Essendon coach Kevin Sheedy heads into Friday night's clash with Adelaide with one of the club's strongest travelling teams in recent times.
Winless at AAMI Stadium since round 16 of the 2000 home-and-away season, the Bombers will also make the trip across the border on the morning of the match to try and break their drought at the venue.
"It'll be our best side we've taken over there for quite some time. We've always ended up going over with no (Matthew) Lloyd or no (Dustin) Fletcher or no both of them or three or four players that we just never had available," Sheedy said before training at Windy Hill on Monday.
"We've worked hard to get back to a 5-2 win-loss ratio so it's just so important that we play well over in Adelaide."
"I picked Adelaide to make the eight at the start of the season so I think they've always been a pretty good side, a very good club and they are always in there. Consistently they are a good, strong-performing football club."
One player who Sheedy said was certain to play was captain James Hird, who looked to have suffered a slight knee hyperextension during the win over the Bulldogs last week.
"He's either in or he's out. At the moment, the doctors say he'll play, the physio says he's okay and the fitness coach will clear him. There's no problem with James Hird. You'll waste your time talking about it."
Hird didn't train on the ground but had a swim session, as did Sean Wellman. According to Sheedy, he is likely to be spared from any work on the track in the lead-up to this week's match.
Further on selection, Sheedy indicated Mark McVeigh and Damian Cupido, who didn't train on Monday after playing in the VFL the day before, are a chance to come back this week.
"We're not far off getting back to our full squad," he said.
Jordan Chong
Courtesy afl.com.au
Winless at AAMI Stadium since round 16 of the 2000 home-and-away season, the Bombers will also make the trip across the border on the morning of the match to try and break their drought at the venue.
"It'll be our best side we've taken over there for quite some time. We've always ended up going over with no (Matthew) Lloyd or no (Dustin) Fletcher or no both of them or three or four players that we just never had available," Sheedy said before training at Windy Hill on Monday.
"We've worked hard to get back to a 5-2 win-loss ratio so it's just so important that we play well over in Adelaide."
"I picked Adelaide to make the eight at the start of the season so I think they've always been a pretty good side, a very good club and they are always in there. Consistently they are a good, strong-performing football club."
One player who Sheedy said was certain to play was captain James Hird, who looked to have suffered a slight knee hyperextension during the win over the Bulldogs last week.
"He's either in or he's out. At the moment, the doctors say he'll play, the physio says he's okay and the fitness coach will clear him. There's no problem with James Hird. You'll waste your time talking about it."
Hird didn't train on the ground but had a swim session, as did Sean Wellman. According to Sheedy, he is likely to be spared from any work on the track in the lead-up to this week's match.
Further on selection, Sheedy indicated Mark McVeigh and Damian Cupido, who didn't train on Monday after playing in the VFL the day before, are a chance to come back this week.
"We're not far off getting back to our full squad," he said.
Jordan Chong
Courtesy afl.com.au
