Essendon’s delivery into the forward line will be a key factor in Saturday’s match against Carlton, according to Bombers champion Scott Lucas.

The Blues have used an extra man behind the ball throughout the season and Lucas said the Dons need to honour their leading forwards.

“They (Carlton) were able to release (Sam) Docherty a lot last time (round three against Essendon), so keeping that in mind and that’s the way Carlton like to play with a spare behind the footy … you can’t afford to bomb the ball,” he said.

“You’ve got to lower your eyes, kick around them and spot up some shorter targets.

“If you continue to kick it long and deep, you’ll kick it straight to them and play into their hands.”

Bryce Gibbs was an influential figure in the round three clash between the Blues and the Bombers.

He picked up 35 possessions but his impact has been less pronounced in the last fortnight when opposition teams have assigned a run-with player to the Carlton midfielder.

“Gibbs was outstanding last time (against Essendon) and so was the collective midfield group of Carlton,” Lucas said.

“We’ve seen in the last few weeks, other teams have started to put time into him.

“(Tom) Rockliff (Brisbane) went to him, Scott Selwood went to him from Geelong.

“He’s had less impact on the game and both those teams have been able to beat Carlton.”

Lucas said the Bombers would also need to be wary of the Blues controlling the tempo by spotting up teammates with short kicks.

“You can’t afford to concede the uncontested mark to them, that’s how they like to play,” he said.

“They have the spare in the backline and then they work the ball through, down the ground … so you’ve got to close down their space.”

A win for the Bombers could see the side move back inside the top eight with three home and away matches remaining after this weekend.