Jake Carlisle and Joe Daniher will be the likely key posts for the Bombers following Michael Hurley’s move into the defensive half.
Daniher arrived at Essendon in 2012 as a father-son selection. With huge wraps, he appears ready to make his mark in his second season. He showed glimpses of his potential in Round 21 last season against the Roos. Despite kicking just four behinds, Daniher caused Luke Delaney all sorts of trouble on the lead.
This clip below illustrates Daniher’s attributes. Once his arms are outstretched on the run, it’s tough for any defender to spoil him.
Now with more weight on his once lanky frame, Daniher will double as the Bombers’ second ruckman.
Finding a matchup is tricky when his time in the ruck is taken into account. At 201cm, he has an edge in height over all of North’s key defenders.
There’s also the likelihood that whoever starts on him, will most likely have to battle against Patrick Ryder when he rests forward.
While Lachlan Hansen’s marking ability throws him up as a possibility, it was evident late in 2013, that the coaching staff prefers the soon-to-be 100-gamer to work on the opponent’s third tall and cut in front of packs to take his trademark intercept grabs.
Once the Daniher dilemma is decided, Carlisle is another who has the potential to cause North’s defence some trouble.
Much like Daniher, Carlisle’s marking ability is his most impressive feature. While he has spent most of his career as a defender, he has been swung forward with results.
Against Carlton in Round 11 last season, Carlisle had 23 disposals, 13 marks and kicked a crucial goal late to help propel the Bombers to victory.
Carlisle has shown more than Daniher at this stage is in the body-on-body contests. This stems from both his time as a defender and the extra time in the system.
A prime example of what he can do is shown in the game against Carlton. In a pure one-on-one contest, Carlisle outbodies Lachlan Henderson and still takes the mark with one hand.
It makes him arguably a tougher matchup than Daniher at the respective stages of their careers. Luckily North’s key defenders can acquit themselves well both on the run and in the contest, leaving the coaching staff with multiple options.
As mentioned above, Hansen looms as the wildcard from a defensive point of view. The marking ability of Daniher and Carlisle could very well be negated if Hansen turns in a game fitting of his milestone.
Either way, the battle in the Essendon forward line will be an intriguing tactical showcase almost worthy of the price of admission itself.
