Essendon fans have missed their No.3 in the middle of the park.

Darcy Parish enjoyed a promising return to match simulation on Friday after missing the majority of last season due to persistent injury setbacks.

The 28-year-old racked up 21 disposals and slotted two goals in a win over the Tigers at the NEC Hangar, providing Bomber fans with a welcome opening to their hitouts against external opposition.

After a challenging period, Parish is just relishing being able to attack match play at full tilt.

“I’m just so appreciative to be back out there and doing what I love,” Parish said.

“It’s been a tough couple years with my body, (it’s just a) shoutout to the high performance group we’ve got here working alongside me.

“I’m just super grateful to be out there at a high level and we’ll just keep growing my game.”

In the 50-point win, it was the Bombers’ young crop such as Jacob Farrow and Dyson Sharp that also stood out to the more experienced Parish.

Parish expressed admiration at the draftees’ approach to pre-season more generally, especially felt in their first unofficial game in the sash.

“(The youngsters were) super impressive today,” Parish said.

“They’re putting in the work, they’re so hungry to learn and get the most out of themselves, I’m very proud of them all.”

The Dons started slow in the unofficial scratch match, but hit their straps as the game wore on and produced better fast-paced footy to hit the scoreboard quickly.

Booting seven goals in a second-term blitz, Parish put the improvement down to the team’s adaptability in different game scenarios, which has been a key focus of their pre-season.

“There were pleasing signs,” Parish said.

“We probably started slower than we would’ve liked, but (I liked) the growth in the group to be able to adjust after the first quarter, take on some feedback. That was very pleasing.

Moving forward, Parish is keen for an other pre-season test against the Saints in Ballarat on Saturday, where the Dons will look to review hard and get ready for their final match before round one.

“The blueprint of our game [is] the way we move the footy forward. We’ll look to contain the outs and really squeeze the ground,” Parish said.

“(The Saints) obviously have a highly talented team, they’ll be ready to go because they play in a couple of weeks. We’ll have to bring our best.”