The final five home and away matches is a great opportunity to generate momentum for next season according to Essendon great Matthew Lloyd.

The Bombers are out of the finals race but Lloyd said he has seen enough signs during the week to suggest the group remains driven. 

“Watching Dyson Heppell on the training track, he’s driving the team really, really hard, as hard as Jobe Watson would,” he said.

“To see the passion in the eyes of the senior players to get somewhere.

“It’s actually having this last five weeks to build some momentum.”

The Bombers are looking to rebound this weekend after a disappointing loss to the Bulldogs. 

“What everyone loved about the previous three weeks was just the competiveness,” Lloyd said.

“The week before, kicked 17 goals against Port Adelaide.  I think the ball movement was really good. 

“I thought the ball movement went back a little bit to where it had been before the Hawthorn game when it was a bit more lateral and backwards.

“But that’s what the Bulldogs pressure can do to you.”

Lloyd said Essendon has the opportunity to lay the foundations for future success over the coming weeks.

“I’ve been in some young sides like that,” he said.

“97’ for me, Caracella, Lucas, Blumfield, Heffernan – we just loved it – the opportunity to perform and we made finals in 1998.”