The Hawks are striving for its eighth consecutive win, while the Bombers are looking to bounce back from a disappointing outing against Geelong last Friday night.

There is sure to be a lot of spice in the top eight battle, as the Bombers look to knock off a side sitting above them on the ladder for just the third time this season.

The Hawks on the other hand, will be looking to further cement their place in the top four as the race to the finals rolls on.

Looking ahead

The Bombers have won three of the past six matches, but those wins have come against sides in the bottom half of the ladder - Port Adelaide, Western Bulldogs and Fremantle.

The three matches the Bombers have lost, have come against sides sitting in the top eight, either above or below Essendon - Geelong, St Kilda, Sydney.

While Essendon was convincingly beaten by both Geelong (67 points) and St Kilda (71 points), the Bombers came roaring home against the Swans at Etihad Stadium in Round 11.

The Swans shut down the Bombers run, and with that, limited their ability to effectively turn defence into attack by utilising quick and precise ball movement, predominantly by foot.

The Bombers love to use their pace, and on the fast track under the roof at Etihad Stadium, a free running style of game suits the Bombers. The Swans were able to open up a seemingly match-winning 48-point lead late in the third quarter.

The Swans were able to close the game up, and shut down all space the Bombers had to work in by applying 90 tackles over the course of the game. Given that the Bombers are the number one team in the competition for kicks, applying pressure around the ball becomes crucial.

The ability to shut down the Bombers run comes down to Hawthorn’s forward pressure and restricting the influence of Dustin Fletcher off Essendon’s half backline. Fletcher averages five rebound 50s per game, and with his lethal right boot, is a dangerous weapon for Essendon.

Hawthorn Coach Alastair Clarkson could consider using a man-on-man style against the Bombers to restrict their ability to find loose targets and play on at all costs.

Forcing the Bombers to kick over the man on the mark is a key to stopping the Bombers achieving quick ball movement to forwards Stewart Crameri and Scott Gumbleton.

Key too, for the Hawks will be their ability to stop Jobe Watson in the middle. Watson is ranked number two in the competition for clearances, averaging 7.2 clearances per game, just 0.1 behind West Coast’s Matthew Priddis.

Watson sets the Bombers up in the middle, combing with Heath Hocking to form a dynamic duo for Essendon in the middle. Between them, Hocking and Watson combine for an average of 10 clearances per game.

The duo release runners Ben Howlett, Courtenay Dempsey, Brent Stanton and Dyson Heppell who use their pace and skill to deliver to their forwards and force one-on-one contests.

Unfortunately for the Bombers, however, the Hawks are the second-best clearance team in the league, averaging 40 per game. Sam Mitchell and Brad Sewell lead the way for the Hawks, averaging five clearances apiece and are sure to find themselves matched up on Watson and Hocking for large portions of the match.


Sam Mitchell: “Watson is close to the best contested possession player in the league. He’s a very good player, he’s very strong and very hard to defend because he’s so good on the ground and in the air.

“He’s very damaging and a good one-on-one player. He’s having a stellar season and someone we’re going to put a lot of time into this week.”


Kaan Yaritz on Facebook: “Essendon are one of the fastest ball movers in competition, so the Hawks would have to be mindful of stopping their run into open space. I think Fletcher should have a defending forward on him and have him play deep to nullify his influence. I'll have Puopolo on (Alwyn) Davey, Lewis on Watson and Shiels on Stanton to restrict their influence as key playmakers for them.”





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Check out highlights, stats and more from the last time the Hawks met the Bombers.