Veteran Bomber Mark Mercuri looks set to make a move into defence in an effort to find the form that made him a star of the competition in the late 1990s. Essendon coach Kevin Sheedy intimated the move was on the cards at last night's Annual General meeting. ""We will just put him back there and see if he can play the kind of football we all know he is capable of,"" Sheedy said. Mercuri showed flashes of his brilliance last season but struggled with consistency and eventually was dropped to the Bendigo Bombers.

But the move to the backline just might spark him into action, according to Sheedy. He likened the move to that of Scott Lucas to centre half back. Lucas played sensational football for the Bombers as a key defender in the second half of last season. His renewed confidence was obvious when he did ocassionally return to more familiar territory at centre half forward.

Mercuri is having an exceptional pre-season and is as fit as he has been at this time of year for some time. His superb reading of the play could be a real asset deep in defence and all Essendon fans know how well he uses it when he gets the ball. It might just be a case of one step back to make a giant step forward.

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