SECOND-placed Collingwood is the next team in the sights of Essendon after the Bombers beat North Melbourne on Sunday to keep their slim finals chances alive.
The exciting win was the Bombers' fifth from their past six games and sees them just one win behind seventh-placed Melbourne on the ladder.
They meet the in-form Magpies next Sunday in what shapes as a blockbuster contest at the MCG, having already taken the scalps of finals contenders Geelong, Greater Western Sydney and West Coast in their recent run of form.
BOMBERS HANG ON Full match coverage and stats
Coach John Worsfold said the club is well aware of Collingwood's potency having felt the full force of it in their 49-point loss in round five.
"We saw their form on Anzac Day so we've seen how well they're playing. They deserve to be where they are on the ladder through their good footy," he said.
The win over the Roos saw the Bombers at their spectacular best, booting a season-high 19 goals and showing their explosive run and dash through the middle of the ground.
It is a far cry from the form the Bombers started the season in, when they slumped to 2-6 after eight rounds. Worsfold said nothing had changed internally since then but that he was proud of the response from his side to make a late charge into finals contention.
"If the players weren't disappointed at various parts in that first part of the year then I would have been concerned," he said.
"But we were all on the same page and we all understood it was frustrating for us and it makes you anxious but the good teams hold their nerve and stay focused, and these players did that."
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Essendon remains without the injured Joe Daniher, its spearhead forward who won the best and fairest last year and made the All Australian team, and key midfielder David Zaharakis, who would have been close to leading the Bombers' best and fairest this season before his shoulder injury in round 11.
Martin Gleeson, a half-back growing in importance, has also not played this season due to an ankle injury.
But others have stepped up in recent weeks, including key forward Shaun McKernan showing his talents with four goals against the Kangaroos.
"The credit is on the young players who have come in to replace those guys," Worsfold said post-game.
"We're building depth within the group even though it’s still relatively young."
The entertaining and high-scoring contest came amid wide discussion over the current look of the AFL game, with League bosses in the process of trialing new rules to reduce congestion and open up the field.
Across the round, seven sides have reached the 100-point barrier, including three games where both teams scored triple figures.
Worsfold praised Sunday as a spectacle but said he was open to explore "very considered change" for the sake of the game.
"That was an exciting game of footy. [There was] maybe four or five goals that will be in the goals of the season, some big marks. It was pretty exciting. The AFL will look at it and say 'What was good about that game? Why was it played that way?' and take something out of it," he said.
