Recognised for possessing one of the biggest engines in the AFL and for his ability to find the football, Brent Stanton is turning up the heat at Essendon this season and has taken a starring role in the Bomber’s midfield. But at only 21 years of age, he knows he still has a long way to go.

""I was happy with my season last year and the opportunities I have had in the midfield again this year,"" he explained.

""I think in a few games I have managed to average around 18 or 19km this year so that is obviously a long way. I have been blessed with that ability to run that far and I just want to keep on using it to my advantage for as long as I can.

""During pre-season you have all of these tests and stuff and I seem to range somewhere between first and fifth and around that sort of area and I pride myself on that.

""I never want to let that go because obviously it helps you in AFL games to just get away from opponents and allows you to also help your teammates at the same time. I can still work on it.

""Everyone can still work on a lot of areas but that is an area that I still will work on.""

Eager to see the winning culture reignited at Essendon, Stanton believes the Bombers are a good chance against a flailing Richmond line-up who are yet to secure a win this season.

""The vibe has been pretty good this week after the win on the weekend and we are looking to back up last week’s performance with another win this week.

""Obviously two wins in a row is going to be an important accomplishment for us this week and we are not going to take it lightly.

""No doubt Richmond haven’t had the greatest start to the year but this is an important game for us to hopefully get us back into the eight and help our run ahead this year.""
 
View the full interview on Bomber.tv.