When Essendon lost to Brisbane in round 15, most Bomber fans probably conceded finals was not going to be a reality in 2017. But two consecutive wins now has Essendon sitting 10th on the ladder and firmly back in the finals mix.

The 61 point victory over St Kilda last Friday was one of the best performances from the Essendon Bombers this year. They dominated from the opening bounce to the final siren. Really the margin could have been even greater in what was a total team performance.

The Bombers last finals appearance was in 2014 when they were knocked out in the Elimination Final against North Melbourne.

The run home

The remaining fixtures should give the Dons confidence they can make a serious play towards finals qualification.

In the remaining six games the Essendon Bombers play only one team currently placed in the top eight (Adelaide). So it is a favourable run home compared to some of the other teams competing for a finals birth.

Coach John Worsfold was obviously delighted after the St Kilda win. He is confident that his team is trending in the right direction at the right time of the year.

“I’ve seen this group improving across the year. There’s no doubt our footy over the last three or four weeks has been better than what it was in the first four weeks of the year.”

Essendon Bombers On-field

Essendon certainly have multiple players in great form headlined by Michael Hurley, Joe Daniher and Zach Merrett who are all very much in the frame for All-Australian selection.

Dyson Heppell continues to grow as a leader and the side currently has a good on-field balance.

Experience with players such as Jobe Watson, James Kelly and Brendon Goddard complimented with plenty of young emerging talent such as Darcy Parish, Andrew McGrath and Orazio Fantasia.

As Essendon’s form has improved so have many key performance indicators. The Bombers are currently ranked in the top five in the league for kicks, disposals, marks and points per match.

The midfield is one area that has improved significantly in the last month with Essendon now ranked fifth for contested possession during this period.

Winning more of the ball and generating more inside 50s while defensively they are getting the job done. The opposition have only scored over 100 points once in the last six weeks.

Momentum building

In what has been an unpredictable AFL season, it is difficult to know what will happen from one week to the next.

Essendon should take confidence from the fact they have had wins this year over current top eight teams Geelong, Port Adelaide and West Coast. The heartbreaking loss to the in-form Sydney should also have been chalked down as a win.

Last year the Western Bulldogs proved anything can happen if you make it to September.

A Premiership is certainly unlikely but the Bombers are on the right track. If they can finish in the top eight then certainly they have the capacity to cause some damage in September.

by Liam Sheedy – contributor

Follow on Facebook: Sheedy Says