ESSENDON coach Matthew Knights says his side will continue to adopt a 'dare to win' mentality as they gear up for Sunday's blockbuster clash against Geelong at Telstra Dome.

The Bombers were brilliant in overcoming a sluggish start against North Melbourne on Monday, sending out a warning to the rest of the competition that Essendon has its act together in 2008 and is more than capable of doing some damage.

But Knights is fully aware of the challenge offered by the reigning premier, saying a win would mean much more than just four points.

"I think it would be great for our club to beat Geelong – it would be fantastic, but we know there's a lot of hard work over three hours on Sunday for that to happen," Knights told the media at Windy Hill on Thursday afternoon.

"They were by far and away the best team in home and away and in finals last year and to come up against them in the second round is good for our club.

"(Geelong) haven't put a foot wrong as far I'm concerned; they went to AAMI Stadium, played a very good team and came away with the four points. I would say that's travelling pretty well."

Despite the obvious respect, Knights is still adamant his team will stick to the enterprising style of footy which has impressed during the past two months.

"You've got to dare to win, you've got to believe you can win," Knights said. "No matter who we play, no matter where we play, what time it is, we believe we can win and give it a shake."

"We'll play our game, because it's all about developing the Essendon footy club in regards to how we want to play our football.

"Sure, we understand you've got to pay credence to Geelong, they've got a lot of talented players, but we've got to back ourselves."

While the Bombers will go into the clash without champion forward Scott Lucas, Knights is pleased with his early signs of recovery.

"Injury-wise, he's as good as he could possibly be at this stage, the swelling is good and isn't causing him too much pain," Knights said.

"I rang Scott on (Monday night) and his attitude was refreshing ... he's pleased to be back down in our environment, he's coming to the team meeting this afternoon with the players today and to watch training."

Lucas, who tore to his posterior cruciate ligament in a marking contest during the second quarter of Monday's win, has been earmarked for some forward-line coaching during his on-field absence.

Those considered to replace the star forward will depend on what style the Bombers choose as most suitable for breaking down the Cats – forward height, midfield speed or defensive pressure.

"We're looking at a number of players. Andrew Welsh is back in training and ready to go, (as is) Jason Winderlich. Courtney Johns, for a bigger type of player, is also ready to resume," Knights said.

"We'll have a look at all those options post-training today and see if everyone pulls up fine."

The rookie coach admitted the four extra days Geelong have off between rounds one and two meant the Bombers needed to be careful with their training demands.

"We've certainly had a light 48 hours, not so much in regards to contact hours at the club, but in the physical nature of our training," Knights said.

"But I'm not concerned about the six-day break; that's the draw, and we're just positive about playing football."