WITH six games remaining before the finals, there is plenty of talk about Essendon's run home but Andrew Welsh has cautioned the youthful Bombers against looking too far into the future.

Though Essendon is holding onto eighth spot by percentage with Port Adelaide and Hawthorn nipping at its heels, Welsh was confident the focus at Windy Hill would remain where it needed to be – on beating traditional rival Richmond on Sunday.

"With such a young group we can't afford to be looking too far ahead because they get influenced easily," Welsh said from AFL House on Wednesday.

"If we're about looking forward to four weeks ahead then they can get a bit overawed by that.

"We're just focusing on this week and I think that's all we can do."

The Bombers are widely perceived to be the most vulnerable of the sides in the bottom half of the eight because of many of their players' lack of experience.

Patrick Ryder, Courtenay Dempsey, Tayte Pears, Heath Hocking and Cale Hooker are all still under 21 and have played a lot of football for the Bombers this season, but Welsh said the club was well aware of the need to be careful with its youngsters.

"The fitness staff has a structure where they can monitor how guys are going through a week of training," he said.

"If anything is at high levels for a younger guy or they might notice he's getting a bit tired, they might back him off for a couple of skill sessions or a running session or something like that.

"As part of the leadership group it's [also] part of our role to make sure these guys are aware that this [burnout] can happen. It's happened to us early in our careers and how we dealt with that and worked through that.

"I think it's a pretty big emphasis for the older guys around the club to continue to teach these young guys how you do work through that because AFL football really has a strong focus on recovery these days."

The clash against the Tigers is a vital one for Essendon's finals aspirations and Welsh said their opponents would be afforded the utmost respect despite their three-win season to date.

"I think coming up against your rivals like Richmond, Collingwood and Carlton, it doesn't matter where either side is on the ladder. It's always a fierce competitive contest and that's something that we're going to be focusing on," he said.

"I think back over my career so far and the games against Richmond, Collingwood and Carlton are the ones that really stand out and stick in your mind because they are so fiercely competed.

"The clubs have been around for so many years that you feel that extra bit proud to pull on the Essendon jumper when you're going against Richmond."