Essendon coach Kevin Sheedy has described tonight's clash with Brisbane as a ""Grand Final"" for the Bombers. In what shapes as being one of the matches of the round, Essendon will take on the Premiership favorites Brisbane at Colonial Stadium tonight. Victory will restore confidence and a place in the eight, a loss will put Essendon under enormous pressure in the final four rounds. It is hardly suprising that Sheedy wasn't playing down the importance of the match.

""It is a very important game for us, a Grand Final - we need the four points,"" Sheedy said. ""Our form in the first half last week was quite good. We could have been a lot further in front at half-time so we can take something out of that. We will need to play well.""

Sheedy confirmed both Dustin Fletcher and James Hird would take their place in the side. ""Fletcher has missed some football so we will have a look at how we use him. He could spend some time up forward or play off the bench - we will just see how things are going.""

Everone knows how critical this game is for Essendon but here is some news that might cheer up Bomber fans - it is still mathematically possible for Essendon to finish on top of the ladder. The bad news is they could also finish 14th.