Joe Misiti is a favourite among Essendon fans but apparently not with the selectors this week after being dropped from the Essendon side to play Sydney this Saturday afternoon at the MCG. Misiti along with Ted Richards and Mark Alvey will make way for Mark Johnson, Jason Johnson and Marc Bullen who all return from injury.

Misiti's axing comes just two weeks after he was among Essendon's best players against Carlton. In that game Misiti shut down the previously rampant Brett Johnson, collecting plenty of the football himself and playing a key role in the Bombers' third quarter surge.

Mark McVeigh will return to football this weekend via the VFL side while Damian Cupido will have another week in the VFL to work back to full fitness and form. Jobe Watson - a star in the VFL last weekend - will need to play well again to break into the senior side.

This week's Essendon side is:

Backs: M. Johnson Fletcher Welsh
Half Backs: Wellman Lucas Peverill
Centres: McPhee J. Johnson Dyson
Half forwards: Bolton Hird Lovett-Murray
Forwards: Murphy Lloyd Rioli
Followers: Hille Solomon Ramanauskas
Bench: Allan Stanton Bullen Mercuri
Emergencies: Misiti Richards Bradley