And Bomber coach Kevin Sheedy has already put the events of the Hawthorn match behind him with his attention is firmly fixed on beating the reigning premiers.
""We are looking forward to this game. It is going to be a sensational match and I really don’t want all the tribunal news to take away from what this game is about,"" Sheedy said.
""This week is about Essendon playing well and Brisbane playing well and we pack a stadium. We want people to come to watch our best attributes - our skill, our talent, our footy smarts, our toughness and our hardness because that is what makes the game exciting.""
At the half-way mark of the season, Essendon is in good shape. After losing its first two matches, the team has rebounded strongly and won eight of its past nine encounters.
Sheedy admitted his team has two big weeks of football ahead of them before the bye weekend. Following Brisbane this Saturday night, the Bombers come up against the in-form Demons at the MCG.
""We have two big games coming up. We have to concentrate on Brisbane first up and get on with it,"" he said. ""This is our chance to get 50,000 at The Dome and we should do it. Our fans should be there and I would be disappointed if we didn’t get a big crowd.""
Since start of 2000 to end of Round 11, 2004:
Brisbane: 111 games, 78 wins, 32 losses and 1 draw (71% success rate)Essendon: 109 games, 78 wins, 30 losses and 1 draw (72% success rate)
Please note: Essendon members that are not reserved seat holders need to purchase a reserved seat for Saturday night’s match as it is a reserved seat-ticketed match. Non-members wishing to attend the game must also pre-purchase a ticket-reserved seat to gain entry. Tickets can be purchased through Ticketmaster7 on 136100.
