""Their midfield has been a very exciting unit, there is no doubt about that. Most clubs would not mind West Coasts’ midfield players,"" admitted Sheedy.
The media has often criticised the Bombers’ midfield this year for it’s lack of pace against quality opposition and this Friday will certainly test that theory. Not only can the Bombers silence their critics, but a win against West Coast means that the club still has the opportunity to finish in the top four.
Despite James Hirds absence, Essendon still has a number of options they can use in the midfield. Adam McPhee has injected some excitement and run into the centre and Mark and Jason Johnson were back in form against Richmond. Youngsters Marc Bullen and Ben Haynes have also been useful additions to the centre in recent weeks.
It will be important for Sheedy to find match-ups for Ben Cousins and Chris Judd. Both players are so important to the home sides’ fortunes. ""Judd is a goal kicker and you have got be aware of that. He (Damien Peverill) played on him last time and that went okay,"" the Bomber coach highlighted.
Acting Captain Matthew Lloyd was best on ground last weekend against Richmond and finished with nine goals. He is the obvious match-winner for the Bombers, however Sheedy said he doesn’t want the side to become too Lloyd centric.
""We have got to make sure that we don’t lose any focus on winning our fair share of the ball and getting it down to Lloyd,"" Sheedy said.
""I think from that point of view, we’ve got enough talent out there to get the ball down to Lloyd enough. We’ve just got to make sure that we do it.""
Sheedy said he would not make a final decision on his side until later today. Dustin Fletcher will certainly return for the Bombers after serving a one-match suspension, while Sheedy also indicated Mark Bolton may resume after a hamstring injury kept him out of last weeks 78-point victory over Richmond.
""We’ll take about 25 or 26 players with us. We’ll take them over and work out who is available when we get there,"" he said.
The last time these clubs met, in Round 3 this year, the Bombers won in a shoot out after James Hird kicked the winning goal. Despite Hird’s absence this week, Sheedy said that he would not be surprised if there was a similar pattern to this week’s clash as both sides look to score quickly.
""Both teams are pretty exciting groups. They’ve got some very good players coming through, some very good young talented players, pretty similar to Essendon in many ways,"" Sheedy said.
""I think that we (Essendon and West Coast) are both in a situation right now where we can get a place in the 2004 finals series. We have to see if we can develop the right players and go on with it.""
