It has been Essendon’s young guns who have really stood out in the past two victories and they will be heavily relied upon again this week with the Bombers fronting up to the match with big name exclusions – most significantly Matthew Lloyd, Dustin Fletcher and Adam McPhee.

Essendon’s rising stars will be looking to make the most of the opportunity though, and are eager to put their stamp on the match while proving their worth to Matthew Knights.

The Bombers’ free-flowing movement out of defence and their ability to link up effectively by hand really set the team apart last week, and they will need to capitalise on this in Friday night’s match if they are to seize the game. And, with Courtenay Dempsey and Jay Nash set to return to the Essenodn backline this week, exciting times lie ahead.

The Saints, despite encountering injuries to key players last week with Justin Koschitzke, Fraser Gehrig and Max Hudghton set to miss, also tout key inclusions with co-captains Nick Riewoldt and Lenny Hayes, Matt Maguire, Luke Ball and Robert Harvey a chance to play this week. Their experience will be a good test for the young Bomber line-up.

There are a few potential candidates who could secure the unenviable task of managing Nick Riewolt’s influence. Patrick Ryder is the obvious choice but the duties may be shared between two of the Essendon defenders.

At the other end of the ground, Scott Lucas has the potential to inflict some damage again this week after an impressive individual effort last week in which he personally added five goals – two of which were supergoals – to the Bombers’ side of the scorers list. He will also have the assistance of goalsneaks Alwyn Davey and Andrew Welsh – who looks well cemented up forward.