"The way he attacks the contest and attacks the ball, he’s just a player that you love to coach. He's much loved by his teammates, and I'm sure by the supporters that watch him play."

Brad Scott's assessment of Sam Durham is likely identical to the first words you'd hear from most Essendon fans in describing the midfield bull ahead of his 100th career game on Saturday.

He might be the quintessential 'country kid with a heart of gold', but every one of Durham's 99 career games have been laced with exactly the kind of hard edge you'd expect from someone who did it the hard way to get his foot in the AFL door.

Knocked back at consecutive drafts while toiling away as an apprentice chippy in the background, it were those setbacks and that nagging feeling of being overlooked which drove Durham onto a list - and it still continues to fuel his fire.

"I always say that if I got drafted straight out of school, I wouldn’t have made it as a footballer. I would have had it too easy," Durham told essendonfc.com.au in 2025.

"I know what it's like to be working a normal full-time job and now I know what a blessing it is to be here every day, so I’ll never take this for granted.

"It’s definitely something that plays on my mind when I'm out there and I’ll always give it 100 per cent."

2021-'22: Opportunity earned, lessons learned

The wiry winger in the frame above mightn't resemble the raging bull we see week-to-week in 2026, but there were definitely early signs of the player Durham would become.

Stepping in at pick No.9 in the 2021 Mid-Season Draft, he wasted no time in locking down a spot in the best 23 and featured in the final seven games of the season, saving one of his best performances for a maiden Elimination Final appearance against the Dogs in the wet.

Still very much a raw prospect at that stage, Durham continued to develop steadily across the wing and even off half back at different stages, adding another 20 games in his sophomore season and hardly missing a beat.

It was the following season when the comp began to take more notice, however.

2023: On the map in a big, big way

After a strong start to the 2023 campaign with more time at half forward, all it took was one moment to solidify Durham's spot in Bomber folklore.

Slotting a crucial goal early in the final term of the Dons' Dreamtime comeback against Richmond and setting up another to get within a kick, Durham charged forward in the dying seconds to wrangle in a contested mark on Daniel Rioli in the goal square, sending the 78,000-strong crowd into utter raptures when he kicked truly.

Humbly downplaying it on the car ride home with then-housemate Andy McGrath, Durham was reminded by his current skipper just how big his moment was, and it was the start of an upwards trajectory that's continued ever since.

Finishing his season with a then-career-high 25 touches against Collingwood from more midfield time, that on-ball experiment transformed his output for the couple of years that followed.

2024-'25: Breakout, back-to-back Crichton podiums

As a pure midfielder, Durham became a bull.

He was dominant in a commanding win over West Coast at Marvel in round 15 of 2024, racking up a PB of 29 touches. With 10 goals to his name that season, he also showed he could hit the scoreboard when he really put his head down and drove his legs at clearances forward of centre.

Amidst an improved year for scoreboard impact, it was actually a rather handy point which went down the best with the Essendon faithful:

On the earlier note of clearances, that was an area he saw even better production from when utilised in the middle throughout a tough 2025 season for the Club. A best effort of 12 against the SUNS in round 17 was a relentless outing and reward for his repeat efforts, trucking tackles and driving an inspired third-quarter surge.

All in all, the accolades began to come his way.

Third place in the Crichton Medal for both those seasons and the Club's Most Improved Player in 2024, Durham's emergence as a leader was recognised going into just his fifth full season.

2026: Leadership potential, a Don for the foreseeable

Already contracted until 2028, a fresh extension tied Durham to the Club until at least the end of 2032 in a major boost ahead of the year.

In addition, the future star was officially earmarked as a leader for the first time and has taken the extra responsibility into the opening two months of the 2026 season.

Occasionally lacking opportunity to impact at half forward in a couple of heavy defeats, a reshuffle back into the midfield rotation saw the dogged, tenacious best of Durham last week - 27 touches and nine clearances against the back-to-back reigning premiers a welcome reminder of what he brings when he's up and running.

It's been a very quick ascension to 100 games (having only missed seven since debuting) but 'Duzza's story is one for any to look up to.

"He's just a great guy, Sam," Brad Scott said.

"I think it's made it all the more satisfying by the fact that every recruiter in the country didn't think he was good enough as an 18-year-old, and that's not to criticise the recruiters, they all thought that.

"So for any aspiring 18, 19-year-old footballer out there who gets overlooked, go and have a look at Sam Durham's progression to 100 games.

"It's not linear, it's not perfect, it's on the back of persistence, resilience, and a hell of a lot of hard work."