ESSENDON SSP hopeful Tom Edwards has produced the perfect audition, booting four goals in the second half to guide the Bombers to a 19-point practice match win over the Western Bulldogs.

He wasn't the only Bombers forward to impress, with first-round draftee Isaac Kako, Nate Caddy and Archie Perkins working well together in the first Essendon attack after Jake Stringer moved to Greater Western Sydney over the off-season. 

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Kako was incredibly lively across half-forward with a sharp set of hands, Caddy had a strong first half before being rotated off, while the Dons sealed their 11.11 (77) to 8.10 (58) win in four 30-minute quarters at a wet and windy Mission Whitten Oval.

Edwards, lining up in Jordan Ridley's No.14, only played in the second half, the 191cm Swan Districts product kicking two in each term, while fellow hopeful Kaine Baldwin featured down the other end of the field and marked well when the opportunity presented after half-time.

With former Sun Brayden Crossley auditioning for his own SSP spot with the Western Bulldogs, Tim English spent plenty of time in attack to allow his potential new ruck teammate as many minutes on the ball as possible.

Usually matched up against Nick Bryan, Crossley was a strong body in ruck battles, but was out-played by the more agile Bomber around the ground. The Dogs' other SSP candidate, midfielder Dom Brew, had a few nice moments in the second half.

The rain came in at quarter-time, with the "feels like" temperature hovering at nine degrees, providing perfect preparation for footy (in July, rather than March).

Rory Lobb – firmly ensconced in a key back role – was one of the Bulldogs' best in the first half, and was well supported by young defender Joel Freijah, who marked well and was a strong source of rebound.

Arty Jones was inserted after half-time and provided some pressure across half-forward for the Dogs, while Essendon key forward Peter Wright also appeared after the main break.

The Dogs rotated heavily, with most players only featuring for a half as they juggled their healthy list.

Young guns

Essendon ran with Elijah Tsatas and Ben Hobbs in the midfield for much of the game (alongside the ever-impressive Zach Merrett), with Tsatas producing an eye-catching performance playing a sweeping role off the back of the contest. They were up against Ryley Sanders, the young Dog playing plenty of time on the ball in the absence of Tom Liberatore and Marcus Bontempelli. Sam Darcy starred in the first quarter in the absence of Bomber Ben McKay (ankle) – his marking particularly noteworthy – but was rested in the second half. Caddy leapt well and booted a goal from 55m after the half-time siren, while Kako provided plenty of highlights.

Switching positions

It was a fairly conventional line-up from both sides. Dylan Shiel was solid without being spectacular in his new half-back role, but given how well Tsatas performed with full-time midfield minutes, appears to have been the right move. On the opposing flank, young Dog Harvey Gallagher also featured at half-back (Bailey Dale having been rested). Arty Jones pushed up onto the wing at times.

Injury watch

Both squads appeared to get through unscathed. The Dogs named a whopping 35 players to rotate through, with a handful (including Oskar Baker and Caleb Poulter) featuring in the first two quarters of the VFL practice game that immediately followed. Dogs assistant coach Brendon Lade said Liberatore, Bontempelli and Dale were likely to feature against Hawthorn after being rested. In the Bombers camp, Daniel Giansiracusa confirmed Jordan Ridley (hamstring), Ben McKay (ankle) and Sam Durham (soreness) trained earlier on Saturday and should be right to face Geelong on February 25.

Fantasy tempter

Slot in 23-year-old Sam Davidson (FWD, $230,000) on your Fantasy Classic bench. 2024's Fothergill-Round-Mitchell Medal winner patrolled the Bulldogs' wing and showed his athleticism by covering the ground, both deep in defence at times and pushing forward. Fantasy Draft coaches should remember Elijah Tsatas (MID, $600,000) during the later rounds on Draft day. The Bomber won plenty of the Sherrin as a regular at stoppages.

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WESTERN BULLDOGS     3.2    4.5     6.8     8.10    (58) 
ESSENDON                     1.1     6.5     8.7    11.11   (77)
 
GOALS
Western Bulldogs: West, Darcy, Richards, Naughton, Jones, Poulter, O'Donnell, Vandermeer
Essendon: Edwards 4, Perkins 2, Draper 2, Menzie, Kako, Caddy

WESTERN BULLDOGS

3. Cody Weightman, 5. Jedd Busslinger, 6. Cooper Hynes, 7. Rory Lobb, 8. Matthew Kennedy, 9. Ryley Sanders, 10. Sam Darcy, 12. Harvey Gallagher, 13. Oskar Baker, 14. Rhylee West, 15. Taylor Duryea, 16. Jordan Croft, 18. James O'Donnell, 20. Ed Richards, 22. James Harmes, 23. Laitham Vandermeer, 24. Buku Khamis, 25. Caleb Poulter, 26. Josh Dolan, 27. Joel Freijah, 29. Lachlan Bramble, 30. Lachlan McNeil, 32. Arthur Jones, 33. Aaron Naughton, 34. Bailey Williams, 35. Luke Kennedy, 36. Luke Cleary, 37. Dom Brew, 38. Riley Garcia, 41. Brayden Crossley, 42. Sam Davidson, 43. Ryan Gardner, 44. Tim English    

Notable absentees: Adam Treloar, Marcus Bontempelli, Tom Liberatore, Bailey Dale, Liam Jones, Jason Johannisen, Jamarra Ugle-Hagan, Nick Coffield

ESSENDON

1. Andrew McGrath, 2. Sam Draper, 4. Kyle Langford, 5. Elijah Tsatas, 6. Jye Caldwell, 7. Zach Merrett, 8. Ben Hobbs, 9. Dylan Shiel, 10. Isaac Kako, 12. Will Setterfield, 14. Tom Edwards, 16. Archie Perkins, 18. Lewis Hayes, 20. Peter Wright, 21. Archie Roberts, 23. Harrison Jones, 24. Nick Bryan, 25. Jaxon Prior, 26. Kaine Baldwin, 27. Mason Redman, 28. Xavier Duursma, 29. Jye Menzie, 30. Nate Caddy, 31. Zach Reid, 36. Angus Clarke, 37. Nic Martin, 38. Rhys Unwin, 41. Saad El-Hawli

Notable absentees: Darcy Parish, Ben McKay, Jordan Ridley, Sam Durham, Jade Gresham, Matt Guelfi, Nik Cox, Jayden Laverde, Todd Goldstein