ESSENDON'S midfield met during the mid-season break and made a pledge to restore tough football into their game.

Just over a month later, Brent Stanton believes the club's midfield can take confidence from the fact it has become a hardened unit that can match it with some of the competition's best since.

"We wanted to set some objectives and try and get that contested ball back into our game," he said on Monday, two days after the Bombers dispatched the Magpies.

"It was pretty good early on in the year and then we went through a patch where it wasn't up to scratch.

"We thought if we concentrated on that and tried to win some clearances, everything else would take care of itself.

"Everyone is doing their job. Andrew Welsh is doing his job every week, Jobe Watson … all these sorts of guys are really starting to come into their own in the midfield. It's fantastic that we can all come together at once and come up against the good midfields in the competition and match them."

Stanton, 22, said the players haven't spoken about the fact the win over Collingwood puts the side just two games outside the top eight.

"We're just looking to win as many games as possible. There are a lot of sides ahead of us and with as many games as we win, it's going to be a fantastic first year for Matty Knights and also for the young guys who have had a chance to get in there and have a go at AFL football," he said.

"We've been struck down a little bit by injury this year and it's been exciting for the young guys who are getting a chance.

"Who knows what could have happened if all the senior guys were up and going?

"We're excited and you can see the youth and enthusiasm that all these players are bringing to the side and I think the older guys are really driving off that.

"It's just encouraging to start to see all these young guys play exciting footy, so finals haven't really been spoken about."

He also said the presence of Knights this year has boosted the players' football knowledge, and that they've finally begun to demonstrate his much talked about attacking game plan.

"He's really enthusiastic and willing to help everyone learn and teach them the basics of football," he said.

"All the guys are really starting to respond. We're a young side and we're just looking to develop and play an exciting brand of football."

Stanton said he was unsure if Andrew Lovett will return to the senior side this week after serving his two match in-house suspension for missing a training session.

"I went and watched him yesterday and he played a pretty good game," he said.

"It's up to the match committee whether he plays or not.

"We all backed what the leadership group says, and the rules they put in place with the coaching staff."