“We lost (Matthew) Lloyd, (Dustin) Fletcher before the game and then (Mark) Bolton with a hamstring against Port Adelaide last year. We actually played very well in that match,” he said. “It has been a lot of hard work to get here. We will play pretty well – we feel the trip has been well planned and it will give us every opportunity.
“We will play well. We are playing in a night game so the heat won’t affect us. We have been training on the heavy tracks back home so we really couldn’t ask for better conditions than those we will get this week.
Perth is at fever pitch with both local sides participating in this years finals. The Dockers had a closed training session this afternoon following the session earlier in the week that attracted about 6000 people.
“I watched the vision that has come in from Perth. They had a lot of people at training and they are very excited and rightfully so. It has been a journey for them to get into a finals’ series. But they have some brilliant young players and a couple of smart senior players like Peter Bell and Troy Simmonds. We have to make sure we play at our best and if we do I think we have a chance of winning” Sheedy said.
“I would think a lot of West Coast fans would be barracking for us after what happened last week. It would be the same back home – I don’t think Carlton or Collingwood fans would ever barrack for Essendon.”
And on the Dockers’ closed session. “We can’t lock our sessions up, we don’t have grandstands as big as those the Dockers have got. They are a mile ahead of Essendon already,” Sheedy quipped. He also made light of this week’s verbal jousting with Dockers’ coach Chris Connolly. “It won’t matter when the ball is bounced,’ he said.
Essendon veteran Mark Mercuri didn’t make the trip to Perth, omitted from the Essendon team for the third time this season. “I would hope he would be (disappointed). He was told in front of the team. He hasn’t been playing well enough. Other things happen in people’s lives. He will be back there training with the squad, hopefully preparing for another game,” Sheedy said.
Sheedy said he wasn’t sure what impact the Bombers’ finals’ experience would have on the game. “You never know. Most of players have been there and know what is about. As a coach we got there a couple of times early in my career and it was a lot different to what I had thought it would be like” he said.
“The first quarter is obviously important. There will always be some crucial times in games. In others finals we have ended up with players in hospital or hitting the post at crucial times. You just have these moments.”
