Essendon is expecting a fired up St Kilda this Sunday after last year's Grand Finalist suffered a 10-goal loss to Carlton.
Young Bomber Sam Lonergan said it will be a tough clash but the team is ready for the contest.
""They’re going to put their best foot forward and, coming off a loss last week, they’re going to be hungrier than ever, so to match that is what we’re going to have to do to win the game,"" Lonergan said to Bomber.tv today.
The 23-year-old said the players are desperate to get some value for the good football they have been playing and record a much needed third win.
""You never want to be where we’re at on the ladder,"" Lonergan said.
""The best thing about football is that there’s another .. 14 rounds to go for the rest of the season, so we’re aspiring to play finals and that’s where we want to be at.
""The more time you spend on feeling sorry for yourself the less you get to focus on the upcoming week.
""So for us, when Monday comes we look at the tape, we go over things we need to improve on and from that point forward we’re going on to the next game because we need to win and get the four points.
""So that’s where we stand as a group, you’re not going to get anywhere if you’re feeling sorry for yourself for 22 rounds of football.
""We need to win a couple in a row and I guess really set our season up for the second half of the year and prepare to play good footy.""
Assistant coach Scott Camporeale confirmed that young gun Michael Hurley was training well and is fine to play despite suffering some recent knee soreness.
He said despite suffering a heart-breaking loss to Port last week, the team has been showing good signs.
""We stuck to our guns and what we wanted to go after the last two weeks has really come off in terms of game style and how we want to go about it, so that’s really important going into a pretty big game against St. Kilda,"" Camporeale said.
""I don’t think there are too many weaknesses to their game. You don’t play in a Grand Final if there‘s too many weaknesses. We’ve just got to match them in terms of inside contested footy and our defensive pressure which is what Carlton did pretty well on the weekend.
""They’re going be coming out fullguns blazing in terms of that aspect as well as the other way so we’ve just got to match them in that area.""
Sunday's game holds extra importance with champion backman Dustin Fletcher playing his 320th career game placing him in equal second on the all-time Essendon games-played list with Dick Reynolds.
""From a coaches point of view, just his professionalism around the place,"" Camporeale said.
""He’s a real leader, not in terms of ranting and raving, just the way he goes about preparing for an AFL game and an AFL season.
""You don’t play 300 plus games if you don’t do any of the right things He’s an outstanding mentor for Tayte Pears and Cale Hooker who are young defenders coming on in the game.
Lonergan said the 35-year-old is the ""heart and soul"" of the club.
""The entire list respect him more than anyone I’ve ever met in my life so he’s a great person for this club, always has been, always will be,"" he said.
