ESSENDON 5.2 8.4 10.7 12.8.80 SYDNEY 3.2 5.3 7.6 10.9.69 Result: Essendon won by 11 points. Venue: North Sydney Oval     Crowd: 6,204

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	ESSENDON: Matthew Lloyd 4, Nathan Lovett-Murray 2, David Hille 2, Darren Walsh, Jobe Watson, Tristan Cartledge, Andrew Lovett
	SYDNEY: Amon Buchanan 2, Heath James 2, Jarrad McVeigh 2, Scott McGlone, Jude Bolton, Lewis Roberts-Thomson, Nick Malceski

Matthew Lloyd is better than ever, Mark Mercuri could be a star in defence, Kepler Bradley can play and Essendon's rookie list is full of talent - that was the wash up after Essendon scored an 11-point win over Sydney in today's exhibition match at North Sydney Oval. Premiership points weren't at stake but Essendon fans can be assured preparations for the real thing are progressing well. Lloyd only played a half but marked magnificently and kicked four goals. And he did it against quality opposition. Jason Saddington is no mug. Essendon coach Kevin Sheedy knows his star forward is in excellent shape. "If we could just find another one of him - wouldn't that be nice," Sheedy grinned after the game. But Sheedy was pleased with much after today's game. "We were pretty happy with our ruck set up. Tristan Cartledge is only 18 and he did okay. David Hille has put a lot of strength on his frame. It has been an area where we have been condemned in recent seasons," Sheedy said. After an early hiccough, the form of Mark Mercuri deep in defence was a bonus. After five minutes, rookie Amon Buchanan had kicked two goals on Mercuri but he quickly found his feet. "He was asleep early but he actually woke up three goals into the match. I wanted him to start creating some run down the ground and he did that - he set up three of the next five goals. He will play in the back pocket next week in Darwin - we have made a decision that that is where we are going with him," Sheedy said. Sheedy was also pleased with the performance of Jobe Watson. "He can play footy - we have always known that. We think he reads the game very well. He is one of those players we hope can step up in the midfield for us." And he had no doubt that Kepler Bradley will play a lot of football for Essendon. "We are pretty happy with that decision (to draft him). He has just turned 18 but he will play at centre half back or centre half forward for us - we are just finding out about him," he said. The Bombers were also well served by rookie Nathan Lovett-Murray who kicked two goals and played some good football at both ends of the ground. CISCO'S COFFEE PLAY OF THE DAY Do you have an entry for the Cisco's Coffee Play of the Day from this match? Click here to submit your entry...

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No injuries reported.

Wizard Cup Round 1: Essendon v Fremantle at Marrara Oval in Darwin, Friday 20 February.