There will be plenty of young Essendon talent on show at the Oval on Saturday, October 12th when the Bombers take on Richmond. The match has been titled the ""Clash of the Sash"" and a number of the Bombers' senior players will miss the exhibition match. James Hird, Mark Bolton, Sean Wellman and Steve Alessio are unable to play after post-season surgery, however will all be travelling over with the team and Matthew Lloyd will also miss the game because he is getting married. The AFL has given special permission for VFL top-up player Toby McGrath to play in the game.

Essendon coach Kevin Sheedy said the exhibition match is a fantastic opportunity to trial some of the younger players and is hoping for a big crowd at the game. ""The match against Richmond is a good chance for the coaching staff to have a look at a few kids and see if they will make it next year. It is an important game for us and I am looking forward to it. I have already told a couple of young players that missed out on the finals that this is their big chance and a crucial match for us,"" Sheedy said.

The ""Clash for the Sash"" match is being played at the Oval and tickets are available online through ticketmaster.co.uk or phone Ticketmaster London on - 0871 230 OVAL (6825). Tickets are 11 pounds for unreserved seats and 16 pounds for reserved seats. The match kicks off at 2.30pm and the game will be televised on Channel 9 for all of those Essendon supporters who can't make it to the match.

Essendon squad:
Aaron Henneman, Paul Salmon, Mark McVeigh, Rob Forster-Knight, Paul Barnard, Ted Richards, Danny Jacobs, Joe Misiti, Scott Lucas, Chris Heffernan, Cory McGrath, Justin Blumfield, Blake Caracella, David Hille, James Davies, Jordan Bannister, Marc Bullen, Shane Harvey, Andrew Welsh, Simon O'Keefe, Dean Rioli, Adam Winter, Scott Howard, Ken Hall and Toby McGrath.