Take a look at our comprehensive preview of Essendon's clash with Hawthorn on Thursday.

HAWTHORN v ESSENDON

Thursday, August 27
4:40pm AEST
Adelaide Oval
Live on Fox Footy

THE HISTORY

Games played - 163
Won – 98
Lost – 65
Drawn - 0

FOUR FACTS

1. Happy hunting ground

Essendon is in search of its fourth successive win at Adelaide Oval, having not lost at the venue since April 15, 2017. The winning streak started with the season-ending win over Port Adelaide in 2018, with the Bombers holding an overall record of 4-3 at Adelaide Oval. Hawthorn has also enjoyed its trips to the City of Churches, winning two of its past three at Adelaide Oval for an overall record of 5-4.

2. Smith's 150th

The milestones continue for the Bombers, with Devon Smith set to play his 150th AFL match. The former Giant is the eighth Smith to represent the Bombers and has tallied 273 tackles in his 40 games for Essendon, placing him 44th overall in the club's history. Smith follows fellow milestone men Adam Saad and Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti (100 games each) this season, while the returning Cale Hooker is due to play his 200th game against West Coast next week.

3. Contested correlation

A common theme in the Hawks' eight losses this season has been a large deficit in contested possessions. They've had an average differential of -19 in losses and -7 in wins, ranking 18th in the contested possession differential overall. That deficiency has only been compounded by the losses of contested ball winners Jaeger O'Meara and James Sicily. The Bombers sit slightly ahead at a lowly 16th in the contested possession differential, but had the Hawks' measure for contested ball (132-120) in this corresponding fixture last season.

4. Aerial advantage

The Hawks have struggled to find aerial dominance this season. They rank 17th for percentage of one-on-one contests won in defence and 16th for contested marks, conceding the second-most contested marks to the Bombers' 11th. With Joe Daniher returning to link up with fellow tall forward James Stewart, the Bombers will look to exploit an undermanned Hawthorn defence sans James Sicily, James Frawley and Ben Stratton.

LAST TIME WE MET

Round 13, 2019: Essendon 14.12 (96) defeated Hawthorn 11.11 (77) at Marvel Stadium

Essendon reigned supreme in a Friday night showdown against its old rival, recording back-to-back victories to level its ledger at 6-6.

After cruising to a 38-point lead 12 minutes into the final term, the Bombers looked set for a comfortable win until the Hawks slashed the margin with three consecutive goals.

Michael Hurley and Cale Hooker were pillars in defence, combining for 12 marks as the Bombers withstood the Hawks' inside-50 advantage (55-50) and hit back on the counter-attack.

Conor McKenna and Adam Saad were lethal off half-back, with the latter kicking his first goal in the red and black after a scintillating dash.

Dylan Clarke's negating role on Jaeger O'Meara was critical, keeping the star midfielder to just 14 possessions until three-quarter time. 

FORM

Hawthorn
Round 11: Lost to Fremantle 4.8 (32) to 7.6 (48) at Optus Stadium
Round 12: Lost to West Coast 7.7 (49) to 12.9 (81) at Optus Stadium
Round 13: Lost to Port Adelaide 9.4 (58) to 9.14 (68) at Adelaide Oval

Hawthorn may have won just one of its past eight games, but almost pulled off the upset of the season last week.

Going up against league-leader Port Adelaide on enemy territory, the Hawks trailed by four points with just over two minutes to play when Zak Butters crumbed a rucking contest deep in the Power's attacking 50 and slammed home the match-winner.

It was a bitter pill to swallow for the youthful Hawks, who battled manfully without experienced heads James Sicily, Jaeger O'Meara, James Frawley, Isaac Smith and Jack Gunston.

They would have taken confidence out of the performance, however, having come the closest to knocking off the Power at Adelaide Oval this season.

Essendon
Round 11: Drew with Gold Coast 11.7 (73) to 11.7 (73) at Metricon Stadium
Round 12: Lost to St Kilda 5.3 (33) to 10.8 (68) at the Gabba
Round 13: Lost to Richmond 10.1 (61) to 10.13 (73) at TIO Stadium

Essendon's winless streak extended to five games last round, but it didn't go down without a fight against Richmond in Darwin.

Despite conceding 44 more inside 50s (24-66) and 33 more contested possessions (96-129), the Bombers' efficiency inside 50 kept them in the contest.

Debutant Irving Mosquito was the spark, delighting a fervent crowd with two first-half goals and looking dangerous whenever he went near the footy.

Jake Stringer (three disposals, one goal) was quiet in his first game since round five but will be better off for the run, while Devon Smith (27 disposals, 458m gained) returned with vigour after a week's rest.

The Bombers are regaining their stars as they push for a return to the top eight, with All Australians Joe Daniher and Cale Hooker back this week and captain Dyson Heppell edging closer.

TEAMS

HAWTHORN

Backs: Blake Hardwick, Michael Hartley, Tom Scully
Half-backs: Will Day, Sam Frost, Darren Minchington
Centre: James Cousins, Dan Howe, Jack Scrimshaw
Half-forwards: Jonathon Patton, Luke Breust, Chad Wingard
Forwards: Liam Shiels, Tim O’Brien, Oliver Hanrahan
Followers: Ben McEvoy, James Worpel, Tom Mitchell
Interchange: Changkuoth Jiath, Jack Gunston, Conor Glass, Jonathon Ceglar
Emergencies: Damon Greaves, Dylan Moore, Jackson Ross, Harry Morrison

In: Ceglar, Gunston, Minchington

Out: Stratton, Burgoyne, Impey

ESSENDON

Backs: Martin Gleeson, Cale Hooker, Brandon Zerk-Thatcher
Half-backs: Jordan Ridley, Mason Redman, Adam Saad
Centre: Zach Merrett, Andrew McGrath, Brayden Ham
Half-forwards: Dylan Shiel, Kyle Langford, Irving Mosquito
Forwards: James Stewart, Joe Daniher, Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti
Followers: Andrew Phillips, Will Snelling, Darcy Parish
Interchange: Devon Smith, Matt Guelfi, Dylan Clarke, Jake Stringer
Emergencies: Mitch Hibberd, Josh Begley, Jacob Townsend

In: Daniher, Hooker, Phillips, Zerk-Thatcher (late inclusion for Hurley)

Out: Draper (managed), Bellchambers (knee), Francis (hamstring), Hurley (ankle)

Milestone: Devon Smith - 150 AFL games

BOMBER TO WATCH

Joe Daniher

Welcome back, Joe.

