John Barnes and Steven Alessio have both proven themselves to be more than handy ruckmen during their time at Windy Hill. Barnes running ability and palming has been a feature while Alessio's strength and goalkicking ability has made him a handful. While both still have more football ahead of them, David Hille is the man the Essendon recruitng staff have pinned their faith in when Barnes and Alessio finish their careers. It is a big ask and the youngster has been given a taste of what lies ahead in the past three weeks. With injuries meaning Barnes and Alessio have watched from the stands, Hille has had to take on the responsibility of number one ruckman and it is a role he is gradually getting used to.

It has been a steep learning curve for Hille and he started from the ground up. ""My first game against Melbourne was a bit of a horror,"" was Hille's honest assessment of his debut. Hille played that game as back up to John Barnes and the selectors sent him back to the VFL side. It was an admission that perhaps Hille wasn't quite ready.

But the Essendon match committee firmly believe Hille has what it takes to make it at senior level. Hille rucked for the Victorian Metro team in the Australian Under 18 carnival - the Victorian Country ruckman was Josh Fraser. It is a fact Bomber coach Kevin Sheedy often points out. The football public has sung the praises of Fraser - Hille has been a little slower to mature but Sheedy thinks he can make up any lost ground.

When John Barnes pulled out of the Bombers' clash with Brisbane in round 10, Hille promptly returned to the senior side. Some might think the decision was forced upon selectors but there were other options. Jonathon Robran and Judd Lalich have both performed admirably in the role of running ruckman over the past two seasons. They would have been considered but it was Hille who got the nod as first ruck.

And a rookie ruckman has nowhere to hide. Forwards, defenders and mid-fielders have quality players around them - young players can feed of them and get a helping hand when they are struggling. ""Without Barnesy or Steve Alessio I really had to try and stand up,"" Hille said. ""I was a bit nervous in my first game but Sheeds kept encouraging me. Each week has said just go out there and get your hands on the footy first.""

Last weekend's match against St Kilda was Hille's third. An assignment against Peter Everitt isn't an easy night out for the most seasoned of ruckman. ""It was pretty tough because he is a good player but I just kept trying to do the right things and I thought I played better than previously,"" Hille said. ""The goal I kicked early in the game helped me and I wasn't as nervous as I was in previous games."" He did improve as the game went on and it was a performance that wasn't lost on the experts.

With Barnes and Alessio likely to miss again, Hille will again assume the first ruck responsibilities against Adelaide. Matthew Clarke is his likley opponent - another experienced campaigner who will fully test the improving Hille. It is a big responsibility for the youngster - particularly so given the damage Andrew McLeod, Simon Goodwin and Mark Ricciuto can do at ground level.

Sheedy says that one of the reasons he has stayed in the game is because of the kick he gets out of young players coming through the ranks. Hopefully Sheeds and Essendon supporters can get a real kick out of watching this young talent work his way into elite level football.