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Bombers face true test
<DIV class=MsoNormal style=""MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"">Friday night's clash with the Western Bulldogs at the Dome should give fans a better understanding of where the Club's development is at for 2008. An extremely young Essendon line-up ran onto Gold Coast Stadium to defeat the Lions last week but, with both teams missing key players, the win was more important as a confidence booster rather than a gauge on the season ahead.</DIV>
Friday night's clash with the Western Bulldogs at the Dome should give fans a better understanding of where the Club's development is at for 2008.
An extremely young Essendon line-up ran onto Gold Coast Stadium to defeat the Lions last week but, with both teams missing key players, the win was more important as a confidence booster rather than a gauge on the season ahead.
A bigger test will come in this Friday night's NAB Cup quarterfinal blockbuster.
Matthew Knights has injected a mass of experience into his side to combat an opposition squad hit by injury but still featuring a strong line-up following their solid win in Darwin on Friday night against the Kangaroos.
He has called on Bomber favourites to rejoin the side including Dustin Fletcher, Mark McVeigh, Jobe Watson, Brent Stanton, Adam Ramanauskas, Andrew Welsh, Alwyn Davey and Scott Lucas.
It will be interesting how the Bombers adapt to the new mix of youth and experience given the way the younger players were able to gel with each other against Brisbane.
Last week, the team were playing to show what they are capable of knowing that Knights had given them their first real test and they would have to earn a game in the weeks to follow.
Despite the big name additions, Essendon will still maintain a strong youth presence against the Bulldogs. Rookie listed Rhys Magin will gain another opportunity to put his flair and classy skills on show, while Tayte Pears will be another one to watch after showing that, despite only being 17, he has the ability to match it with key opponents from a physicality point of view.
The Bulldogs are renowned for their leg speed but will they live up to the hype when they take on the Bombers’ emerging speed demons? Essendon have discovered their own share of pacey midfielders in recent years and when Ricky Dyson, Leroy Jetta and Alwyn Davey are let lose, they take some catching.
David Hille and Jason Laycock shaped up as an exciting ruck duo in last week’s match with the pair alternating between rucking duties and providing a tall target up forward. Hille was influential in front of goals in the absence of Lucas and could add some weight to the forward line again this week with Matthew Lloyd still watching from the sidelines.
The team’s tackling pressure and hard running was a clear highlight from last week’s performance and the Bombers will need to maintain this pressure and use it to their advantage this week or risk an assault on the scoreboard.
Essendon will bolster its playing list this week with the return of up to eight experienced senior players to the side. Despite a strong display from the Bombers’ youth last week, Knights believes the injection of experience will give his team the depth they need to outplay the Western Bulldogs this Friday night.
