Jake Stringer (middle) is embraced by Jade Gresham (left) and Jye Caldwell after kicking the match-winning goal against St Kilda on Saturday. PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES.

It has been a confusing first three weeks of the 2024 season for Essendon to say the least.

The fact the Bombers’ best performance so far was probably in their only loss to date against premiership contender Sydney in Round 2 says it all.

Either side of that brave performance at the SCG, Essendon has served up some, at times, utterly horrendous football against Hawthorn and St Kilda, yet somehow emerged with the four points on both occasions.

The Bombers’ matches against the Hawks and Saints followed extremely similar scripts.

In both games, Essendon’s opposition dominated large portions of the match, and should have had the game won by three-quarter time, but poor goalkicking kept the Bombers alive.

As they did against the Swans, the Bombers struggled to defend transition, allowing Hawthorn and St Kilda to march the ball from one end of the ground to the other under minimal pressure on multiple occasions.

But while the Hawks and Saints failed to land the killer blow on the scoreboard – at one stage they were 8.14 (62) and 8.12 (60) respectively – the Bombers had no such issues, finishing with winning scores of 17.5 (107) and 10.11 (71).

And when you include their tally of 15.11 (101) against the Swans, Essendon has definitely brought its kicking boots in the early stages of the season. The Bombers’ overall score of 42.27 has yielded a very tidy accuracy rate of 61 per cent.

Jake Stringer (10 goals) and Kyle Langford (eight) are proving to be a handful already up forward and young Harrison Jones produced a timely reminder of how good he can be against the Saints, taking his opportunity as a late inclusion to play his best game in three years with 10 marks and two majors.

However, if only the Bombers’ foot skills in front of goal could be translated to general play. If that were the case, they’d be sitting amongst the pacesetters with a 3-0 record and being spoken of as a top-four threat.

Yet Essendon’s first and third matches of the season were marred by some absolutely terrible skill errors which would’ve been punished severely by sides in the premiership mix.

Easy dropped marks, the inability to hit targets from 15m away and costly defensive turnovers are just some of the concerning themes which have permeated the Bombers’ performances.

Indeed, it could be argued that Essendon’s two wins, especially its get-out-of-jail effort against the Saints, papered over many cracks.

PLEASE HELP US CONTINUE TO THRIVE BY BECOMING AN OFFICIAL FOOTYOLOGY PATRON. JUST CLICK THIS LINK.

But it’s not all doom and gloom for the Bombers. The clear highlights of the season so far have been their gutsy final quarters against the Hawks and Saints. With the game in the balance on both occasions, Brad Scott’s men took the initiative and ran over the top of their opposition.

While things might not have gone their way for large parts of those games, the Bombers hung in there and, unlike seasons gone by, refused to throw in the towel. They showed considerable amounts of grit and determination late, which is very commendable.

And the other big tick so far in 2024, besides their goalkicking and their resolve, is their outstanding work at stoppages.

Led by the likes of captain Zach Merrett, Will Setterfield and Arche Perkins, Essendon thumped Hawthorn (40-31) and Sydney (43-33) in clearances and, after trailing St Kilda in that stat 15-21 at half-time, turned things around dramatically in the second half 22-11 to win the category again 37-32.

The Swans game was a very positive outing for the Bombers and although they ended up losing by five goals, the fact that they charged at Sydney on its home ground to trail by only 11 points just prior to time on in the final term once again displayed that, like the first 17 rounds last year, they’re never truly out of the contest.

Merrett was sensational on that occasion, as he has been in each of his games this year, and looks on track for a fourth All-Australian jumper at this rate.

Nic Martin, Andrew McGrath, Setterfield, Perkins and Dyson Heppell have shown good form in midfield/defence as well and new recruits Xavier Duursma, Jade Gresham, Ben McKay and Todd Goldstein have had their moments too as they continue to find their groove.

Since Essendon’s deflating finish to 2023, when it crashed from fifth spot on the ladder in Round 17 to 11th at the conclusion of the season, it’s fair to say the footy world remains none the wiser as to whether it has actually taken any meaningful strides.

It goes without saying that you’d rather be playing below par with a 2-1 record than battling away 0-3, but the Bombers’ 2024 grace period is about to come to an abrupt end. With games against Port Adelaide (away), the Western Bulldogs, Adelaide (away) and Collingwood coming up, Essendon needs to iron out the chinks, and do so quick smart.

If the fundamental issues that are afflicting the Bombers’ play aren’t alleviated expeditiously, then they run the risk of being 2-5 and fighting to keep their season alive only a third of the way through as they attempt to avoid a third-straight year without finals for the first time since 2008.