Essendon's Nic Martin has asserted himself as one of the most versatile and dependable players in the AFL after his move to half-back.
The 22-year-old ran amok in the Bombers' gritty four-point win over St Kilda on Saturday, racking up 44 possessions - an equal club record.
"I wish I knew that, I would have got one more (disposal)," Martin joked to AAP when informed he had matched teammate Darcy Parish's record.
"(It's) one of the better wins I've had in my short career with the Bombers and I'll remember that one for a long time."
After a stunning five-goal, 27-possession AFL debut against Geelong in round one, 2022, Martin has been Essendon's Mr Fix-It.
The West Australian, who was overlooked by struggling West Coast before getting a chance at Essendon, has played on a wing, moved through the midfield, and been able to push forward and kick goals.
But Bombers coach Brad Scott decided during the pre-season Martin could have an impact off half-back.
The move has already paid dividends, with Martin, Mason Redman and Andrew McGrath providing run and ball use out of Essendon's defensive 50.
"We've got a lot of dangerous half-backers that can use the ball, and tonight was my night," Martin said.
"Next week it might be Mase (Redman), or it might be Andy (McGrath).
"The synergy and connection we're building is great."
Martin says he is "pretty open" to playing anywhere the Bombers need him and has no deep ambition to lock down a certain position.
"I think one of the strengths is my versatility and my ability to go between positions," he said.
"My contact with Brad is have an open mind.
"So one week it might be the wing, one week it might be half-back, but Brad's got full confidence in me, and that gives me confidence as a player."
Martin played down any talk that St Kilda made a mistake by not sending someone to clamp down on him.
Saints coach Ross Lyon did give consideration to putting a tagger on Martin after he registered 28 possessions in the first half.
"(St Kilda assistant coach) Robert Harvey was really good, he said 'do we lock him (Martin) down at halftime?'," Lyon said.
"I said 'why don't we fix our ball use and do a couple of things before we look to lock someone down?'.
"So as much as he was getting it, I was like 'hmm, is he really?' They weren't putting us to the sword off turnover.
"We just asked for a bit more composure on entry."
