Although Brad Scott saw Essendon’s round one loss to Hawthorn as a reflection of the gap they need to bridge with the best, it’s that exact challenge which excites him most for 2026. 

The Bombers won’t have to wait much longer for a chance to respond, with Port Adelaide awaiting them on Sunday. Given their round one starts left both sides disappointed, Scott’s anticipating a hot contest interstate. 

In his Thursday morning presser, Scott said while there’ll be potential for a shuffle at the selection table this week, he’s keen to stay the course and not get deterred by one bad result. 

Scott on… reflections, review from Friday

“We were really disappointed in our contest work and that fed into an inability to defend.

“We were a bit all or nothing in the contest. You know, we had opportunities going forward which we didn't take but that bled into not only taking those opportunities, but getting scored against.  

“We'll go to work again on defending transition - which was a theme in the pre-season – but it was exposed on the weekend, we’re clearly not where we need to be in that space.  

“It's not reinventing the wheel, it’s not like it's a new concept, we just didn't execute to the level that we expect. We're crystal clear with the challenge that is ahead of us and sitting here today is no different to seven days ago in terms of the challenge.  

“We've got to keep getting better at it and the players are really clear on it. Really for us, it's an execution thing, which is not to the level it needs to be. None of the themes that we have worked on the last couple of days, both in review and in training, are new. We went in with a clear understanding of the way the game would be played and we weren't able to execute it.”

Scott on… where his side sits 

“That's just the reality of where we are right at the moment. We think we're better than that but clearly, even where we are right now or at our best, I still think there's an obvious gap between know, where the best teams in the competition are and where we are. 

“It sounds a bit trite to talk about (there being positives) because the simple answer is yes, but it doesn't manifest in outcomes which are visible externally in terms of results, in terms of defence, in terms of scoring. 

“As I remind our coaches all the time, just because you've told the players to do something, that doesn't mean they can do it and just because you've worked on something, doesn't mean you're going to execute it.

“The flipside's also true. I enjoy being in the mud working through these difficult times with young players and, you know, it's what I get the most joy from other than winning. Coaching's a hell of a lot easier when you just put really good players in positions and let them play but we're not at that stage. 

“We're deeply in the stage of coaching and developing players to be better. I think that's one of the younger, more inexperienced Essendon teams I'll ever coach but it's only going one way from here for us. 

“That's challenging in the short-term, but for the fans, the thing that I'm extremely optimistic about, the medium to long-term looks terrific and a hell of a lot of hard work went in to get us into this position. 

“The reality is right at the moment, externally, it looks like we're in a really difficult spot. But when we can zoom out a little bit and look at it, we've just got to stick to what our plan is and keep working really hard.”

Scott on… the next test

“We had 48 hours to regroup and flick our attention to the North Melbourne-Port Adelaide game, which funnily enough are our next two opponents.  

“Obviously, we watched that game very closely. (Port Adelaide) have still got a lot of threats and whenever there's a new coach, I think there's always a little bit of a synergy challenge and (trying) to put together a cohesive group. 

“I think both clubs are probably facing that challenge at the moment, but they've got quality players across every line and it's going to be a big challenge for us. 

“You've just got to base it on what you see and not what you think they're trying to do. They’ve had a few positional changes like Marshall playing back - I know he hurt his ankle, but he looks like he's fine. 

“They are a sample size of one game and maybe a practice game. There’s a little bit of the unknown, but we’re not focusing our game totally around the opposition anyway, we've got enough things to work on ourselves.

“We'll have a lens over what they do, but the vast majority of what we want to do on Sunday is going to be about what we want to do.” 

Scott on… personnel 

“There'll be change (to the lineup) but we’ve just got to keep balancing what's best for the team and we will always pick the team based on what we think is going to give us the best chance of getting the result. 

“We've got to balance that with the mix of young players coming in. We'll keep working through that but whether it's Jacob Farrow, Sullivan Robey played in the VFL - we're very excited about those guys – but we've got to make sure they're ready to come in, play a role and show that they can do it. 

“The (total) number of debutants, whatever it is, we're fortunately in a position where our hand’s not forced on that, like it was last year. We'll bring guys in when we think it's best for them and best for the team. 

“We’ll have Isaac Kako this week.

“Jordan Ridley’s in full training. It's a pretty minor injury for him, but when you've had a lot of injuries, the minor injuries don't feel minor. He’s training well and looks like he could play this week, but he won't play this week.

"We'll be a bit more conservative and hopefully get him back in the next few weeks.”

Scott on… reports over an offered extension to Zach Merrett 

“From my perspective, Zach's contracted for two years, so there’s not a massive rush on any of this.

“What’s been reported, I think, is fairly accurate in that there's been a willingness from Zach's management to talk to our list management team, and our list management team’s had a real willingness to talk to Zach and his manager. 

“My only involvement is, ‘would you like to have Zach here long-term?’ And that's a pretty simple answer, a resounding yes. We're not going to be able to control what people say throughout the year, so I just worry less about that.

“It's not as if he's out of contract. Whether he's contracted for longer, I think that's a really good thing for Zach and for the club.”