Essendon coach Kevin Sheedy says his side will have to adapt its usual game style to accomodate the modified rules that have been put in place for the Wizard Cup. ""We will certainly have a look at the way we go about things on Saturday both in terms of our structure and our game plan,"" Sheedy said. ""It is going to be an interesting test for both players and coaches.""

Nine points being awarded for goals kicked from outside 50m and rushed behinds costing the defensive side three points are just two of the changes being made. ""In the back line I will be certainly asking my players to keep the ball in play. Obviously situations will arise where keeping it in could end up costing you six points and that is something the players will have to weigh up. It will just require a slight adjustment in their thinking,"" Sheedy said.

Up forward Essendon may try and exploit the nine-point rule by pushing both Dustin Fletcher and Scott Lucas forward. Both are more than capable of kicking the ball prodigious distances. Damian Cupido is another who can comfortably handle that distance.

""We might have a look at that - I'm just not sure which way we will go at the moment,"" Sheedy said. ""Either way it will be a bit of fun. I'm really looking forward to seeing how these new rules work. If just one becomes a part of our game then it has certainly been a worthwhile experiment.""