Essendon VFL Coach Matthew Egan has paid tribute to the fans following the Bombers come form behind Elimination Final win on Saturday.

The Bombers kicked nine goals in the last quarter to run down Geelong and earn a spot in the semi final this Sunday.

“Last year the fans came out in the same force and it builds every week, I thought there was probably 80 per cent Essendon fans there on the weekend, it was amazing,” Egan said.

“Talking to the players after the game they said a few of them have never been on a field like that, it feels so intimate and every goal we kicked the fans were going crazy. It’s great for our young players to experience that sort of atmosphere.

“It was big but hopefully this week against the Bulldogs will be even bigger.”

The Bombers play Footscray for a spot in the Preliminary Final.

The Bulldogs finished in the top four, earning a double chance and will be looking to rebound from a 70-point loss to Casey.

“They are an excellent side the Doggies, they finished fourth for a reason,” Egan said.

“They use the ball and are coached really well. It will be a really tough game but hopefully we give it a good a crack.”

Looking back at Saturday’s come from behind win; Egan said he was proud of the way the Bombers fought to stay in the game.

“It was a great win, I thought the boys competed really well and obviously a good first quarter and a great last quarter but a bit scratchy in between,” he said.

“They jumped us in the second quarter and I thought we lost our way a little bit.

“We tidied a few things up at half time and the third quarter wasn’t our best quarter but we were still in the game.”

The Cats led by 16 points at the last change, but a goal from Nakia Cockatoo early in the final term extended that to 22 points.

“It showed how important Jacko’s (Jackson Merrett) goal was from the boundary line to get us back in the game,” Egan said.

“We didn’t try anything different, we moved a few players here and there but it was the players that dug deep. It was the player’s attitude - they didn’t give up.

“It’s always a good sign when you’re looking at the best at the end of the game and it’s really hard to identify who are the main players, there was such a big group this week.”

The Bombers will return to North Port Oval this Sunday to take on Footscray from 2.40pm. The match will be broadcast on Channel 7.