Getting Wayne Schwass in your first game of AFL football is a big ask but it is one that Bomber Damien Peverill coped with well. One week later, and with the Bombers staring firmly at defeat, Peverill copped Nathan Buckley in the second half of the Anzac Day match. Another job well done and another Essendon victory. This weekend Peverill may again cop one of the toughest jobs in football - star West Coast on-baller Ben Cousins - and there is no reason why he won't again do a good job for the Bombers. Peverill has made a big impact in just two senior matches and he has become an instant hero with his senior teammates who now refer to him as ""The Blanket"".

""He is a cult hero,"" Essendon assistant coach Mark Harvey said. ""For him to have been accepted and earned the nickname ""The Blanket"" is a great tribute to him."" But Harvey said his teammates had always thought he could play. ""A number of players have asked why he hadn't been put on the senior list - they have always thought he could play football.""

And Harvey also believed that Peverill had what it took to make it at AFL level. ""He has had a very good grounding and done a three or four year apprenticeship. He is a very driven young man and one of the hardest trainers at the club. Really, what has happened to him in the past two weeks is just rewards. But he knows he still has to improve,"" Harvey said.

Peverill's running ability and reading of the game has made him an ideal tagger. Harvey said he was probably in the top 10 fittest players at the club. ""I thought he would play league football but to the do the jobs he has done on Schwass and Buckley in his first to games has made me sit up and take notice,"" Harvey said. ""His running ability is why he has got the jobs he has.""

So keep an eye out for the Peverill - Cousins duel this weekend. Cousins is a key player for West Coast and if Peverill can cut him out, the Bombers will be well on the way to recording their fifth win of the season.