A disappointed but proud Cale Hooker has praised Essendon’s efforts in its heartbreaking four-point loss to Hawthorn at the MCG on Saturday.

The defeat has significantly damaged the side’s finals hopes, but it was certainly not for lack of trying and Hooker has declared the side won't give up on the season.

The Bombers kicked four of the last five goals to make a late lunge for victory, but fell agonisingly short in the see-sawing contest.

“Credit to Hawthorn, they probably outplayed us for most of the day,” Hooker said after the loss.

“We had our moments (and) it was great to see the boys fight it out towards the end, but at the same time pretty disappointing that we couldn’t find a way to get over the line at the end.”

Hooker was among Essendon’s best in the match, gathering 21 disposals, 13 marks and booting two goals including a crucial major in the dying stages of the match to put victory within reach.

While he admitted the Bombers were hopeful of a comeback victory, Hooker said the side just couldn’t generate enough inside-50s when it counted in the final minutes.

“It would have been nice if we could have just found a way at the end,” he said.

“We were hopeful we could just get a couple more forward-50 entries at the end there and try and find a way to snag the goal to get us over the line.

“We felt like we could do it, but we weren’t quite good enough today.”

The Bombers were hit with two late withdrawals before the match, with Matt Dea (concussion) and Matt Guelfi (illness) unable to take their place in the line-up.

Ben McNiece (13 disposals and seven one-percenters) and Travis Colyer (23 disposals and a goal) both grasped their opportunities well after the late call-up to the side, and Hooker said the team was confident the pair could slot in and play their respective roles.

“We trust the guys that come in to do their job and I think they both played pretty well.

“I don’t think that (late changes) was the reason we lost today, I think it was our contested ball and Hawthorn just won more of the footy than we did.”

Hooker said the main message from senior coach John Worsfold post-match was for his side to get the basic fundamentals right going forward.

“It was around the simple things, I think we’re doing a lot right, but just a few of the simple things – if we can tidy that up – that will make a big difference for us.”

The 29-year-old rued Essendon’s costly turnovers that allowed the Hawks’ dangerous and dynamic forwards to capitalise on the scoreboard, with Hawthorn’s Jack Gunston doing most of the damage with an impressive five-goal performance.

“They’ve got a very exciting forward line, a lot of good players. We probably turned the ball over a bit too easily at times and they’re pretty clean and crisp with the ball, so if you give them turnovers like that they’re pretty hard to defend.”

Hooker sang the praises of Zach Merrett, who saved one of his best performances for his 100^th senior game on Saturday.

The young on-baller dominated with 41 disposals, 15 contested possessions and nine clearances as he continued his astoundingly fast rise into the league’s top echelon of midfielders.

“He’s come into the club and he’s been super impressive,” Hooker said of Merrett.

“He’s 22, he’s played 100 good quality games – not just 100 games – so it was a shame we couldn’t get over the line for him today.”

With just three games left for the Bombers to try to snatch a finals berth, Hooker stressed the team has not written the season off after the narrow loss.

“We’ll keep working on our game, we’ve already identified some basic areas that we need to improve on and we certainly haven’t given up on the season yet.”