Essendon Bombers v West Coast Eagles
AFL Aussie Rules : Australia : AFL Premiership
Venue : Etihad Stadium, Melbourne
Saturday, 17th July 2010 - Start 19:10 AEST

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This match sees two sides in disarray playing each other and I am not really sure what they are playing for.

Essendon’s coach has been under pressure all week after a string of performances while the Eagles coach has faced the same pressure for 6 weeks now.

The difference in this will be that it is in Melbourne and the Dons cannot afford another loss against weak opposition. The Bombers are feeling the current pressure a little more and I think that will pave the way for an Essendon win this week.

Essendon Bombers (13th, 5-10) Form : LLLLL

The Bombers have been put under the media spotlight for the last few days and rightfully so. They made the 8 last year and natural progression suggests they would have done the same this year. However they are struggling down the table and now look no chance to make the 8, unless they win their last 7. This match is at their favourite venue and with the Eagles not liking travel to Melbourne (or at all for that matter) it is safe to think Essendon should have this one.

The defence sees Dustin Fletcher come back in this week. He is a love or hate sort of player but you cannot underestimate the impact he has in that defensive 50. Cale Hooker and Heath Hocking are both youngsters but will need to take a big step up in the last 7 games after promising defender Tayte Pears was ruled out for the year after a pancreas injury. Although when discussing defence I think this game might be a matter of who scores better because both defences conceded at least 17 goals last week.

The Bombers midfield sees Jason Winderlich and Job Watson leading the way as they are the two most experienced. The support will come from youngsters Sam Lonergan, Courtenay Dempsey and Leroy Jetta. When the Bombers were on fire earlier in the year it was because they applied some very extreme pressure for the duration of every match. The midfield has slackened off in recent weeks, but it will be up to these players to get back into their defensive habits of chasing and tackling.

Up forward for the Dons they have Jay Neagle who is improving with every game he gets under his belt. He kicked 3 last week and will be hoping to do something similar against an ordinary Eagles defence. Alwyn Davey, David Zaharakis and Angus Monfries will trouble the Eagle defenders with their defensive pressure and crumbing abilities. Michael Hurley will need to repay the faith shown in him at one stage or another and this match could see him have a productive outing.

West Coast Eagles (16th, 3-12) Form : LLLLL

The Eagles put in a disappointing last term against the Crows last week and went down by 22 points. The problem is their defence. They conceded 117 points and 4 Crows players had multiple goals. That tells me they have weak players who repeatedly make errors either of skill or judgement. Like Port Adelaide I have the Eagles as a rabble this year after many experts predicted a top 8 finish (not me because I am a true expert and knew they had no chance). It is really hard to see the Eagles travelling and getting a win in Melbourne.

The Eagles defence is filled with no names. It is a bit rough to say that but it is the fact. Beau Waters is the most recognisable having played in West Coast’s 2006 Premiership win. The others include Eric Mackenzie, Brad Sheppard and Mitchell Brown. They have to rebuild at one stage or another but I cannot help but think the Eagles are not doing the starting from scratch thing properly, and it will not get any easier from here. Expect this defence to give up another hefty total this weekend.

In the centre for the Eagles you have Matt Priddis and Matt Rosa doing most of the work. If it wasn’t for the two Matts the Eagles could be nearly winless this year as they get so heavily involved in every match. You can once again expect them to be among the Eagles best but I don’t think they can do enough to get that win the Eagles want. The Selwood brothers are made of hard stuff and they will add a bit of grunt to the West Coast midfield and if everything clicks for the Eagles they could make this tight, but I don’t think they are good enough.

Josh Kennedy is the leader of the forward line. He and Mark LeCras are forming a formidable partnership but it is not reaping any rewards. These two are kicking many of the Eagle’s goals without getting too much support from elsewhere and that is a huge problem. As a result the Bomber defenders will know exactly who to man-up on and perhaps even double team. Dean Cox will need to go forward often and have a huge influence from the ruck if the Eagles are to be competitive here.

The Pick :

Essendon to win

FIXED ODDS BETTING :

Take Essendon to win. They’re at 1.42 on Centrebet.
(High Stakes)