VFL coach Matthew Egan says that a finals berth is still far from secure and that there is still plenty of work to be done.
Essendon has the last of three byes this weekend, resting up before facing four massive games in its attempt to secure a spot in finals action.
The eighth placed Bombers take on ladder leaders Casey Scorpions (currently second), Williamstown (first), North Ballarat (15th) and fellow finals aspirant the Northern Blues (ninth) in the run home.
The Bombers are coming off a tough, 78-point loss to Geelong at Simonds Stadium on Sunday.
Egan said post match there was a lot to learn from the dominant Cats display.
“Obviously today is really disappointing, hopefully we learn a lot.” he said.
“We will fix a few things up in the review, come Tuesday we need to be ready to learn and take it into the next few weeks, work on our game and keep looking to get better.”
The Bombers sit four points and 27.23 per cent clear of the Northern Blues in ninth, with the Blues also having a bye to come in Round 19.
Egan wasn’t shying away from the race for a spot inside the eight.
“We are not taking anything for granted, we still have to work really hard to get into the finals, we have some really big games coming up.” he said.
“We really are taking it really one week at a time and assess how we are tracking after each game.”
The VFL Ladder
Williamstown 44 points
Casey 40
Collingwood 40
Sandringham 36
Port Melbourne 36
Geelong 32
Footscray 32
Essendon 28
Northern Blues 24
Box Hill 20
Coburg 20
Werribee 20
Richmond 16
Frankston 8
North Ballarat 8
The Run Home
Round 17 – Bye
Round 18 v Casey Scorpions, Saturday August 6, Casey Fields - 7pm
Round 19 v Williamstown, Sunday August 14, Windy Hill - 12pm
Round 20 v North Ballarat, Saturday August 20, Eureka Stadium – 2.30pm
Round 21 v Northern Blues, Saturday August 27, Windy Hill – 12pm
