Essendon will attempt to restore their confidence this week as they face top of the table St Kilda in the first of a string of mini finals for the club. Since their last meeting in Round 2 this year, both sides have had different tales to tell. The Bombers won six straight after that 34-point defeat back in May. After winning their first 10 games, St Kilda has lost four of their past six matches.

Essendon Coach Kevin Sheedy said things had changed since the two teams last met. ""It’s not the same 22 players that played at the start of the year,"" he said.

""Both these sides have changed since they beat us at The Dome earlier in the year. They’ve got their back line out and we’ve got our forward line out, that’s about it. It’s sort of like a flip of the coin isn’t it,"" Sheedy said at training this afternoon.

For the Bombers, Scott Lucas (hamstring), James Hird (rib) and Dean Rioli (hamstring) are missing from a forward line that still possesses superstar Matthew Lloyd. The form of Ted Richards in the last quarter against West Coast (he kicked three goals), also gives Essendon another avenue to score. Injuries to key St Kilda back men Max Hudghton, Luke Penny and Matt Maguire provide hope that the Bomber forward line can kick a winning score.

Despite this, Sheedy is well aware of the strengths of his highly fancied opponents. ""They have still got their midfield, which is a very exciting part of their team. We’ve got a good back line in, they’ve got a good forward line in, and in the midfield, well it’s up to us to put some pressure on and try to get it going down our end,"" he said.

The Bombers welcome back key defender Sean Wellman (hamstring) into the side, whilst Sheedy said that exciting forward Damian Cupido (knee) was a chance to play. Dustin Fletcher (teeth) and Mark McVeigh (corkie) have recovered from injuries suffered in last week’s loss and will also play.

Sheedy fielded a barrage of questions at training about the chances of James Hird playing, saying that if he is not right to play then he shouldn’t play at all. ""My team is the issue here, not whether Hird plays or not. That’s how Essendon play and perform,"" he said.

And perform they will have to against a St Kilda side also looking to build momentum heading into business end of the season.

Please note: there is only standing room available to the St Kilda v Essendon game on Friday night. Call Ticketmaster7 on 131600 for more information.