DESPITE admitting he didn't deserve a senior game during his time with Essendon, Adelaide's Josh Jenkins says he has a point to prove on Sunday when he lines up against his old club.

Jenkins said he "came from nowhere" to be taken by the Bombers with pick No. 12 at the 2011 NAB AFL Rookie Draft, spending the season playing for their VFL affiliate Bendigo.

Stuck down the ruck pecking order behind David Hille, Tom Bellchambers and Patrick Ryder, he faced a near-impossible mission to force his way into the senior line up.

But since joining the Crows, Jenkins has rewarded coach Brenton Sanderson for spotting him when he booted five goals against Geelong's VFL side.
 
"There will be a lot of Essendon people watching the game, their coaching staff ... it would be nice to play well and just sort of show them that I could play," Jenkins said.

"There might be a few people at Essendon that doubted whether I could make it.

"While coming from nowhere to get rookie listed, I was a little bit disappointed with how I played last year as a whole and didn't really show my abilities up forward as much as I'd have liked to."

The 23-year-old has certainly shown his attacking prowess when called upon this season; his highlights include a 20-possession, two-goal game against West Coast in round 17 and an unforgettable two-bounce running goal from 50 against Carlton in round eight.

Although he'll relish the chance to prove doubters wrong on Sunday, Jenkins conceded the Bombers had given him a lot.

Jenkins didn't blame his former club for his failure to debut and said he was a more mature player now; a quality helped in part by being on the outer at Essendon.

"I didn't really deserve the opportunities to be honest, the Bombers made the finals and they had to play their best side every week," he said.

"I guess I matured going from country footy to the Bombers and then it's just been another level again after seeing what it takes to get from week to week without playing.

"This year I've been able to use that maturity in myself and actually play some games."

With Sanderson at Adelaide and two-time premiership coach Mark Thompson at Essendon, the Geelong connection at both clubs has also helped.

Jenkins said the similarities between the sides was instantly apparent and enabled him to better direct his attention.

"Some of the philosophy that Brenton was trying to get across to the players (earlier in the year) I'd heard last year," he said.

"It does make it a little bit easier, because it is hard changing clubs and building relationships with players and coaches and it's good not to have as much to worry about in trying to learn a new game plan."

Harry Thring covers Adelaide news for AFL.com.au. Follow him on Twitter: @AFL_Harry.