Essendon have been dealt an early injury blow on Saturday night, with ruck Nick Bryan subbed out before quarter time with a knee injury.
Almost innocuously, the 203cm tall left the field of play and didn’t return halfway through the opening term.
And in a just as concerning site, opposition Dee Steven May left the ground grimacing not long after with what appeared to be a foot complaint.
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The Demons (0-4) showed promise against Geelong last week, but ultimately remain winless — and loss to the Bombers on Saturday night would take them to 0-5 for the first time since 2012 when they lost their first nine straight games.
The Bombers (1-2) will be fresh coming off the bye, with their last game — a tense comeback win over Port Adelaide — coming over a fortnight ago.
Since the start of 2021, the Demons are 45-3 when they score more than 85 points. Problematically the Bombers have given up 85-plus points 52 times in the last five years, but they’re 34-9 when they keep opponents under that mark.
“That’s the number,” Leigh Montagna said on First Crack Preview.
“If they keep Melbourne under 85 points, Essendon will kick a big enough score to win.
“If they cannot slow them down, if they can’t get their defence right, they could lose a game that I think they’d be disappointed to lose.”
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