue to get opportunities in the coming weeks.”
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Knights conceded that while his players impressed in the first half against Geelong, they must be at their best to beat Fremantle who put in stellar performance to defeat Adelaide.
“Fremantle was quite formidable. Their defence played well as a group and the way they ran through the lines was a big upside in their game,” Knights said.

“To defeat a possible top four side like Adelaide is a great result for Fremantle and for us it means that we’re going to have to be at our best to beat them.”