Essendon suffered a blow before the bounce of the game against the Saints with both Hird and Fletcher late withdrawals from the team. Winderlich and Mercuri replaced them in the side. The Bombers entered the game already missing several players including Wellman, Rioli and Lucas. To say the least the Bombers had their backs up against the wall.

Gehrig and Riewoldt exploded in the 1st quarter with a number of goals and strong marks. After the 1st quarter the Bombers could simply have collapsed but they fought hard in the 2nd quarter and showed some spirit. Unfortunately a couple of easy chances for goals by the Bombers were missed and the Saints rebounded to kick goals. That is simply the difference between the teams.

Some questions could be raised about the ability of Lloyd to captain the team if he continues to play only at full forward. He is simply unable to influence the game the way Hird can as he moves around the field. Lloyd relies on the midfield to send the ball his way but he certainly lifted in the 3rd quarter to show how dangerous he can be if he gets some decent kicks coming into the forward line. He finished the game with an impressive 6 goals.

With the players that were out there on the field against the Saints it would seem the Bombers played very well. But they simply could not hold either Gehrig or Riewoldt.The likes of Hird, Fletcher, Wellman, Rioli and Lucas are the core of the Bombers team. Any chance of winning the next game against the Power will rely on all of them back in the team. The finals are on the line!