It will be a hit and run mission for Essendon this Saturday when they travel to Newcastle to play Sydney in the Wizard Regional Challenge Series. The team will depart Melbourne on Saturday morning and return that evening. ""The coaching staff consider our last three games against Fremantle, Brisbane and St.Kilda to be good preparation for Round 1 for the senior squad. Therefore will rest our more senior players and this provides further opportunities for the younger players,"" football manager Dominic Cato

""This weekend is a good opportunity for our senior players to have a week off and freshen up. We also wanted to keep travel time to minimum to prepare for Round 1 clash against Port Adelaide, so the Football Department thought it would be best to get in and out in a day,"" Cato said.

The practice match will also be an opportunity for the coaching staff to re-introduce injured players back into the team. Damian Cupido and Mark McVeigh are both likely to play half a game. The pair has been sidelined since before Christmas with knee (Cupido) and ankle (McVeigh) surgery. Essendon stars James Hird and Matthew Lloyd are likely to be rested this weekend.

Match details:
Essendon v Sydney
Date: Saturday, March 13^th
Venue: Newcastle No. 1 Ground
Time: 1.30pm (gates open at midday)
Tickets: Essendon members are admitted to the ground free on presentation of their 2004 membership card. For all other ticket enquiries please contact Civic Theatre on (02) 4929 1977.

Ticket prices:
Family ticket $20 (2 adults, 2 children under 16)
Adult $10
Concession $5
Children under 16 $2
phone booking will incur a booking fee