Essendon could get up to six first-choice players back following bye to stem run of four losses

Essendon has unleashed more debutants than any team in a decade in 2025, but after another loss, the injury list is set to shorten.

Essendon could get as many as six players back immediately after the bye but “balance” will drive coach Brad Scott’s decision despite the battling Bombers coping a 41-point hiding from Fremantle on Thursday night.

Scott unleashed another debutant, his team’s 11th amid an injury crisis, with teenage ruckman Vigo Visentini added to an outfit that has now lost four games in a row, including a 95-point mauling by Geelong.

But as Scott declared young Archie Perkins was “doubting himself” after a few questionable moments coming on as the sub for the second week in a row despite being one of the more senior players available to him, the coach stopped short of declaring he throw everyone available back in for the round 17 clash with Gold Coast.

“We might get some players back after the break,” Scott said.

“We’ll definitely get (Sam) Durham back, for example, from suspension, and there’s probably five or six others that will be close.

“But now we’ve got to balance, is it a risk to bring five or six back all at once? We’ll have to assess where they’re at.

Brad Scott has some decisions to make. Picture: Daniel Carson/AFL Photos via Getty Images

“Those players will have a really strong training session this weekend.

“They won’t have the same bye week that all the other players will have, so we’ve got two weeks really now to get them ready and then make an assessment as to whether we bring some back.”

Perkins, who now has 93 games under his belt, having been taken at pick 9 in the 2020 draft, had a couple of moments that he would rather have back against the Dockers, including missing an uncontested mark in attack because he took his eyes off the ball.

He managed just 10 possessions in the loss to the Dockers, following seven against Geelong and 11 against Carlton.

Scott said he thought it would come for the 23-year-old.

“I think that it’s always about reminding players what they’re really good at. And Perkins is a strong, powerful footballer who, at his best, is breaking through tackles and competing really strong,” he said.

Archie Perkins had a night to forget. Picture: Paul Kane/Getty Images

“Right at the moment, he’s doubting himself a little bit. And so my job is to remind him of what he’s really good at.

“Coach those things in terms of the technical aspect but then getting to the point where he’s in the frame of mind to get out and compete because he is a competitor.

“But he’s just making mistakes through hesitation at the moment.

“It’ll come for him. We’ve just got to persist.”

The Bombers had seven first-year players on the ground on Thursday night. One that impressed Scott was Visentini.

“We think there are some players that have come into our team that won’t go out regardless of who comes back,” he said.

“So that, by definition, should make us stronger.

“From what I saw tonight, it won’t be his (Visentini’s) last game of AFL footy, that’s for sure.

“I thought he rucked really well. I thought he competed really well.

Luke Jackson and first-gamer Vigo Visentini, who impressed his coach. Picture: Paul Kane/Getty Images

“He’s a 19-year-old playing his first game against a premiership player who was picked two or three in the draft. So, you know, there’s some big challenges in footy but probably not too many bigger than that.

“I like his competitiveness. He’s a great size, he’s a terrific athlete, and he’s got a huge opportunity to learn under one of the all-time great ruckman in Todd Goldstein.

“Knowing Goldie, like I do, Goldie’s dual objective will be to get himself ready to perform when he needs to play, but he’ll take a really-strong interest in getting Vigo up to speed as quickly as possible.”