Essendon vice-captain Matthew Lloyd is not hiding from the fact that Essendon needs to lift if they are serious about finishing in the top-four this season. Speaking on Bomber Radio last night, Lloyd said the team’s performance was not good enough against Melbourne and the Bombers must win their next two games if they are genuine contenders.

""It was disappointing. The last two weeks we have probably been found out a little bit. We just have to work hard over the break and hopefully get a few players back and get back on the winner’s list,"" Lloyd said.

Essendon was convincingly beaten in every area against Melbourne yesterday. As a team, Melbourne collected 534 possessions, compared to Essendon’s 461. Melbourne not only collected more possessions, they used the ball better. Lloyd said that the Bombers miss directed too many handballs and had poor execution of the football.

""Melbourne are a great running side and they have beaten a number of sides with their run – Fremantle and Collingwood last week. It just felt like they worked harder and got more numbers to the footy,"" he said.

Melbourne also dominated the scoreboard and if not for such inaccurate kicking in the first half, the match could have been all over at half-time. The Demons had 20 scoring shots to seven at the major change, but only held a 23-point advantage.

""Against top-four sides you don’t want to make too many excuses. When you lose players of the calibre of Fletcher, Wellman and Rioli it is going to affect you. There are a few aspects of our game where we are probably not gut running hard enough and running the lines well enough,"" Lloyd said.

""I just think as a club we have to be hard on each other because we have been training since November. You just don’t want to waste the good start we have got and just finish fifth or sixth again.

""We have been there the last two years and I feel we have improved, even though the scoreboard doesn’t show it. I am sick and tired of going interstate for finals, so we have to finish in the top-four.""

Despite Essendon’s successive losses, personally Lloyd has been in good form. He has kicked an aggregate of 17 goals in the past three matches. Ideally Lloyd would like to see even more of the footy in the Bombers’ forward 50 meter arc. ""Probably the last few weeks we have beaten inside 50’s by 15 – 20 and obviously you would love those 15 – 20 to be on your side.

""I thought our defence was good against Melbourne. Aaron Henneman, Mark Bolton, Andrew Welsh and Mark McVeigh really were solid. It doesn’t help them when the ball is coming in like that. It is a forwards and mid-field pressure thing and it can be frustrating at times,"" Lloyd commented.