WHEN David Hille left from the ground midway through the first quarter with what came to be a match-ending calf strain, all of Essendon's rucking responsibility was left to Patrick Ryder. And he excelled with it.
 
Ryder was crucial to Essendon's 25-point win over Port Adelaide on Saturday at Etihad Stadium, shouldering the ruck duties against the Power's Jarrad Redden after Hille's injury.
 
The 24-year-old had 46 hit-outs, 13 disposals and laid six tackles, and gave the Bombers an ascendancy at the stoppages.
 
This is Ryder's seventh season at Essendon after he made his debut in 2006, and after tantalising glimpses of his talent through those seasons, Bombers coach James Hird said Ryder was maturing into the player the club wants him to be.
 
"We said to Paddy at quarter-time, 'mate, you're it and we'll give you a spell for Jake Carlisle for four or five minutes, but you're it' and he just embraced it," Hird said.
 
"He's just really relishing the fact that he's in the ruck and spending a lot of time there. We're seeing the player that we've all wanted to see.
 
"Paddy Ryder is a terrific player and will only get better and it was great to see him dominate as he did."

Essendon's ruck situation has been the subject of much debate in the past year, with Ryder, Hille and Tom Bellchambers all impressing as ruck options.
 
But that, in a nutshell, is the ruck quandary facing Hird: each of the three warrant - and seemingly want - the role as the first-choice ruckman, but only one can have it.
 
Hird said Ryder's versatility was a huge asset to the Essendon list.  
 
"There's no doubt when he's in the ruck on his own he's an exceptional player and when he's in the forward line on his own he's an exceptional player," he said.
 
"We're very lucky to have him."
 
Hille's injury soured Essendon's win over the Power, with the big man set to miss three weeks with the strain.

Defender David Myers pulled his hamstring in the last quarter and is also likely to miss at least three weeks, as is Nathan Lovett-Murray, who played out the second half with his hamstring strain.

Callum Twomey is a reporter for AFL Media. Follow him on Twitter at @AFL_CalTwomey.

The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily of the AFL or the clubs