Mark Bolton is yet to find out which Brisbane Lions player he will match-up on this Saturday night at The Pressure Cooker. Regardless of his opponent, he is guaranteed to have a busy night. It is highly likely that he could get the job on gun centre half-forward Jonathan Brown.

After the tribunal sidelined Brown for two weeks, he returned last week against Port Adelaide in outstanding form. Brown took 12 marks, booted three goals and finished with 20 possessions. He is without doubt a key member of Brisbane’s outfit and can dominate a game off his boot.

If Bolton lines up on Brown on Saturday night, it won’t be the first time. ""I have played on him before in 2002 at The Dome. He is a really good player, everyone knows that,"" Bolton said. ""He has a fantastic work rate. He is very, very fit and he runs a lot. He is obviously not afraid to run back with the flight of the ball.""

Bolton said he is keen to get the opportunity to play on the triple premiership player again. ""It is great to get the challenge to play on players like him, so if I do on Saturday night, it will be good,"" Bolton said.

""We find out late in the week who we match up on. But we have a pretty settled back six this season, so it could be either myself, Welly (Sean Wellman), even Fletch (Dustin Fletcher), or Adam McPhee. Whoever gets the job, I am sure they will do it well.""

For the first time in a few seasons, Essendon’s back six consisting of Bolton, Wellman, Fletcher, McPhee, Andrew Welsh and Mark McVeigh, has been settled for the majority of the season. Bolton believes this has a lot to do with backline coach Dean Wallis. ""He (Wallis) really likes to get the same guys working together each week. You do form a bond together and know how each other play, so it is a good advantage.""

Essendon is in good shape at the half-way mark of the season, with a 7:3 win loss ratio. Essendon has two tough weeks ahead before the mid-season bye. After Brisbane this Saturday night, the team faces the in-form Melbourne at the MCG. ""Probably the next two weeks will really tell us where we are going to sit this year. Over the next couple of weeks, we can really take control of our season,"" Bolton said.

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.