Essendon aren’t shying away from the opportunity in front of them.

Responding to a lean spell of form, last week’s gutsy one-point win over top four contender Fremantle has opened the door for an exciting run home to finish one of the tightest home-and-away campaigns in recent memory.

Not a single team in the competition has locked away a finals position with three rounds to play, meaning the Bombers have found themselves among a cluster of teams chomping at the bit to continue their season into September.

With Essendon’s tests coming in the form of a capable Gold Coast outfit and two proven finals performers in Sydney and Brisbane, Senior Coach Brad Scott is keen for his group to embrace the pressure, irrespective of the finals equation.

“There’s no bigger test than the three games we’ve got coming up,” Scott said.

“That’s an exciting position for us to be in and we’ve got to have the mentality that we’re going to go out and attack it, we’re going to go out and take it on.

“I speak for all the players and coaches, we’re really excited about what lays ahead for us. It’s never been about ladder position, it’s been about playing a style of footy that’s capable of competing against the best teams when it really matters over a consistent period of time.”

Typically process-driven, Scott took the same mentality away from last week’s thrilling finish against the Dockers.

Having issued the challenge for his players to lift their effort and intent in the wake of a disappointing slump against the Saints a week prior, the Dons dug deep to overturn a 25-point deficit in the final term and stay in the hunt.

Handling the pressure of a dramatic final minute of play to secure the one-point win, Scott was impressed with the fortitude of the players more so than the result.

“I would’ve been (proud) regardless of outcome,” Scott said.

“It’s a matter of inches in wins and losses, but the effort, fight and intent was there, it was really evident right until the end. That was really pleasing and good to get reward for that effort with the result obviously, but I thought the fight was the most pleasing thing.

“The mentality bit is hard to measure, but we certainly played the last half in particular, even though the third quarter got away from us, that we were able to respond and not play hopeful footy.”

The Bombers got an energetic kick out of debutant Archie Roberts and ruck Nick Bryan in the win, highlighting the squad’s ability to compete even with different looks and a tweaked line-up.

That emphasis on flexibility will continue into the final rounds for Scott, who’s remaining steadfast in his selection mentality.

“As we have all year, we’ll pick what we think right now is the best team,” Scott said.

“We have a list profile that enables us to do that, we’ve got a good mix of experienced players and some good young talent coming through. The pleasing thing for us is some of the young talent coming through have been picked on form, not to give them an opportunity.

“We thought Archie had a terrific debut and played the way we thought he would based on all the evidence he’s put before us. It was no doubt exciting to bring some young players in and have all three of them (Bryan and Alwyn Davey Jnr) play their part.

In a season filled with ebbs and flows, keeping a semblance of consistency will prove critical in the run home not just for the Bombers, but across the competition broadly.

“You’ve got to stack up evidence over time, you can’t have (just) one good performance,” Scott said.

“The challenge is, can you be at your best for long enough, and that’s not just within game, that’s from game to game.”