News Details

Rnd 21 Essendon v Carlton, Sunday 18th August 1:45pm @ MCG
Summary

Since 1980	All Games	Last 5 Games	Highest Score	Lowest Score	Biggest Win
Essendon	39	1	182	55	109
Carlton	27	3	165	37	78

At selection
Essendon has made four changes to their team to tackle Carlton in Saturday afternoon’s blockbuster at the MCG.
Ins – David Zaharakis, Cale Hooker, Brent Stanton and Patrick Ryder
Outs - Travis Colyer (omitted), Mark Baguley (omitted), Nathan Lovett-Murray (omitted) and Scott Gumbleton (soreness)

Preview – Get ready for war!
One of my old coaches Robert Shaw once said to me, “Paul, you will only be regarded as a genuine member of this team, when YOU decide to take matters into your own hands and stand up when it counts”, “No excuses”! Wise words from an old head that I respect immensely and those words have never left me.
To stay in control of our own fate, our lads must win and win well – simple as that! Yes, we can blame all the injuries over the past month or two or we can decide that we are a genuine threat and belong in the top 8. Baring a few players still on the sidelines injured or playing in the VFL (Mc Veigh, Hille, Winderlich and Pears to name a few) we are nearly at full strength. There will be no excuses!
As a player, if you ever wanted to know your're alive, compete against Carlton on the MCG in front of 80,000+ screaming fans and see if you have what it takes. To put it bluntly, I can’t stand Carlton and any chance I had to inflict as much pain on them as I could, I would! I’m sure the feeling’s mutual by the way! In my opinion, Essendon v Carlton is the biggest home and away game of the year, outside Anzac Day.
The return of ruckman Ryder and on-baller Stanton should make a significant difference for the bombers, while Zaharakis will provide much-needed speed through midfield.
The equation – beat Carlton this week, end their finals chances and stand up when it counts!!!
Prediction
Bombers by 1pt.....