Essendon coach James Hird has often said that, from his former coach Kevin Sheedy, he learned to make a positive out of any experience.
Such an attitude has underwritten much of Hird's first year in charge of Essendon as coach. Every game has been an opportunity to learn and get better.
Undoubtedly disappointed after his team's 74-point loss to Collingwood on Sunday, Hird stayed optimistic. He not only wanted to know why his team dropped off in the second half like it did, but he wanted to use the lessons out of the defeat constructively.
With a position in the finals still up for grabs, this week's clash with the Sydney Swans has quickly become the focus. Long-term improvement is still the goal, but, in the short-term, Essendon's top-eight hopes remain alive.
""As much as we've spoken about this year, it is about improvement,"" Hird said.
""We have a massive game against Sydney. In the context of both of the sides' seasons, this is a crunch game against Sydney on Saturday night.
""If we come out and play the game the way we should play it, then we are a chance to win the game. I think we're a legitimate chance to win the game and then we assess it after that.""
After the Swans, Essendon will meet the Western Bulldogs, West Coast (at Patersons Stadium), and Port Adelaide (at Etihad Stadium) before having the bye in round 24.
Given the logjam in the middle of the ladder, Essendon is in a strong position to claim a spot in the final eight, despite comprehensive losses to Carlton and Collingwood in the last two weeks. Hird said such an effort would not only rely on the return of key injured players, but a dedicated approach.
""We'll move onto Sydney almost straight away and concentrate on them coming off the bye a bit fresh, so we'll have to get ourselves up after six days,"" he said.
""We hope to get players back but, the way the season has been going, we haven't been getting players back, we've been losing them.""
Essendon supporters haven’t had the chance to see their side take on the Swans in Melbourne since round one, 2006. In that game, Matthew Lloyd, in his first game as Bombers captain, kicked eight goals to lead his side to a 27-point win.
In the meantime, the Bombers have lost four of their past six meetings with the Swans, including this season's round two match which saw the Bombers defeated by five points.
