Essendon showed encouraging signs of resilience after the main break against the Bulldogs on Sunday but remain searching for a complete four-quarter performance. 

Post-match, Senior Coach Brad Scott outlined both the growth and ongoing challenges that come with navigating inconsistencies in on-field performance.

Scott on the response and in-game adjustments

“The most pleasing thing is it would have been easy for our players to get dejected and flat.”

“I thought the response after half-time (was great), after we changed some things which was led by Zach Merrett and his pressure around the ball. The third quarter started to look like what we wanted from the start of the game.” 

“We changed a little bit of personnel in there. I thought Kako gives us something. His pressure around the contest at ground level is elite, and that changed the look of it for us.” 

Scott on the start and contest battle

“We were really disappointed with the start, not just the scoreboard, but their good players just looked really dominant.”

“The first four or five minutes looked okay, but then they got on top around the midfield and we couldn’t wrestle that back early.” 

Scott on belief and handling adversity

“If the team was going to capitulate, it would have been early in the game.”

“I have a lot of belief in the character of the group and the players we’ve recruited.”

“They’re showing that fight without the reward at the moment, but I’m optimistic that will turn.”

“It’s a fact we’ve lost a lot of games in a row. There’s no point arguing that. It can be demoralising, but that’s the challenge we’re fighting against.”

“Our leaders need to keep the group galvanised and perform on field. That’s what we need right now.”

Scott on consistency and connection

“We just want to play a consistent style all the time, be really consistent in the contest and in the way that we set up.”

“I think every team in the competition can play well in patches. The best do it for 120 minutes, and that’s the challenge for us.”

“Execution is still a work in progress, but at least it was better tonight. We connected a bit better inside 50, but it requires cohesion and we’ve struggled to put that together.”

“There’s significant improvement still to go.” 

Scott on emerging players and selection pressure

“It’s a real credit to Tom Edwards to come in, a year out from an ACL, play one VFL game and then look threatening against a good team.”

“Archer May as well. There were some positives there.”

“There were some pretty good performances in the VFL today, so there’ll be a number of guys who come into consideration.”

“There could be up to half a dozen guys available next week, so that’ll add some pressure for spots.” 

Scott on the bigger picture

“We’re 0-4, but we’re not focused on ladder position right now. We’re focused on consistent improvement of our players.”

“A successful season is continuing to build a playing group that can play a consistent four-quarter brand of footy.”

“It’s a combination of players coming back from long-term injuries and new players coming into the side. That’s a challenge for us at the moment.”

“The improvement of the individuals and the cohesion of the group are the two major things.”