Brad Scott is looking forward to seeing the impact of his new leadership group as Essendon faces off with archival Hawthorn on Friday night.
In addition to Andrew McGrath taking the reins for his first official outing as Captain, a renewed intake of emerging leaders has seen Sam Durham and Jye Caldwell step into official roles ahead of this season, with experienced recruit Brayden Fiorini also a welcome addition to the group.
The blend of characters has stood out to the Senior Coach, with anticipation building for the season opener.
"We feel really confident in the mix of experience and fresh energy and standards we have here,” Scott said.
“We moved really quickly to formulate our leadership group. We wanted that done before Christmas. Andy’s really well supported but he was our Vice-Captain, so it’s not a massive change.
That 'fresh energy' will be crucial in a fixture known for its taxing nature.
The origin of the fierce rivalry with Hawthorn - as we know it - dates back to a brutal era in the 1980s, where the Clubs battled it out in three consecutive Grand Finals, extending into the infamous ‘Line in the Sand’ game of 2004 that fuelled another heated decade.
The valiant leadership of Essendon's Captains were cornerstones in some of those notable fixtures from years gone by, and McGrath is enticed by the prospect of following on from recent names like Merrett and Watson in taking the Dons through their next chapter.
Describing his own leadership style as 'pretty authentic', looking at past players and the mentorship he's received from others over his nine years in the system will inform much of McGrath's captaincy journey, kicking off with one of the Club’s most hotly anticipated round one matchups in recent memory.
“I’m so excited by the direction the club’s taking,” McGrath said.
"I think the past leaders before us have put us in a really good spot to excel in 2026 and I can’t wait to play my role in that, to empower you guys to do your thing.”
‘Connection’ has become a key theme of the Bombers’ build under Scott, who lauds McGrath as a prominent driver of it within the four walls.
The new skipper’s reaffirming leadership style has always been received positively by the group, even more so since he’s assumed the captaincy duties - it certainly hasn’t gone unnoticed by his Senior Coach either.
“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,” Scott said.
“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.”
