Nate Caddy is hoping Essendon can channel the frustrations of their ‘timid’ first half effort against Walyalup into an improved showing for Dreamtime at the ‘G this Friday. 

A large chunk of the damage from the 43-point loss was done early, with the Dockers getting on top around the contest and scoring at will, eventually going on to slot 12 of the first 13 goals on the day.

Caddy was honest and upfront post-game, reaffirming the stance of Senior Coach Brad Scott’s animated quarter-time address as the Bombers look to push forward.  

“Obviously it was a really horrible start, we didn’t do what we wanted and we were kind of timid to start the game,” Caddy told essendonfc.com.au.

“It’s hard to coach when we’re being timid, second to the contest when the ball’s there to be won. Outnumbering the contest and not winning it, standing off, not running through the ball. 

“(Brad) holds us to an account and when we aren’t holding up our end of the bargain, he’s going to be animated and obviously going to need to (have a crack at us). 

While the Dons struggled to wrestle back meaningful scoreboard momentum due to the slow start, there were clear signs of improvement in a second half predominantly led by their young brigade.

Caddy managed to find his range from outside 50, while the continued excitement around Sullivan Robey (22 disposals, two goals) was reiterated in another strong showing. 

Even as only a 36-gamer himself, Caddy is hoping the Bombers can rally around their youngsters pushing into their first Dreamtime clash off a five-day break.

“I think we responded, we didn’t win the game but managed to even out the playing field,” Caddy said.

“We’ve got to start how we finished this week, the second half was a lot better. We can defend as much as we want but if we’re going to allow (three goals in the first five minutes), it’s hard to come back from.

“We’ve got a five-day break, so we need to attack this week. Dreamtime’s a huge occasion, normally a big crowd – it was my debut game a couple of years ago and I remember how that made me feel.

“Guys like Sully Robey, ‘Faz’ (Jacob Farrow), they’re going to be playing in their first one, so we’ve got to get around them and try to get a win.” 

Just nine games into his third season, Caddy is already a goal away from matching his best effort of 20 majors last year and has looked the Club’s most dangerous forward target in 2026. 

Having already shown off his prolific talent in spades as an aerialist and an innate ability to get into scoring positions, the accuracy is now a key area he’s looking to improve.

“Shots on goal don’t mean anything if you don’t kick them,” Caddy said. 

“I’m getting a lot of shots on goal, it’s just about execution. I’m doing a lot of work on it, I’m outsourcing to find people who were really good kicks (for goal) in their career, see if they can help refine my kicking.

“It’s a big (room for improvement) at the moment, I’ve got to take the good with the bad. I’m getting myself into that position, but I’ve got to hold myself to a higher standard.”