Essendon's impressive run to start the season will be supported deep into the year as the Bombers look to rely on in-form reinforcement when needed.
Senior coach Brad Scott will be forced into at least one change for next weekend's trip to South Australia to face the Demons, with former Melbourne forward Sam Weideman likely to miss the match after suffering a head knock in Sunday's win over GWS.
Weideman was one of two Bombers hindered in the victory, with rookie Alwyn Davey suffering a stinger to his right shoulder before being cleared fit to play out the match and remain in the side for next week.
Already without tall forward Peter Wright for the coming rounds, the loss of Weideman may open the door for a debutant come Gather Round, with the in-form Patrick Voss knocking on the selection door following a strong start to his season at VFL level.
The teenager booted his 10th goal for the year in Essendon's win over the Northern Bullants, backing up hauls of five goals and four goals in recent weeks in a role that saw him share the ruck duties in the reserves.
While Voss' form has caught the eye of the selection committee, Scott has stood firm in not wanting to rush the former GWS Academy member into the senior side despite Weideman's expected absence.
The Bombers coach confirmed Voss will be in the mix for selection, but a debut in Round 5 may not come to fruition.
"I think he had another five shots at goal today, kicked one. He'll be in calculations," Scott said.
"Vossy is doing things really, really well and the trajectory he's on is a good one. But ideally, we want to bring him in when we feel like he can fit into our side and stay there.
"Right at the moment he's just for a couple of little things that we want to work through, but he's doing all the right things and he's just got to keep holding up his end of the bargain and be ready when he's opportunity comes, because we really want him to take it."
Voss isn't alone in throwing his name into the selection discussion, with Ben Hobbs, Massimo D'Ambrosio, Nick Hind and Will Snelling all finding strong form to start 2023.
D'Ambrosio was a surprise omission from Scott's Round 4 plans after the defender's 27-disposal outing against St Kilda last week, while fellow backman Hind also made way after taking on the sub role in Round 3.
Both Hind and Hobbs combined for 78 possessions in the Bombers reserves' season opener, but an ankle injury at training sidelined the latter for a week. Hobbs showed no signs of slowing down this weekend however, amassing a game-high 27 possessions against the Bullants.
The Dons also welcomed Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti back to action after he was sidelined with soreness from Round 1, with the recently returned small forward yet to play a full match since the pre-season.
Scott said the Essendon livewire is in the mix to make the trip to SA, along with the likes of Hobbs, Hind, D'Ambrosio and Snelling to create plenty of pressure from underneath at Tullamarine.
"Hobbsy had a really frustrating ankle injury at training which cost him a week," Scott said.
"He's been in really good touch and really pushing hard for selection. Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti played today. Nick Hind and Massimo were very unlucky to miss out and by all reports both played very well in the VFL.
"We've got probably a few more injuries than we'd like, but it's pleasing that we've got some guys that are worthy of selection that are not in our team at the moment."
Scott said the host of fringe players are understanding of the situation come selection, particularly D'Ambrosio, who was dropped after a career-best performance in Round 3.
The Bombers coach stated fans will get a glimpse of a wide range of players throughout this year as the club looks to experiment with some flexibility.
"We'll pick the team based on what we think is going to give us the best opportunity week to week," Scott said.
"(Advice has been to) just to stay optimistic and stay focused on what (Massimo) can control and I know his attitude has been sensational.
"We're still feeling our way as a coaching group and what's the best look for us. We throw (Kyle) Langford around here, there and everywhere and eventually we'll get a little bit more settled.
"This year, particularly, we want to have a look at a whole lot of players, and the pleasing thing is that Hind and Mass are performing really well. Will Snelling is in that category too.
"Will had another 25, not that everything is about possessions, but had the ball 25 times, kicked two goals and has been an emergency every week. That's a really hard role to play.
"I just have to invest some time with those guys. They don't have to agree with the decision, but they need to understand it."
Essendon sit in the top four of the ladder after their 13-point win over GWS, with Gather Round scheduled to gave them face another 3-1 side in Melbourne.
The Bombers and Demons will clash at Adelaide Oval next Saturday at 3:40pm local time.
