Two goals and a high fly in the first quarter of Essendon's Anzac Day loss to Collingwood had the AFL world scrambling for more information on Bombers forward Archer Day-Wicks.
Those who know Day-Wicks were unsurprised to see him thrive in front of a packed MCG; he has consistently been a player who seizes his moments and performs when the pressure is at its highest.
For those around his local junior club, Sandhurst, Day-Wicks' big grab and goal was reminiscent of him doing likewise in a senior grand final as a 17-year-old in 2023.
The Dragons lost by a goal, but his major gave them a chance to win.
Likewise, playing at the Under-18s National Championships for Vic Country against Vic Metro at Marvel Stadium in 2024, he dobbed a shrewd crumbing goal which appeared to seal it for his side, before the opposition won via a free kick and 50-metre penalty.
“I'm a confident person,” Day-Wicks told Zero Hanger on Tuesday.
“I know I'm capable of it. I love the big stage but I'm just happy to do the hard stuff first and win the recognition of my teammates by doing the hard defensive stuff.”
While that quarter was a glimpse of the offensive firepower that convinced Essendon to take a punt on him in the 2024 rookie draft, it was the 20 pressure acts that was more symbolic of what he has brought to the Bombers this year.
Following that outing, coach Brad Scott said he would love two of Archer Day-Wicks, so important has his competitiveness been.
It was a strong endorsement from a coach of a side that has proven easy to score against, conceding more points than anyone except West Coast and having the highest one-on-one loss percentage of any club in the league – highlighting their defensive woes.
“That seems to be the hallmark of my game so far,” Day-Wicks said of his defensive actions.
“It's getting me games week in, week out and I think it's helping the team a lot, whether it's tackles, pressure acts, getting up and defending the short hit ups, it's a really important role.
“Although it might not seem like I'm getting a lot of the ball sometimes, it's the stuff we value so I'm loving that role.”
Both Day-Wicks' player agent, Brett Deledio from Macs Sports, and Bendigo Pioneers coach, Danny O'Bree, introduced mechanisms to streamline his defensive mindset in 2024.
Day-Wicks had frequent conversations with Deledio in 2024 centred around getting his hands dirty, with discussions at the time themed around his defensive actions.
O'Bree introduced a pressure gauge in that year which Day-Wicks bought into, allowing him to complement his long-proven offensive punch with defensive substance.
“He's so strong and physical and loves to compete but thought it was kicks and handballs that would get him drafted,” O'Bree told Zero Hanger.
“He went nuts with the pressure gauge and his defensive work went off the charts which the feedback from clubs indicated was critical to him getting drafted.”
Those around Day-Wicks have observed his maturity since arriving at the Hangar in late 2024 which presented itself with his approach to pre-season, enabling him to take a big step forward in this year.
A handful of games in the middle of last year gave Day-Wicks an understanding of the standard of AFL, but the youngster was aware it was the injury crisis, more than his irresistible form that earned him the opportunity.
While his offensive game and numbers dropped away when he returned to the VFL late in the season, it was an important period to up-skill him in the specific role he was playing and inform him about team structure, which has given him the platform to launch.
“I got the opportunity off the back of hard luck stories last year but it set me up for pre-season, I knew what I had to do. Come back in better shape, add speed, add power and I think I did that,” Day-Wicks said.
“Scotty (Brad Scott) always talks about touches not being forefront of his mind, he doesn't think about them or look at them, he values our actions and things we need to do well which is helping team defence and team offence, running patterns – you might run a pattern and not get used but you open a lane for someone else and you might score.
“They're the things we're showing in our dynamics clips on review on Monday and what gets rewarded.”
Day-Wicks signed a one-year contract extension last week and has established himself as a crucial member of the Bombers line-up.
While the Anzac Day game stands out for the magnitude of the occasion and handful of eye-popping highlights, he has consistently taken the game on with his decision-making and laser left foot when he gets the footy in his hands.
Yet for fellow youngster Sullivan Robey, like for Scott, it's what he does to facilitate others and dig in which has endeared him most.
“He's very competitive, he wants to win, he wants the best out of each other and himself and I think that drives the whole group when everyone is on that same page and on the same road,” Robey said.
“He's a fierce competitor.”
