Essendon might be a club in crisis, but Fremantle coach Ross Lyon has put his charges on “full battle alert” ahead of Friday’s AFL clash at Patersons Stadium.
Essendon are one of the form teams of the competition after opening their season with convincing wins over Adelaide and Melbourne.
But the drugs saga engulfing the club intensified markedly on Thursday when senior coach James Hird was accused of injecting a WADA-blacklisted drug.
Former Essendon sports scientist Stephen Dank also revealed he gave players an anti-obesity drug, an extract from pig’s brain, the first milk from a mother cow and a bark extract in a bizarre attempt to improve on-field performances.
Essendon players have coped well with the off-field dramas so far, but the latest revelations will severely test the team’s resolve ahead of a crucial game.
Lyon refused to delve too deeply into Essendon’s problems, but said they remained a formidable opponent despite the off-field distractions.
“We all understand there’s serious issues being investigated. There’s reports pending,” Lyon said on Thursday.
“I understand there’s scrutiny and it’s difficult.
“I think they’ve handled it well.
“They’ve set themselves for us.
“James spoke about it straight after their last win, so we understand what’s coming.
“It’s full battle alert here.”
The Dockers have been in impressive touch in wins over West Coast and the Western Bulldogs.
And in an ominous message to their rivals, Lyon reckons Fremantle have been merely operating at 70 per cent, and had plenty of improvement left in them.
Former St Kilda midfielder Brendon Goddard has been giving the Bombers tips on how to unravel Lyon’s defensive game plan this week.
But Lyon, who coached Goddard at the Saints for five seasons before switching to Fremantle, laughed off the effect his former pupil might have in the tactical battle.
“He never used to listen in my team meetings. BJ, I hope you’ve started listening,” Lyon joked.
“I have regular contact with BJ. He’s one of my favourites – or was. He’s a great player. They’re fortunate to have him and he’ll be a handful on Friday night.”
Essendon have won five of their six games against Lyon-coached teams.
Lyon thought a big reason behind that record was his reluctance to send a tagger to Bombers skipper Jobe Watson in those games.
But it seems like Watson’s free ride is over, with master tagger Ryan Crowley looming as his likely opponent.
“We’ll give him the respect he deserves,” Lyon said of Watson, who has tallied 72 possessions over two games this year.
“He’s the reigning Brownlow medallist, captain of their club, best and fairest winner. He’s an elite player of the competition that needs plenty of time put into him.”
Who’s in your ultimate team? Pick the best team and compete with other fans for daily prizes on Draftstars. For the best odds on the game try out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Think. Is this a bet you really want to place? Set a deposit limit.
Eddie McGuire's latest bold idea has dropped - for North Melbourne to take over the outskirts of Melbourne and use it to rejuvenate the…
Does he have a point?
For all the pomp and circumstance that surrounds the now-traditional Anzac Day clash at the MCG, there has been one thing conspicuously lacking over…
Old mate summing it up better than anyone possibly could!
