A spirited second half fight back by the Bombers was not enough to prevent a strong Hawthorn unit from sealing a 16-point win at the MCG tonight.

 

The Bombers allowed the Hawks too much room early before working themselves back into the match. However it was too little too late for the Bombers with Buddy Franklin's dominance in the forward line proving the difference between the two sides.

 

Essendon assistant coach Adrian Hickmott said the Bombers' slow start was costly but commended their ability to fight back.

 

""It was obviously a disappointing result tonight because I know the boys worked really hard to get back into the game,"" Hickmott said.

 

""The first quarter let us down a bit but after that we were competitive and it was a lot more pleasing.""

 

 

Hickmott commended the hard-working Essendon midfield and the tackling pressure shown by Alwyn Davey and Leroy Jetta.

 

""Overall our midfield did a good job tonight,"" he said.

 

""I thought Jason Winderlich worked hard all night and combined well with Jobe Watson, Brent Prismall, Nathan Lovett-Murray and Jake Melksham on the wing.

 

""Alwyn Davey and Leroy Jetta's tackling was outstanding tonight. David Zaharakis also worked hard for us.

 

""I think Alwyn had ten tackles tonight so that is just a brilliant effort.""

 

 

The mid-season break couldn't have come at a better time for the Bombers who have lost their last three matches.

 

""Obviously the break provides a good opportunity for the boys to refresh their bodies and come out strong for the second half of the season.""

 

Matthew Knights said in his post match media conference that he would look to give young players like Scott Gumbleton - who has played all 13 rounds - games off in the next part of the season to manage their workload.

 

He said he expected to debut two or three players.