Despite a disappointing 2026 campaign, Amy Gaylor believes Essendon's young AFLW side has plenty to build on heading into next season.

Coming off a promising pre-season, the Bombers entered the year with a clear focus on improving their game style and building consistency, but struggled to translate their preparation into results.

"It's been a very difficult time for the group, especially off the back of last year," Gaylor said.

"We felt like we reviewed really well and came into the pre-season with clear aims of where we wanted to be this year and how we were going to do that.

"We had a really strong pre-season where we built a strong game plan and showed that in practice matches, but to not be able to perform that consistently during the season was disappointing.

"That's football and we'll have to review again, obviously with some changes."

Now in her third AFLW season, Gaylor continued to develop her versatility, spending much of the campaign in the midfield before returning to a defensive role in the closing rounds.

The 21-year-old believes the opportunity to test herself against some of the competition's best midfielders has been invaluable to her development.

"I played mostly midfield this year and had a whole pre-season there," she said.

"I felt like I was developing, but when you're playing in the midfield, you're coming up against the best players in the competition every week.

"It's been really good for my development, but I've been thrown into the backline over the past few weeks and I probably find myself a bit more of a natural defender.

"It's been nice to see the game from behind the ball and use my intercept ability."

Alongside her on-field development, Gaylor has also embraced greater leadership responsibilities within Essendon's young playing group.

While acknowledging the challenges of stepping into a leadership role during a difficult season, Gaylor credited the support of her fellow leaders for helping her grow in confidence.

"It's probably not the nicest year to come into leadership, being one of the toughest times in Essendon's AFLW tenure," she said.

"I've been so well supported by the leaders we've got, Bonnie (Toogood) and our vice-captains.

"They all lead in different ways and we bounce off each other really well, so it's been nice to learn from them.

"Next year I'm hoping to get my voice out there more. I'm probably not the loudest in the group, but I know my leadership comes from how I perform on the field and the conversations I have with people.

"I hope I'm having an influence on that younger group."

Looking ahead to 2027, Gaylor believes the experience gained by Essendon's emerging players over the past two seasons will prove important as the side looks to climb the ladder.

With several young Bombers now having played significant football together, developing greater chemistry and consistency will be a key focus.

"Last year we were fielding such a young team that we probably felt really inexperienced," she said.

"But now that we've had last year and this year for those young players to gel and play together, there are a few first and second-year players who have played 12-plus games together.

"It's about trying to build that synergy while also keeping that experience around the group."

Gaylor also highlighted the progress of fellow young Bomber Emily Gough, who returned from a significant knee injury to establish herself in the side this season.

Having arrived at the Club in the same draft class, Gaylor has enjoyed watching her teammate grow in confidence following an interrupted start to her AFLW career.

"Emily Gough, for sure. We got drafted at the same time and unfortunately she's had a couple of injuries with her knee," Gaylor said.

"She missed the whole season last year, but she's come back stronger than ever.

"I remember when she first came back in pre-season from her knee, she was just bodying anyone and marking on anyone.

"It's been really good to see her consistently out there and building a lot of confidence towards the end of the year."