Whateley: It’s a full-blown rebuild at Essendon

Essendon is in rebuild.

I hadn’t fully appreciated the signs until Saturday at the MCG.

Jettison senior players, resist any thought of free agents, amass a cache of draft picks.

Debut the young talent, deploy the inexperienced prospects in the key on field roles.

It marries up with the three-year plan initiated by new list manager Matt Rosa in October.

It’s thesis - the talent deficit at the Bombers can only be addressed through the draft… and that’s a slow and painful process.

In the recent past Essendon tried to trade their way to success, then loaded up in what turned out to be a weakened Covid draft.

Those strategies have led here – a talent deficit, and the necessary rebuild.

The early picks are still toiling away but aren’t going to propel the club to the era of success desired.

So Brad Scott’s third year shapes as ground zero.

Zach Merrett will try his heart out.

We’ll debate the capacities of Ben McKay and Dylan Shiel.

But the week-to-week is secondary to developing the future.

The formative stages of Nate Caddy and Isaac Kako.

On Thursday night the Bombers will try to bounce back from its Round 2 shocker but it will do so with even more new faces.

Essendon is developing what it’s got and plotting how to use the high picks in the draft.

By any measure, it’s a full-blown rebuild.

And the toughest years have only just begun.