Essendon took on West Coast in the second game the Eagles ever played, back in 1987 at Windy Hill. It was a thriller resulting in a five-point win to the Bombers, and perhaps setting a tone.

Because for the last 30-odd years now, these two teams have served up more than their share of classics, the pendulum swinging this way then that, the scoreline now 29-23 in Essendon’s favour.

There’s no reason to think this meeting won’t prove just as good, either.

Yes, it’s in West Coast’s backyard this time, but that is a venue on which the Bombers stole a memorable victory last outing. And yes, the Eagles may be fifth on the ladder and the Dons 10th, but it’s Essendon with two good wins under its belt and at 6-6 back on an even keel, and the Eagles who are coming off a heavy defeat.

With some tough games to come, another victory here could really set up the Bombers for a serious assault on a finals spot. And here’s the questions which need to be answered along the way to, hopefully, a win.

1. It’s been a short turnaround from last week. How big an impact will that have on the result?

It certainly puts a greater premium on the preparation with three factors to consider, not only a six-day break, but a road trip to Perth, the toughest assignment in the AFL, plus the fact that West Coast is coming off a bye.

That said, this latest six-day break follows a 12-day layoff with the bye, so fatigue shouldn’t be a factor. It’s consecutive six-day breaks which clubs are more anxious about when it comes to preparation. In fact, Essendon played Sydney in round eight after only a five-day break and lost by only a kick.

Historically, the Eagles have come up well after the mid-season week off, though that changed in a big way last year, when they lost three games in a row after a bye in round 12, the second of those defeats at the hands of the Bombers.

Essendon itself is 2-3 this season when it comes to short breaks, the wins against Melbourne and North Melbourne, the defeats at the hands of St Kilda, Collingwood and Sydney.

2. Dylan Clarke has been a revelation as a tagger. Who should his opponent be this week?

There’s several candidates for a heavy tag in the West Coast line-up, but clearly the most obvious one is Luke Shuey. The Norm Smith medallist is currently ranked third in average disposals for the Eagles (behind two other tagging possibilities, Andrew Gaff and Dom Sheed) but is still potentially the most damaging, still No.1 ranked Eagle for clearances, No.1 for inside 50s and the leading midfielder for metres gained.

His importance to West Coast was underlined effectively in its last-up loss to Sydney. The Swans’ No.1 tagger George Hewett went to Shuey, and while the Eagles star was still one of his side’s best, he was curbed enough for Sydney to take the midfield points.

Indeed, the Swans also used Dylan Clarke’s brother Ryan in another “stopping” job on Gaff. Importantly, both Hewett and Clarke were still able to win plenty of their own ball. That is something Dylan Clarke has managed very well so far, winning 23 disposals in each of his games opposed to Carlton star Patrick Cripps and Hawthorn’s Jaeger O’Meara. He’ll need to do that again, too, regardless of which Eagle he picks up.

3. Which Essendon key defenders take which West Coast key forwards?

This is an intriguing one, with some very critical duels of tall timber looming, the key Bomber backmen Cale Hooker and Michael Hurley both in outstanding form, and West Coast’s key forward pair Josh Kennedy and Jack Darling always posing a threat.

The Eagles have also returned youngster Oscar Allen to the 22, and he looms as the opponent for Patrick Ambrose, though it’s feasible Ambrose could be entrusted to Darling to enable Hurley to be freed up to generate more rebound for the Bombers.

It’s been some time since both divisions faced off against each other this well-armed, too. In last year’s clash, both Kennedy and Darling were out injured for West Coast, while in the previous clash in 2017, Hooker played forward, and neither Hooker nor Hurley were there in 2016.

There are several match-up possibilities, though for me Hurley playing further up the field on the mobile Darling (provided Ambrose isn’t assigned to him) would be a good starting point, with Hooker’s superior strength in the one-on-one marking duels making him the man for Kennedy.

4. Which side has fared better on the selection front this week?

You have to give Essendon the points marginally on this one. Though Jake Stringer is a significant loss, his replacement Mitch Brown is a quality inclusion.

Brown was pivotal to two early-season wins over Brisbane and North Melbourne, and his tremendous work rate up and down the ground really helped open up the forward line and make the entire group function more efficiently.


Mitch Brown was a strong performer in this corresponding game last year. (Photo: AFL Media)

West Coast has a couple of genuine stars returning to the line-up in skipper Shannon Hurn and Elliot Yeo, but the Eagles’ 'outs' are significant.

Willie Rioli has quickly become a key member of its line-up with his forward line pressure and considerable x-factor, and the loss of another player suspended, Nathan Vardy, doesn’t leave ruckman Tom Hickey with a lot of support.

West Coast has made six changes in total, four of them unforced, and a debutant in Jarrod Cameron selected. It’s a lot of change, with a risk attached of an unsettled side, and indicates how dissatisfied coach Adam Simpson is with the current form of his team.

5. How much confidence should the Bombers take from the result in the corresponding game last year?

Enough, without putting too much emphasis on it. In their second visit to the newly christened Optus Stadium and in arguably their best performance of 2018, the Bombers booted the first eight goals of the game, holding West Coast to a solitary goal come half-time and a final score of just 6.16.

The Dons won the clinches, emerging on top in both the clearances and contested-ball counts, and generated tremendous rebound off half-back. The Eagles, however, had much less firepower with which to work given the absence of Josh Kennedy and Jack Darling. And while that pair will be back for the Eagles this time, Essendon will be without its two leading goalkickers in that game, Jake Stringer and Devon Smith, who shared half-a-dozen goals between them.

But Optus Stadium has similar dimensions to the MCG, and with one win already from two visits there, and at a venue with a feel a lot more familiar than Subiaco ever offered, Essendon certainly shouldn’t feel intimidated.

You can read more of Rohan Connolly’s work at his FOOTYOLOGY website.