IT'S STILL uncertain whether Essendon's dip in form will cost it a shot at this year's finals series, but it doesn't appear to have slowed captain Jobe Watson's push to the Brownlow Medal.
In the club's round 19 loss to Adelaide, Watson was crucial for the Bombers and it was again the case on Sunday against North Melbourne.
Despite the four-goal defeat to the Kangaroos, Watson had 32 disposals, laid seven tackles and kicked an important goal just before three-quarter time.
If not best on ground, Watson was close.
The 27-year-old is carrying a heavy load - perhaps too heavy - and delivering nonetheless.
Essendon teammate Sam Lonergan acknowledged that perhaps too much was being left to the Bombers captain in recent weeks, but that his form hadn't suffered.
"You can't walk off the ground after a loss like that and not say that we can't help him more," Lonergan told AFL.com.au after the Kangaroos defeat.
"He's outstanding and the rest of the group has probably fallen away and let him down a little bit. But we went out there to win, and it just didn't come off."
Lonergan was drafted to Essendon at the end of 2005, and has watched Watson develop into one of the competition's premier midfielders.
The 25-year-old thinks Watson has been playing standout football for Essendon for several years and the facts back that up. In 2009, Watson won the club's best and fairest and then did it again in 2010.
Click here to view Watson's career stats
Last year he was on track for his third Crichton Medal before injury struck, and he seems a certainty to take out the award at the end of this season.
Lonergan says things have come together for Watson, and the acclaim is deserved.
"What you see of Jobe on game day is what we see of Jobe around the club and off the field," Lonergan said.
"He's a hard-working man, he's dedicated to his football and family and friends and it's great to see the results he's getting this year.
"Everyone at Essendon respects him so highly with the way he goes about every part of his life."
Callum Twomey is a reporter for the AFL website. Follow him on Twitter at @AFL_CalTwomey
