VENUE & TIME: Subiaco, Sunday 2 August, 4.40 pm (AEST)
HEAD TO HEAD: Played: 39, West Coast 16, Essendon 23
LAST TIME: West Coast 17.11 (113) def Essendon 16.7 (103), Round 19, 2008 at Subiaco.
WALKING WOUNDED: The Bombers will be taking no risks with skipper Matthew Lloyd, who bruised his heel last weekend. Essendon football manager Paul Hamilton says the champion forward could be out for up to a month with the injury, giving his sides' finals hopes an almighty whack. Other than Lloyd, Scott Gumbleton (back), David Hille (knee) and Jason Laycock (foot) won't be seen until 2010. West Coast, meanwhile, will put premiership utility Adam Hunter through a fitness test on Friday, although it appears likely he'll be given a game in the WAFL after recovering from his third bout of shoulder surgery in the last 12 months. This is a make or break five weeks for the out-of-contract Hunter, who must convince himself and the Eagles he can play on again next season. Brent Staker (hand) and Jamie McNamara (corked thigh) will both be tested as well but appear likely to play in the WAFL too, while Dean Cox (groin) and Daniel Kerr (abdomen) remain indefinite injuries. Brett Jones (thigh) and Mark Nicoski (back) are both one to two matches away while youngster Luke Shuey (leg) looks like being placed on the long-term injury list over the next few days, paving the way for South Fremantle's Callum Wilson to be upgraded from the rookie list. Having kicked seven goals against the Bombers last year, forgotten forward Ben McKinley is playing in the WAFL and may be a chance to appear late in a forgettable season where he hasn't been able to cement a position in the side.
FORM: Both teams were on the wrong end of five-point losses last weekend. In a match where the lead changed 10 times throughout the course of the afternoon, the Eagles were overhauled by local rival Fremantle during the last quarter of a poorly skilled but dramatic Western Derby. The Bombers, on the other hand, copped a shock loss to the lowly Richmond last Sunday in another intense encounter where the Tigers almost snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. Only a towering mark from Richmond's Shane Edwards deep in defence with 16 seconds remaining saved the day for Jade Rawlings' men, leaving the Bombers clinging to eighth position after losing three of their last five matches.
WHO'S HOT: There weren't many stand-out individual efforts from the Eagles in last Saturday's loss. But saying that, Adam Selwood continued to do what he's done for much of the season, in producing a consistent blue-collar effort at the heart of West Coasts' midfield. With Kerr sidelined by his mystery abdominal injury, Selwood has played more of an in-and-under role this year, averaging almost 24 possessions a game. Against the Dockers, he earned 28 disposals, eight of which were contested, but like many of his team-mates, fails to find the goals enough to give his forwards a hand. For Essendon, it may have been a slow day for Jobe Watson and Mark McVeigh last week, but Brent Prismal continues to stand tall having been given a second chance at the Bombers. The former Cat gathered 34 possessions in another eye-catching display.
WE THINK: The Eagles have given better teams than Essendon a run for their money at Subiaco this season, having beaten the Bulldogs and Hawthorn at this venue while also challenging Geelong and St Kilda. The Bombers were also defeated there by West Coast last season by 10 points when their chance of making the 2008 finals was up for grabs and this match looms as something of a repeat performance. If Essendon can get its running game going on the long flanks at Subi then it will give its undersized forward line, which will miss Lloyd desperately, a chance of exposing West Coasts' solid defence. The Bombers will be desperate to atone for last weekend's loss to the Tigers and this may get them over the line, but their midfield will still have to contend with some intense Eagles' pressure. That being said, the Bombers should be helped by the Eagles' poor overall skill level and this may just give them an edge. Bombers by 10 points.