Brad Scott and his players aren’t shying away from the monstrous external build-up to Essendon’s round one matchup with decades-old rival Hawthorn.

With early forecasts suggesting a crowd upwards of 90,000, the Friday night fixture is shaping as a potential headliner for round one after last week’s initial taste of AFL footy for the season.

The Bombers Senior Coach is now equipped with much better availability by contrast to the side he fielded late in 2025, with several experienced players back in action and defender Andy McGrath ready to officially take the reins in his first game as skipper.

Scott’s Monday morning presser touched on the ‘added spice’ between the two sides, potential debutants and the unavoidable sense of excitement as gameday approaches.

Scott on… the rivalry

“There might be an extra 10-to-15,000 people there (on account of the current rivalry).

“This is always the great thing. I've said it before publicly, that my football childhood was framed around Essendon and Hawthorn games. I grew up watching them as a foundation of the game and I still remember them. There's no point talking them down, I prefer to talk them up.

“I think it's fantastic. I think it's great that we get to play in these games and the rivalry's real, there's no doubt certainly from our perspective.

“With what you're referring to (the trade period) at the end of last year, does it add some spice? Probably. But I mean, what do we do as professionals? We do all the boring stuff, we focus on the controllables, the things that we can execute.

“While there'll be a big buildup to the game and it’ll probably break a record in terms of attendance - that'll be fantastic for our club - but for our players, we've got to focus on the things that we've been training.

“As much as the players do live in the bubble, they're not going to be able to avoid it. It is what it is. The point I'm trying to make here is we don't have to say, ‘hey guys, do you know that this is a really big game? We've got a really fierce rival with Hawthorn.’

“They're well aware of that.”

Scott on… anticipation

“I feel the same way as I do it starting every season - over a fair period of time as a player or coach - which is that you're stepping into a bit of the unknown, right?

“You work so hard in terms of your preparation throughout the year, and there's a long period that goes into the planning and training, but even with the benefit of playing practice games and match stimulations here, you're not really sure how you're going to go against genuine opposition in a game that counts for four points.

“It’s always the same sense of trepidation, but also excitement. If you don't have a bit of natural competitive anxiety, then you probably shouldn't be playing.

“There's only really one player on our list who hasn't played AFL footy and he was very close to being selected (last year). I think that last year, while it presented its challenges, means that we've got better depth in terms of guys who have played. 

“There's no doubt when you look at the inclusions of guys who missed the back half of last year, whether that's Parish, Caldwell, Caddy, half the team, having them back in is a welcome return.”

Scott on… Kako, potential for debutants

“I think (Isaac Kako) will be medically available.

“We'll have a look at him today, we’ve got a main session tomorrow, so we've still got a bit of time to make a decision. If he plays, it'll be somewhat of a risk because we’ve pushed him pretty close to the line, but he's been fantastic in his rehab and we’d love having him out there.

“We’ve just got to weigh up the risk and reward. I mean, there’s temptation around round one but we've just got to make a decision which is in Isaac's best interest and certainly in our best interests.

“I think we'll see one (debutant). I'm reluctant to make any sort of calls, not that I'm hiding anything away, but I mean, we're on a Monday before a Friday game. Certainly on pre-season performance, we're extremely happy with our draftees but we’re not in a position where we have to blood young players.

“We’re not trying to bring young players in just for the sake of being young, we're going to pick the side that's obviously going to give us the best chance, and if that happens to include a couple of debutants, I think that's really exciting for our future.

“Their readiness to play (has impressed me). There's always some concerns about young guys, the fact that just by virtue of their age, they come in, they play against men probably for the first time in their career.

“That's not the case in Dyson Sharp’s situation, because he's always played up as a junior. He looks like a 25-year-old the way he plays. A lot's impressed me, but it's just mostly been their readiness for the rigours of AFL football.”

Scott on… leadership

“We moved really quickly to formulate our leadership group. We wanted that done before Christmas, so while it is new and certainly his first game (as Captain), it’s not as if it was only announced last week.

“You know, we've got players like Brayden Fiorini who's come in and made a real impact. Jye Caldwell and Sam Durham are welcome additions in that leadership structure.

“Andy's really well supported but he was our Vice-Captain, so it’s not a massive change. 

“I’m reluctant to use the word connection because everyone talks about it, but I mean, every club is trying to do the same thing, which is build a culture of connection where players have a really close bond, and Andy's really good at that.

“I've been here three or four years now, so I'm trying to work out what's wrong with him, because everyone's got some deficiencies. I just haven't found his yet.”

Scott on… analysing, preparing for Hawthorn

“We can't just look at what GWS did and say, let's go and do that. They’ve got a good system, and in the last two games, the Bulldogs practice match and GWS, Hawthorn have played two really good opponents.

“Three of the top four from last year just got beaten in Opening Round, so I think it speaks to how tight the competition is.

“We're fresh, we're prepared. There’s no excuses going into round one for us.

“I don't have a strong view on Opening Round. I know a lot of people do, but from our perspective, you know, we've always been preparing for round one, Friday the 13th.”