Essendon went into the match without experienced campaigners James Hird and Dustin Fletcher. Joe Misiti and Damien Peverill were late withdrawals, which resulted in Robert Forster-Knight getting the call up. Forster-Knight had a busy weekend – he had already played for the Bendigo Bombers the day before, so he ended up playing two senior games for the weekend. The former Bomber showed no signs of tiredness, he finished with 14-disposals
Matthew Lloyd captained the team in Hird’s absence and starred for the Bombers. He finished with six goals and took 11 marks. Lloyd regarded the match as one of the best performances of his career.
""I think the game against West Coast (Round 10) was one of my best. It was a young side. Hirdy was out and I was captain. I kicked six myself and felt that I showed more leadership than I had before. I learned a lot about leadership from that game,"" Lloyd said in edition 34 of the Bomber.
Adam McPhee also played a blinder. He kicked four goals from the wing and collected 12-possessions. The Bombers’ played one of their best games for the season and against all odds won the match.
Essendon has a solid record against West Coast. The two teams have met on 31 occasions, with Essendon taking the points 20 times. The Bombers recent record is most impressive. The team has won six of its past seven encounters and one of those matches was the first Elimination Final in 2002.
Last 10 meetings:
Rd 10, 2003 – Essendon (128) d West Coast (106) at The Dome
EF1, 2002 – Essendon (111) d West Coast (78) at The Dome
Rd 15, 2002 – West Coast (90) d Essendon (63) at Subiaco
Rd 21, 2001 – Essendon (136) d West Coast (47) at Subiaco
Rd 6, 2001 – Essendon (158) d West Coast (70) at The Dome
Rd 15, 2000 – Essendon (108) d West Coast (76) at Subiaco
Rd 19, 1999 – Essendon (153) d West Coast (93) at MCG
Rd 4, 1999 – West Coast (97) d Essendon (23) at Subiaco
Rd 13, 1998 – West Coast (83) d Essendon (72) at MCG
Rd 9, 1997 – West Coast (110) d Essendon (85) at Subiaco
Make sure you get along to The Dome this Saturday night when the Bombers’ attempt to continue their impressive record against the Eagles. The Round 3 game at The Dome is a ticketed match. Make sure you call Ticketmaster7 on 136100 to secure your seat and support the Bombers!
Please note:
Essendon members that are not reserved seat holders also need to purchase a reserved seat for Saturday night because it is a ticketed match.
