Essendon will face a supremely confident Hawthorn in Friday night's blockbuster according to assistant coach Ashley Prescott.
Prescott said recent comments from the Hawks camp show they believe they are travelling far better than when they suffered a defeat to Essendon in Round 6.  
“They (Hawthorn) are talking themselves up by saying last time they were terrible and are not giving us any credit for our performance so we have to make sure that we get back to playing really good hard, contested  footy,"" Prescott said on Weekend Rewind today.

“They have been playing good footy and have really started to win the hard ball.

“Luke Hodge has been great and Cyril Rioli has been playing in the midfield so it’ll be a real challenge for the whole team to really step up against Hawthorn.”
Prescott said the Bombers will have to rebound quickly after being outclassed by Geelong by 71-points.

“When we had our chances with the footy we went back off the mark, we played slow and we didn’t play with enough dare and flair,” he said.

“Whilst we got pretty good tackle numbers, defensively we just approached the Geelong ball carriers with too much care which just allowed them to waltz through us.”

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Ruckman Patrick Ryder conceded that the reigning-Premiers were simply superior on the night.

“Their ball winning ability and the way they use the footy was a lot better than ours,” Ryder said on Weekend Rewind.

""Obviously in the second half we had a few tired bodies, which happens when you’re chasing the opposition.”

While the form of young ruckman Tom Bellchambers in his first senior game of the year was promising, Prescott said not enough Bombers contributed.
“Jason Winderlich worked himself into the game and showed a bit of that hard run in the second half,” he said.

“Heath Hocking, Leroy Jetta and Paddy Ryder worked quite hard and Alwyn Davey put some great tackles on and some great chases.

“But when you look at who played well there wasn’t really a player who grabbed hold of the game.”
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Prescott admitted the team missed David Hille and Angus Monfries who both have relatively minor hamstring injuries.  

“It’s looking pretty positive for Hille and Monfries,"" he said. 
""They won’t be available for selection against Hawthorn but are looking cherry ripe for after the bye.""
Cale Hooker is expected to return this Friday night after over-coming a hamstring strain.
South Australian fan information: Essendon players and coaches will appear at 'Breakfast with the Bombers' in Adelaide the morning after their clash with the Crows.
When: Sunday, 4th July at 8:30am (doors open at 8am).
Where: Adelaide Hilton, Victoria Square.
 
Tickets cost $50 per adult and $25 for under 15's and includes a cooked breakfast, door prize, raffles, auctions, interviews with the players, autograph and photo opportunities.
 
Numbers are limited and booking can be made by emailing Jeff at: jeff12@adam.com.au or Brad at: bradleej@adam.com.au