Essendon coach Mark Thompson has challenged veteran forward Paul Chapman to prove he can be a star at a lesser club.
Thompson coached Geelong to the 2007 and 2009 AFL flags. Chapman added a third premiership to his CV in 2011 under new coach Chris Scott, before joining the Bombers in 2014.
In his first year as Essendon coach, Thompson has taken a punt on the 32-year-old Norm Smith Medallist Chapman who had 11 touches and was held goalless in last week's clash with Geelong.
Essendon (7-7 win-loss) go into round 16 this weekend one game out of the top eight and, on Saturday night, they face the fired-up Port Adelaide at Adelaide Oval.
Port (11-3) slipped from top spot following last week's loss to Adelaide.
"He hasn't hidden away from the fact he didn't have his best game," Thompson told reporters on Friday.
"Hopefully, we'll see a better game this week and I'm pretty sure we will.
"We're all a little bit worried but not overly worried.
"He knows he can get back. He's just got to get desperate.
"For a guy who's had a pretty consistent career at a good team, sometimes a team can camouflage performances.
"He has to just go out and learn a way to find the ball himself in a team that's not as consistently good as the one he played for."
Thompson has rested 39-year-old Dustin Fletcher for the Port clash, despite losing in-form defender Michael Hibberd because of an ankle injury.
"There's a couple of reasons. We're managing his loads and there's not a match-up," Thompson said.
"There is match-ups ... but we're setting up a little bit different this week.
"We've made him an emergency because there's a couple of guys in doubt and he'll play if needed."
Thompson denied key defender Michael Hurley was in doubt with a hamstring problem.
"It's news to me," the coach said.
Thompson said he wasn't bothered by tackling Port on the rebound from their Showdown loss last weekend.
"If they're upset, angry, bring them on at their best and see how we are. It doesn't worry me too much," he said.
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