The Bombers have suffered a major blow in the lead up to this weekend's crunch match against Richmond with news that star forward Mark Mercuri is a doubtful starter. Mercuri failed to train with the senior group tonight and is struggling to shake a calf muscle injury he has been carrying for the past couple of games. ""We were hopeful he would play earlier in the week but he is in doubt now that he has missed the main training night of the week. I would rate him a 50/50 chance at best,"" Essendon football manager Matthew Drain said.

But the Bombers small forward stocks will not be further decimated by the loss of mark McVeigh. McVeigh was suffering from groin soreness following the Bombers win over the West Coast Eagles. ""He didn't train tonight either but that was very much a precautionary measure with him,"" Drain said. ""We are very confident he will play.""

The Bombers were put through their longest session of the week in preparation for the match with the Tigers at the MCG. The players were asked to do a lot of skill work under pressure. ""The next four weeks are going to be tough and the players will need to perform under pressure - we try and simulate that as best we can on the track,"" Essendon coach Kevin Sheedy said.