Essendon coach Brad Scott lauds new players forced into early AFL action as injuries decimate his list

Nearly everyone on Essendon’s list has played in 2025 after a horror injury run, and after being torn apart by a former Bomber, the coach looked for the positives.

Essendon coach Brad Scott is adamant the Bombers will be a “no excuse club” as they limp to the end of the season and lauded the showing of his club’s four mid-season recruits in Thursday’s loss to GWS who are only playing because injuries have decimated his list.

Scott was also adamant he was “very pleased” for former Bomber Jake Stringer after he played a key role in taking down his old side who could have used the enigmatic forward in black and red.

Stringer was booed roundly at Marvel Stadium as he returned to haunt his old club with a pivotal performance that saw him register 18 disposals (11 contested), six marks, 314 metres gained, eight score involvements and three goals.

Jake Stringer starred against his old club. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images

But his bold showing didn’t move Scott to suggest he wanted Stinger back.

“Jake did what Jake does. He’s an impact player and I think when his team’s playing well he can finish as well as anyone,” Scott said.

“Despite what people might think … I’m very pleased for him. He wanted to prolong his career, we’re going a different direction, I see the result there as a win-win.”

That different direction has gone sideways this season and despite the injury horror show Brad Scott said one of the biggest positives to emerge for the Bombers were the club’s four mid-season recruits.

Liam McMahon became the final player from that crop to make his debut on Thursday, following on from Archer May, Lachie Blakiston and Oskar Smartt, and like the other three, he showed that he belongs on an AFL field.

After his team once again suffered from a bad case of the yips by starting with eight straight behinds, it was McMahon who stood up to nail Essendon’s first goal with a beautiful set shot late in the second quarter. He followed that up shortly after with another lovely goal from even further out.

“He’s got a lot of really good attributes, Liam – kicking is certainly one of them,” Scott said.

“He’s a beautiful kick, accurate kick, penetrating kick.

Liam McMahon kicked two goals. Picture: Morgan Hancock/Getty Images)

“We had a very strong suspicion that he’d find a way to hit the scoreboard because he has at every level he’s played at.”

May and Blakiston have provided a strong presence up forward and down back respectively since entering the line-up, while Smartt was also lively against the Giants in just his second game.

“A bit like Liam, he’s a really powerful kick,” Scott said.

“He’s a really likeable young man but he’s a powerful, aggressive player and we picked him in the mid-season draft … because he’s someone who loves the contest and loves competing and loves pressuring and I think he’s got a lot of attributes of some of the modern day mid forwards.

“He’s versatile, powerful, good runner, good kick, so the attributes are there.”

However, it wasn’t lost on Scott how hard it was to find synergy in a forward line that features so many new faces.

“When 50 per cent of your forward line were playing in the state league, and weren’t even on your list, six weeks ago, it’s a challenge to build connection,” Scott said.

“It’s a challenge to build connection with a young forward line over one or two pre-seasons – we’re trying to do it in a few weeks.”

Essendon coach Brad Scott has had to deal with a monumental injury crisis. Picture: Morgan Hancock/Getty Images

Essendon had 17 players unavailable on Thursday night, including half of their best 22, and the personnel crisis doesn’t look like it’s going to improve too much between now and the end of the season. But Scott was determined for his team to not dwell on that sizeable negative.

“We actually want to rise to the challenge and be a no-excuse football club,” he said.

“We’d like to have better availability, but we field 23 fit players every week and we give opportunity to guys who deserve it.

“There’s challenges within that but what we can demand is effort, intent and the way that we compete and that largely tonight was very good against a very good opposition.”

Originally published as Essendon coach Brad Scott lauds new players forced into early AFL action as injuries decimate his list