At this stage the players missing will be Mark Mercuri, Steven Alessio, Ted Richards, Jason Winderlich and Joel Reynolds. That could change come selection later this week but either way, the fact the Bombers’ big three will be back and in good form is very good news. Time will tell whether it makes 50 points worth of difference but it is undoubtedly a good start as Essendon tries to plot the downfall of the minor Premiers.
The best players the last time Essendon played Port Adelaide were Joe Misiti (32 possessions), Mark Johnson (22) and Jason Johnson (20). It was also Marc Bullen’s first game for the season. He collected 20 possessions, kicked two goals and kept Nick Stevens to just 15 touches. Essendon would certainly take a repeat of that effort come the weekend.
It was Warren Tredrea who dominated for the winners kicking seven goals from centre half forward. The Tredrea match-up will be hotly debated at the match committee table this week. Byron Pickett (four goals), Che Cockatoo-Collins (three) , Dean Brogran (two) and Shaun Burgoyne (two) were the other major contributors on the scoreboard.
