Walking to the ground on Friday I was a bit disappointed to hear Andrew Lovett was out with a bout of gastro.
But before I even got a chance to curse our wretched luck, news came through that Daniel Kerr was out for West Coast . . . that might help us a bit.
The Bombers were slow out of the blocks, with the Eagles kicking four goals in succession in the first quarter.
Scott Lucas struggled early, with a few uncharacteristic errors but he hit his strides when he booted a goal at the 24-minute mark of the first term.
Matty Lloyd and Adam McPhee were also in amongst it without it showing on the scoreboard.
Lloydy finished with just two goals but it was good to see him find a return to form of sorts, with his work further up from goal.
McPhee had a lightning start to the game, forcing Eagles coach John Worsfold to show him some respect by moving fourth-gamer Ryan Davis off him after a strong first term.
Andrew Welsh continued his fine tagging work this year, by shadowing Matt Priddis.
But our best on the night was easily David Hille.
The big man worked well in the middle and caused huge problems for the Eagles when he pushed forward. He absolutely dominated superstar Dean Cox both in effective hit-outs and around the ground.
Hille was well supported by Jason Laycock, while Jobe Watson was constantly at the ruckmen’s feet.
Kyle Reimers provided plenty of run up and down the wings and played with the intensity and aggression that is fast making him a cult figure among the fans in the outer (starting to love those boots!)
It was goal for goal throughout the third quarter, but Essendon seemed the superior side, going into the final break with a two-goal lead.
The Bombers set the tone in the final quarter with a quick early goal to Adam Ramanauskas.
But the highlight came at the seven-minute mark when Lloyd whipped the Bomber crowd into a frenzy by taking a spectacular mark over Beau Wilkes.
Lloyd went on to kick the goal and partner in crime Lucas joined the party minutes later with a spectacular snap over his shoulder.
The Eagles continued to chip away but it was not enough as the Bombers notched up their third win of the season.
Essendon 4.6 7.11 11.4 16.17 (113)
West Coast 4.1 6.6 9.11 13.13 (91)
GOALS
Essendon: Hille 3, Lucas 3, Neagle 3, Lloyd 2, Laycock, Lovett-Murray, Monfries, Ramanauskas, Reimers.
West Coast: Wirrpanda 4, LeCras 3, Hunter 3, Embley, Wilkes, Staker
BEST
Essendon: Hille, Reimers, Watson, Lonergan, Welsh, McPhee
West Coast: Wirrpanda, Embley, LeCras, Selwood, Stenglein,
INJURIES
Essendon: Lovett (gastro) replaced in selected side by Atkinson
West Coast: Kerr (calf) replaced in selected side by McNamara
Reports: Nil
Umpires: Rosebury, Chamberlain, Jeffery
Official crowd: 33,386 at Telstra Dome
The views expressed in the story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the club
