Essendon is taking the Wizard Cup seriously – you only need to take one look at the squad named for this Sunday night’s clash with Port Adelaide to come to this conclusion. Skipper James Hird and full forward Matthew Lloyd have both been named in the Essendon side and only a handful of senior players will be missing. “We are taking it seriously,” Essendon football manager Matthew Drain said today. “The players selected haven’t had interrupted pre-seasons or been down on form during the pre-season.”