Damien Peverill will play his first final this weekend for the Essendon Football Club and considers himself privileged to have the opportunity to play finals football in his first year on the senior list. The 23-year-old said his nerves haven't set in yet but no doubt they will later in the week. ""So far so good. I don't normally get that nervous going into a game, however come Saturday morning, it could be a bit different. I think getting a job on a player does help with the nerves because you can focus on something else rather than going to get the ball, you focus on your opponent. I think that will help me going into this week, "" Peverill said.

Q. Has the mood changed around the club this week now that it is finals time?
A. Everyone does get tired during the 22 week home and away season. Now everyone is rejuvenated because we have a four week season to play. Everyone has a bit more energy and there is a bit more energy around the place. It is hard to be up for 22 weeks, but hopefully it is not that hard to be up for four weeks.

Q. Is there a sense of expectation around the club, which Essendon all of a sudden becoming the Victorian favourites for the flag?
A. Not really, we are just focusing on West Coast. Obviously they played last week to get into the eight. We are not worrying about who we are playing the week after, we are just worried about playing West Coast this week and hopefully getting over the line.

Q. Did you happen to catch the form of Ben Cousins on the weekend?
A. I haven't seen the full game but have seen highlights. He played very well and has been playing like that for the last two to three years. He is a great player and if I get him this week or one of my teammates, we know we are in for a tough job. They also have a lot of young blokes - Daniel Kerr and Chris Judd - which are equally as dangerous as Cousins in the mid-field.

Q. Who do you rate as your toughest opponent?

A. It is a tough question. Probably guys like Shane Crawford and Cousins - they are super fit and super quick and they just get a heap of the ball.

Q. Do you have a sense personally that you are running into some good form?
A. The whole team is playing a lot better so when the team is playing well it certainly helps me out in my role. If we have the ball, it means my opponent doesn't.

Q. Did you take a while to get over the wrist injury?
A. A little bit. I probably came back a few weeks too early in the end. With the injuries the club had at the time, they probably needed me out there a little bit. It did take a few weeks to get the confidence back.

Q. Do you think the death of Dick Reynolds will affect the team this Saturday?
A. It will probably give us a little bit extra going into this week. Obviously none of us were around when Dick Reynolds was playing but when he came into the club, guys were just in awe of him. He was a legend of the club.

Q.