Towering Essendon forward Shaun McKernan says the Bombers will take plenty of confidence out of its narrow loss to Collingwood on Friday ahead of the side’s upcoming finals campaign.

The Bombers had the Magpies on the back foot early with a sensational six-goals-to-three opening term before the game slowed down, with the Dons eventually falling by just 11 points to the top-four contender.

McKernan said the side should be proud of its effort with several stars on the sidelines against the in-form Pies.

“We just touched on it in the meeting. Obviously we are pretty happy to go with a team like Collingwood for so long knowing they’re potentially going to finish in the top four, it’s a good sign for us,” McKernan said after the loss.

“It’s still disappointing to lose, I’m sure we’ll take some good lessons away from that game.”

McKernan admitted losing star defender Michael Hurley to a shoulder injury just prior to half-time had a significant impact on the game, particularly following the late withdrawal of ill backman Cale Hooker.

In the absence of forward Jake Stringer, versatile Bomber Patrick Ambrose had looked dangerous as a goalkicking option on Friday before Hurley suffered his injury, forcing the team to reshuffle across the board.

“We had Paddy (Ambrose) playing up forward, so knowing that he could play down back we were able to swing him back and he was able to do a good job.

“Still, missing ‘Hurls’ in the second half is a massive blow and he’s a good leader, so hopefully his shoulder’s going to be okay in a couple of weeks.”

McKernan praised Collingwood for its ability to shut down the Bombers’ run that had proved so damaging early in the game, but he said the Dons will continue to improve on breaking away the opposition’s stranglehold.

“Credit to them, they did a pretty well to take away our ability to shift the ball off the line, forcing us to go long to the contest.

“That’s something we’ll work on and we’ve got to work harder at being able to create the way we want to play.”

McKernan was outstanding at the MCG on Friday, cutting an imposing figure as he repeatedly crashed the packs and raked in 12 marks (four contested).

He also added two goals – including a stunning bomb from long range – to his tally, and the humble Bomber said his only goal is to ensure he competes in every contest.

“I was just happy to compete, that’s the main thing I do every week; just try to compete and bring the ball to ground, and if I mark the ball that’s a bonus.

“That’s the thing I base my game on, just working to get to every contest I can.” 

But as good as McKernan was, the star of the show for the Bombers was Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti, who had the midas touch on the big stage.

McDonald-Tipungwuti gathered 18 disposals, 14 contested possessions, five tackles, five inside 50s, three clearances, two goals, 10 score involvements and 433 metres gained and McKernan couldn’t help but find the fun in playing beside the freakish Bomber.

“He’s just electrifying and exciting to play with,” McKernan said.

“Knowing that any time, either offensively or defensively, he’s within (striking distance of) the ball you know he’s going to get the ball or do a run-down tackle.

“It is pretty fun playing with him, because of the unknown of what he’s going to do when he gets the ball.”

Essendon will now turn its attention to its first final in a fortnight’s time and McKernan said Friday’s result will have the Bombers in the right mindset as they recover and prepare for the exciting campaign.

“We should be pretty happy with that, knowing they’re a quality team. We’re definitely ready to go and excited about what’s ahead.

“We’ve got the weekend off, so it’s a good chance just to rest up – obviously tonight was a pretty physical game.

“Next week we’ve got another couple of training sessions in, then we’ll rest up again and load up for the final.”