Essendon interim coach Dean Solomon says he'll persist with Ben McKay in a forward/ruck role for the weeks ahead.
McKay has spent the majority of his career as a key defender but struggled under Brad Scott, including a stint in the VFL following poor form.
But Solomon, who has worked closely with the former Kangaroo, has seen traits that can be applied to the dual role and was given evidence against West Coast on Sunday.
"I've worked with Ben throughout the season as his defensive coach, and I've just seen traits that I liked that I thought he'd go forward and impact the game," Solomon said.
"I said that to him about seven weeks ago … and obviously, got the opportunity just to make some decisions around that and threw it up to the coaches. We discussed it, and we thought he had some reasonable impact.
"There's a bit to work there with, I reckon. He'll get better as the weeks go on. So we like what we saw. Right here, right now, absolutely, we'll stick with it."
McKay recorded the second-most clearances on the ground (six) behind teammate Sullivan Robey, while collecting 14 touches, three tackles, three marks, six hitouts and a goal in the loss.
Solomon also alluded to trying Zach Reid in the front half, and suggested the pair could switch in a bid to unveil some new tricks at the Bombers.
"Also, I'd like to see (Zach) Reid go forward at times," Solomon added.
"So, it might be Ben McKay and Reid swapping at times, depending on what the game's telling us.
"I'd like to have players have a little bit of flexibility as we sort of complete this year."
Bombers forward Archer May is under an injury cloud after dislocating his shoulder in the first term against the Eagles and didn't return to the field, adding further woes to the club's casualty list.
