Essendon assistant coach Gary O’Donnell has called for his players to make a stand as they look to improve their win-loss record against Port Adelaide on Saturday.
“We certainly haven’t got a good record, probably the worst record of any team we play,” O’Donnell said to Bomber.tv today.
“I think maybe it’s about time our players started to feel that this run has gone too long and this footy team we’re playing against on the weekend has had it over us in recent years and maybe it’s time for our players to make a stand.
“This week’s game promises to be a good opportunity to get another win on the board and to string together another good performance in order to start to turn the season around on the ladder.
“We think we have moved ahead as a football team this year but the results haven’t shown that yet so it’s a good challenge for us to see whether we can turn around a losing sequence against Port.
Henry Slattery admits the Bombers were outmuscled by the Power in their Round 1 encounter last season and says Essendon would be looking to replicate the defensive pressure shown in last week’s win over the Hawks.
“They (Port Adelaide) brought that heat early and we didn’t respond so hopefully with a home-ground advantage we can beat them this time,” Slattery said.
“We’ve just got to match their aggression and intensity and if we can do that I’m sure we’ll be able to win.
“This week is a very important game for us in terms of getting back on track for finals so it shapes as a must-win game and we need to show that this week in terms of our attack on the ball.”
O'Donnell said that Michael Hurley has had a very light week on the track after hurting his knee last weekend but is expected to play against the Power.