The big man's long-awaited return will be a sight for sore eyes, marking 467 days between senior games.

He booted seven goals and took 22 marks from four matches last season in a reminder of his starpower, before a relapse in groin soreness ended his 2019 campaign and delayed his start to 2020.

Senior coach John Worsfold said despite not featuring in a scratch match, the 2017 All Australian was "very excited and comfortable" about returning.

Essendon looked at as long odds of pulling off victory at half-time on Thursday as Joe Daniher did at one stage of playing this season.

Hawthorn was beating up the Dons on neutral territory at Adelaide Oval and appeared to have the result sewn up with a six-goal buffer.

It was the continuation of an accelerating nose dive that threatened to end the Bombers' flickering finals hopes after a 4-1 start to the year. 

Their haphazard kicking and overall stagnant ball movement to the main break made Hawk Ben McEvoy's return to defence an easy one – and spoiled their clearance dominance.

However, the trajectory of Daniher's long-awaited comeback and Essendon's fortunes transformed in an instant. 

With best-on-ground midfielder Andrew McGrath and Zach Merrett running wild in the middle, Daniher came to life in tandem with Jake Stringer and Cale Hooker, after the latter started in defence.

The Bombers became an irrepressible force, kicking five goals to one in the third term to slash the deficit to only nine points before careering away to a 13.9 (87) to 10.11 (71) triumph.

Fittingly, Daniher slotted the final major of the day – his third – with a brilliant finish from general play, after exploding into action with nine of his game-high 10 marks in the second half. 

A groin injury has kept the athletic big man to only 12 games since his 2017 All-Australian campaign, but his importance to this Essendon side has never been more evident. 

Hawthorn feasted on the Bombers' first-half turnovers on its way to a big lead, but was largely helpless once those errors dried up. 

Last-quarter goals to Tom Scully and Jack Gunston were only brief diversions from the script as Essendon re-entered the finals race.

McEvoy (12 intercept possessions) was comfortably the Hawks' best player, with their midfield well beaten, but James Worpel and Tom Mitchell still did their part. 

Daniher's dazzling cameo

All eyes were on Joe Daniher in what was his first match since round nine last year. Essendon's poor first-half performance didn't help Daniher's cause and he had only two disposals and one mark to the main break. However, the 26-year-old sprung to life as the Bombers roared back into the contest. Daniher firstly shook off Sam Frost to mark low to the ground and bang through his first goal, before catching a ride on ex-teammate Michael Hartley to haul in the second of his three marks inside 50 for the term. The other two were wayward set shots, but he also set up Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti's second major with a spearing kick. There were shades of his 2017 Virgin Australia AFL All Australian season, even if only for a quarter. Essendon will be desperate to retain the restricted free agent's services, although both Sydney and Brisbane are sniffing around. 

Early end to the General's day

Jon Patton had a promising first pre-season at Waverley Park, but just hasn't been able to get going since Lion Harris Andrews towelled him up in round one. Patton's season is now probably over, with a calf setback in the first quarter on Thursday cutting short his second game back from a hamstring-related layoff. He's kicked three goals in six games, although he didn't play after quarter-time in matches against Essendon and Collingwood. It was always going to be tough for Patton to have a major impact after sitting out the previous season-and-a-half recovering from a third knee reconstruction. He still has two years left on the deal he signed after crossing from the Giants, but the Hawks will be hoping for a much better return on their investment in 2021. 

Seething Clarko loses his cool

Hawthorn had all but waved the white flag on its finals ambitions entering Thursday's match, but that didn't mean coach Alastair Clarkson's competitive juices weren't still flowing. The Hawks feasted on Essendon's turnovers in the first half on their way to a six-goal lead despite a 2-10 centre clearance deficit. The game looked over at that stage, but the Bombers emerged a different side in the third quarter. Their clearance dominance continued, but they started making Hawthorn pay with vastly improved ball movement, including some exquisite kicking inside 50. Only nine points separated the sides at three-quarter-time, with Essendon's clearance (30-14) and centre clearance (14-3) buffers causing Clarkson's blood to boil. Whether that was the topic or not, the four-time premiership coach didn't seem too pleased at one stage in the final break. Clarkson ripped a pen out of Burns' hand and jotted something down as the coaches tried to figure out what was going wrong.

HAWTHORN    3.4    7.10    8.10   10.11 (71)
ESSENDON      1.3    2.4     7.7    13.9 (87)

GOALS

Hawthorn: Howe 2, Scully 2, Gunston 2, Worpel, Cousins, Minchington, O'Brien

Essendon: Daniher 3, McDonald-Tipungwuti 2, Stringer 2, Hooker 2, Clarke 2, Stewart, Langford

BEST

Hawthorn: McEvoy, Worpel, Scrimshaw, Mitchell, Scully, Cousins

Essendon: McGrath, Merrett, Daniher, Shiel, Smith, Langford 

INJURIES

Hawthorn: Patton (calf)

Essendon: Hurley (ankle) replaced in selected side by Zerk-Thatcher