After progressing to a Preliminary Final this Sunday, we continue our series of Essendon VFL players to watch this weekend.

View the list then cast your vote on who you’re most looking forward to watching this weekend.

63. Liam Byrne

Byrne continues to play an honest midfield role for the Bombers. Doing the team things first, Byrne is often found at the bottom of the contest on hands and knees trying to feed the ball out to teammates. A handy 13 possessions last weekend saw him put up yet another team-orientated contribution for the side.

51. Aaron Heppell

The half-back flanker was in everything last weekend, racking up 22 touches, including a team-high five rebound 50s. His tacking pressure didn’t go unnoticed either, as he stopped a number of certain Footscray goals. After joining the team late in the year, he’s gotten better with every game he has played and on Sunday he’s set to play another valuable role.

57. Ben McNiece

Taking the best small forward each week, McNiece’s value to the side is huge. McNiece has shown similar traits to the AFL side’s Mark Bagluey. McNiece rarely gets beaten in a one-on-one contest, has elite decision-making skills and is an exceptional tackler. After being named among the best in last weekend’s semi final, McNiece will be looking to replicate his form for this Sunday’s preliminary final.

49. Jacob Thompson

This guy just keeps kicking goals. After booting three goals in Round 18, Thompson has kicked at least two goals in the four games since. Thompson is a tough matchup playing as a medium-sized forward who has good pace and strong hands. Thompson has also added the knack of kicking a match-winning goal to his game in recent weeks, usually leading to an enthusiastic celebration.

55. Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti

‘Tippa’, as he’s known to his teammates, was Heppell’s partner in crime last weekend, holding down the other half-back flank. ‘Tippa’ gathered 18 possessions and laid a team high eight tackles in a sparkling performance. His ability to team up and provide the Bombers with some line-breaking pace and skills from the halfback line will go a long way to securing the Bombers a Grand Final spot.