Pups' performances provide positives for Eade

THE PERFORMANCE of some of his younger players in Friday night's NAB Cup Bushfire Appeal match made the one-point loss to Essendon easier for coach Rodney Eade to bear.

An undermanned Dogs outfit was pipped at the post by the Bombers after coming from three goals behind in the fourth term; a point to Essendon utility Adam McPhee sealing the win with 18 seconds to play.

Eade said the efforts of Jarrad Grant, Easton Wood, Shaun Higgins and Jarrod Harbrow were decided positives to come from the result.

"There were some good parts and some not so good parts," he said after the game.

"It was typical of this early in the year. It was more about individuals rather than the team effort.

"With four of our best six forwards out, we thought we would struggle to kick some goals, but having said that, we created some opportunities and missed a few easy ones.

"There were a few senior players who didn't play well and there were kids who showed signs, so from that point of view it was pleasing."

Eade said it was not only good to see Grant leave behind a debut year ruined by injuries but also pre-match nerves to be one of the Dogs' focal points in attack.

"Jarrad displayed his talent and he can find the ball. He's just got to be able to finish off his work," he said.

"He kicked 1.4, so he certainly provided a target in a fairly inexperienced forward line.

"We were a bit worried about him before the game because we thought he had played the game four times in his head with the nerves he had.

"We just tried to calm him down a bit. That probably added to his anxiety, the fact that he hadn't played last year. He put a bit of stress on himself.

"He was just keen to get out there. It was good for him, he took a couple of very good marks and he's a very smart player."

The courageous performance of 19-year-old Wood also impressed the coach.

"He was a bit rough around the edges with his kicking but he's got good power and he takes them on," he said.

Eade recognised that the Bombers' slightly more experienced outfit was the difference in generating match-winning opportunities in the dying stages.

The Dogs could welcome the return of a host of players for their NAB Challenge match in two weeks' time, including Mitch Hahn, Scott Welsh, Tom Williams, Stephen Tiller, Ryan Griffen and Andrejs Everitt.

They escaped this match with no fresh injuries, and Eade confirmed that ruckman Ben Hudson's mid-match substitution was pre-planned.

He said he was satisfied with how the rushed behinds rule was interpreted after his earlier criticism of the trialled penalty.