The Western Bulldogs were left impressed by a trio of pups following Saturday's pre-season hitout against the Bombers despite the 19-point defeat, while a pair of Supplemental Selection Period hopefuls also looked to catch the eye in their bid for an AFL list spot.
The Dogs played host to the Bombers at Whitten Oval for their first practice match, with the home side having a handful of senior players either absent or on limited minutes while also sharing numbers with the subsequent VFL match between the two clubs.
Young midfielder Ryley Sanders continued to make his case for a starting spot in Luke Beverdidge's side to commence his second campaign at the Kennel, while fellow sophomore Joel Freijah also impressed with this ball-winning and running.
Assistant coach Brendon Lade highlighted Sanders' midfield nous following the contest, while rookies Cooper Hynes and Josh Dolan were other young Dogs who stood out against the Bombers.
"Cooper Hynes, who Bevo put in the midfield which was good experience for him, he hasn't done much of that this pre-season," Lade told media post-game.
"He's been forward mostly but he showed some really good things Cooper.
"Josh Dolan in the forward line, he runs really well and his pressure (is good) and he uses the ball. We're excited about what they're both bringing.
"[Sanders'] last two games have been pretty good. He finds the ball really well and distributes to his teammates.
"We like what he brings, he's a really good runner. We're excited about what he could turn into."
Southport tall Brayden Crossley and Werribee midfielder Dom Brew both featured against Essendon as Friday's SSP signing deadline nears, with the former positioned as the No.1 ruckman for the Dogs as he looks to be elected as a depth piece for All-Australian Tim English, who was utilised in attack.
Brew balanced his afternoon between the AFL and VFL games and has "shown some really good things" in his summer stint with the club, with Lade liking what he saw from both train-on players on Saturday.
"It was good," Lade said of the hitout from the SSP prospects.
"It's hard to judge Brayden on coming in for us in his second game. He's been doing a VFL pre-season as well, not an AFL one. It'll take some time for him to get that fitness right up to where he wants it to be.
"Dom was out there in the second half and he's been pretty good. He's shown some really good things and been tough when he's needed to be.
"[The list spot call) is not my decision, that'll be the club's decision."
Forward pair Cody Weightman and Aaron Naughton were kept to limited game time as they look to build their workloads following pre-season niggles.
The pair are likely to suit up in larger roles when the Dogs face Hawthorn in Tasmania later this month for the Community Series, while senior trio Marcus Bontempelli, Tom Liberatore and Bailey Dale are also expected to feature after missing the Bombers match.
The Dogs are hoping to have a primed list ready for a Round 1 bout with North Melbourne, with Lade offering the latest on Weightman and Naughton's chances.
"A quarter and a bit maybe (for Weightman), 'Naughty' was just over a half. They went off-site and did a bit more training, so perfect for them," he said.
"They're just building into their fitness now and building into the season. That's exciting for us, to get them back out there.
"They'll keep building over the next few weeks and hopefully by Round 1 they'll (be playing) full games."
In Liam Jones' absence, James O'Donnell and Buku Khamis looked to be handed the keys to feature alongside Rory Lobb in Beveridge's rearguard, with youngster Jedd Busslinger a later feature for the Dogs while getting VFL minutes under his belt.
Lade stated the defensive selection decision-making will be a "horses for courses" situation heading into the start of the season as Jones continues to recover from a serious hamstring strain.
The Dogs are set to welcome young forward Jamarra Ugle-Hagan back from his stint away from the club's program for personal reasons.
Ugle-Hagan, who has spent the past few days in Western Australia with the Indigenous All Stars squad, is set to be back training on Monday.
"It's good to see he's happy over in Perth with all of the Indigenous boys," Lade said.
"He sounds excited to come back to training on Monday. We look forward to him being here and adding to our squad.
"Hopefully he comes in and gets to do a session with the boys and gets back into our program."
The Dogs' Community Series clash with Hawthorn is scheduled for Tuesday, February 27 at UTAS Stadium.
