A busy off-season has Essendon preparing to make the leap into the top eight after flirting with the chance of playing finals football in 2023.
After falling out of the September race, the Bombers took to the free agency and trade space to improve their list ahead of Brad Scott's second campaign at The Hangar, adding Ben McKay, Jade Gresham, Todd Goldstein and Xavier Duursma while managing to keep their first-round selections for this year and next.
Trading into the top 10 of the draft saw them secure teenager Nate Caddy, who looms as a key piece in the Dons' puzzle moving forward, while some outside run was acquired on night two of the National Draft.
An altered backline, a stacked midfield group and an upside-high forward line will have Bombers fans calling for a top-eight return in 2024, with Scott's first year with the club putting them on the path to do so after treading water in the finals frame throughout this year.
While they soon sunk to 11th, the Bombers did climb four rungs compared to their prior campaign and in the wake of a frantic off-season of off-field change.
With plenty of promise in their current crop of on-field assets, here's how Essendon is likely to take shape in 2024.
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2. Midfielders
The Bombers have some new toys in their midfield pack, with wingman Xavier Duursma and utility Jade Gresham both likely to get a run through the middle in their first years in the red and black, while ruckman Todd Goldstein is also in the starting mix.
Essendon is brimming with midfield talent, having added Elijah Tsatas, Ben Hobbs and Archie Perkins to their ranks as early draft selections over the past three years, while Jye Caldwell, Dylan Shiel, Sam Durham and Nic Martin have also made moves to Tullamarine.
Their extensive depth options have played a supporting role for leading pair Darcy Parish and Zach Merrett, who are set to find greater competition for spots in 2024.
The addition of Duursma sees Scott's strong wing pairing of Martin and Durham grow, while tall utility Nik Cox and youngster Elijah Tsatas are also promising options to offer some run out wide.
Martin promises to eventually make the move into the centre after a strong first two seasons on the flank, while Perkins and Hobbs will be looking to do the same through forward rotations.
Gresham and livewire Jake Stringer will be tied to those magnet moves as viable forward-midfield hybrids.
Scott favoured a two-ruck system this year and is a strong chance to do the same in 2024 with the addition of Todd Goldstein. The retired Andrew Phillips featured in 20 games during his final season in the AFL, and the Bombers could lean on Goldstein as heavily given the injury battles to both Sam Draper and Nick Bryan.
The Bombers also added Vigo Visentini to their list through the Rookie Draft but are likely to hold the Sandringham product to VFL level to start his development.
