Essendon coach Kevin Sheedy says his players must sit up and take notice of the message Dean Laidley has sent to his players following the Kangaroos' loss to St Kilda last weekend. Speaking in the pouring rain prior to this afternoon's training session, Sheedy said his players must heed the message from Laidley and not drop off ""one per cent"" going into the game against Melbourne.

Laidley ran onto The Dome at the end of its game against St Kilda last weekend and publicly berated his team after its narrow loss to the previously out-of-form Saints. Laidley later said he felt his team wasn't switched on for the game and that he saw the loss coming.

“Dean Laidley has given us a message about the way the Kangaroos approached their game against St Kilda. Just because a team is not right up there knocking on the door of the eight - like St Kilda - doesn’t mean they can’t come out and kick 10 goals in the first quarter,"" Sheedy said.

“Essendon does not drop off one per cent this week – we are not allowed to. We have to keep our mind on the job and learn a lesson from the Kangaroos and what Dean Laidley has been saying all week. Our players must be fully aware of that message.”