After 20 first half possessions Richmond's Brett Deledio is off the field with a calf injury.

Essendon's James Gwilt is also spending time on the bench with a knee injury.  His absence has seen Mitch Brown moved into defence.

Richmond got out to a 20 point lead midway through the term, but a Will Hams goal stemmed the momentum.  Hams is again playing across half forward.

Essendon's forward pressure has been a feature of the game.  Nearing three quarter time the Bombers have laid 14 tackles inside their attacking 50 compared to Richmond's four.

Zach Merrett (26), Brendon Goddard (22) and Darcy Parish (19) are the Dons major ball winners.

At three quarter time the Bombers trail by 12 points.