Team: ESSENDON

Ins: Jake Melksham (Calder Cannons), Jake Carlisle (Calder Cannons), Travis Colyer (Claremont), Anthony Long (Calder Cannons), Kyle Hardingham (East Fremantle), Mark Williams (Hawthorn). Rookies - Taite Silverlock (West Adelaide), Ben Howlett (Peel Thunder), Stewart Crameri (Bendigo Bombers), Marcus Marigliani (Frankston), John Williams (Essendon)

Outs: Scott Lucas (retired), Matthew Lloyd (retired), Hayden Skipworth (retired), Bryce Carroll (delisted), Thomas German (delisted), Kade Klemke (delisted), Rhys Magin (delisted), Adam McPhee (Fremantle), Andrew Lovett (St Kilda), Jay Nash (Port Adelaide)

Draw: Essendon has been dealt one of the toughest fixtures of any team this season. It must face all of last year's top-four teams twice as well as expected improvers Hawthorn and West Coast. On the plus side, the Bombers only have to leave Victoria's borders on three occasions and its final eight matches will be played in Melbourne, ensuring they will have an extremely settled preparation if they happen to pinch an unlikely September appearance.

Strengths: Big men and pace. Essendon now boasts one of the most exciting stockpiles of talls in the competition. Paddy Ryder, Michael Hurley, Tayte Pears and Cale Hooker all displayed their immense talents last year and, given none of them are older than 22, suggested the Bombers' spine could be one of the league's most potent in a few seasons' time. The return of 2008 best-and-fairest David Hille rounds off that department nicely. And it might have lost Lovett, but the likes of Alwyn Davey, Jason Winderlich, Ricky Dyson and Courtenay Dempsey ensure that pace won't be a problem for Essendon in 2010.

Weaknesses: Experience and attack. With the departures of Lloyd, Lucas, McPhee and Lovett in the off-season, the Bombers lost a whopping 795 games of experience. The clear-out means that, of last year's finalists, only Carlton has a younger list than Essendon this season. The retirements of Lloyd and Lucas have subsequently left gaping holes in attack and will increase the pressure on young injury-prone key forwards Jay Neagle and Scott Gumbleton to stand up and contribute on a consistent basis. Ryder, Hurley and Hille will undoubtedly be used to ease the load on those two up forward. Former Hawk Williams will also add much-needed experience in attack.

X-Factor: He may only have 10 games to his credit, but Hurley is already the real deal. At just 19 years of age, the versatile big man is the Bombers' joker in the pack. He demonstrated last year in his debut season that he can play at either end of the ground with aplomb and looms as Essendon's 'Mr. Fix-It' this year with many a hole expected to require plugging in the developing forward and back lines. If he can overcome his club-imposed three-match ban and the distraction of an adjourned court case, don't be surprised to see him named this year's Rising Star in September.

Best 22:
B: Welsh, Pears, H.Slattery
HB: Hooker, Fletcher, Dempsey
C: Dyson, Watson, Winderlich
HF: Monfries, Hurley, Reimers
F: Hille, Neagle, M.Williams
R: Ryder, McVeigh, Stanton
IC: Laycock, Prismall, Lonergan, Davey

After Round 22: 11th. After making the finals last year for the first time since 2004, the inexperienced Bombers will be up against it to repeat that feat this year. Ten of their matches are against Geelong, St Kilda, the Bulldogs, Collingwood and Hawthorn. It would be lucky to win four of those, meaning eight or nine wins will have to come from its other 12 games - of which three are interstate, and the Bombers' recent record away from Melbourne is anything but flash.