Essendon’s finals hopes are in jeopardy again after a 17-point loss to Carlton today. With five games remaining in the round, Essendon is clinging to eighth position, but is likely to drop outside the top eight if the Kangaroos beat Sydney tonight at the SCG. The Bombers were disappointing against the Blues after a fantastic win against Port Adelaide last weekend.
""We were hoping to go into the finals series on a bit of a roll. We just have to win week by week now and make sure we do the right things. Maybe today’s game will set us up for a big game against Collingwood next week,"" assistant coach Kevin Morris said.
The Bombers looked flat from the opening bounce and struggled to play the free flowing game style that won them the match against Port. They overused the ball and their skill level let them down. The statistics highlighted the Bombers’ overuse of the ball – Essendon finished with 182 possessions and took 74 marks. Carlton collected 169 disposals and took 49 marks.
""We had a lot more to fight for than what they did – we were fighting for a higher position in the top eight, so that we have a chance to play a home final. It was very critical for us today to win but it just didn’t happen for us,"" Morris said.
Heavy rain in the opening term made things tough, but Carlton handled the wet and slippery conditions better and played a more direct brand of football. The Bombers’ also couldn’t find scoring options. The conditions weren’t conducive to Damian Cupido and Nathan Lovett-Murray and Matthew Lloyd was starved of opportunities. When Lloyd left the field midway through the third term after a heavy knock to his shoulder, Essendon’s chances of winning the game suffered a severe blow.
Lloyd’s shoulder was heavily iced for the remainder of the game and the Essendon medical staff diagnosed his injury as a bruised shoulder after the game. At this stage the doctors will monitor his condition during the week and is still a chance to play against Collingwood on Friday night.
Andrew Welsh was the other injury concern out of the match. The 21-year-old left the field after three-quarter time with a bruised knee. His progress will also be monitored during the week and a decision on his availability will be made later in the week.
After today’s result, the game against Collingwood next Friday night is a must win for the Bombers. Essendon should regain the services of key defender Sean Wellman for the important match. With Bendigo recording a 37-point win today against Geelong, there will be a number of players pushing for senior selection as well.
