SOME might have given up hope, but Essendon always believed the goals would come.

Having kicked just six of them in three quarters against the Giants on Thursday night, the Bombers piled on six more in 24 minutes to mastermind a dramatic comeback at Marvel Stadium.

BOMBERS BY A FINGERNAIL Full match coverage and stats

Cale Hooker's late move forward inspired the thrilling six-point win, with his set-shot in the dying seconds of the game helping to keep the side's indifferent season alive.

But while all hope appeared lost when the Giants stormed to a significant 19-point lead midway through the final term, coach John Worsfold said his Bombers players were always confident it could overturn the deficit in a low-scoring game.

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"We felt we were running the quarters out really strongly," he said after the match.

"The message on the bench from the players was 'we're in this'. We believed we could run the game out right until the end.

"We kept getting the ball in deep, we put a lot of pressure on and we locked it in there and forced them to dump the ball out – we were set up well behind the ball.

"Eventually, the goals came. We just had to back that in, but we believed they would come."

WATCH The thrilling final two minutes

Momentum played a significant part in Essendon's victory – and in the Giants' demise.

While the visitors had plenty of it through the first three quarters, they found scoring difficult due to inaccuracy in front of goal – spurning plenty of routine opportunities.

It kept the Bombers in the game and, when that momentum eventually turned again, the overwhelmingly Essendon-centric crowd helped guide the hosts to a rousing victory.

WATCH John Worsfold's full post-game media conference

"Sitting on the bench tonight, the noise of the Essendon supporters was massive," Worsfold said.

"It got me up and about. I could feel the players knew they were still in the game and the crowd really got them going. The crowd could feel them coming.

"The foot stamp and the cheering … it was phenomenal. I've got no doubt it had a big impact. From that regard, I'm glad I was down on the bench because I could experience it."

Essendon's win came despite a calf injury to ruckman Tom Bellchambers, who limped from the field late in the third quarter and never returned to the match.

Hooker and Shaun McKernan were forced to share the ruck duties in the final term, with their efforts pivotal in the Bombers' win.

"It's a lower leg injury," Worsfold said of Bellchambers' injury.

"We're not sure, it may be a calf. It'll be a scan and we'll assess it from there, but it does appear to potentially be a strain of some sort."