Bombers vow to rebound against Hawthorn

A DEFIANT Essendon has vowed to shrug off last week's big loss to Geelong and hit powerhouse Hawthorn hard on Friday night.

Kyle Hardingham

A DEFIANT Essendon has vowed to shrug off last week's big loss to Geelong and hit powerhouse Hawthorn hard on Friday night.

The Bombers slumped to their second consecutive heavy loss when they went down to the Cats by 67 points on Friday - just a week after surrendering to St Kilda by 71 points.

But Essendon defender Kyle Hardingham says the two defeats have focused the side even more and points to statistics to back up his optimism.

"We know that this week is a big game for us so if we can take a few positives out of the game - we are still top-four in defence," he said.

"Hawthorn are in the top rankings for their forward lines so it's just going to be a big game and we're looking forward to bouncing back.

"If on Friday night we can come out the same way Geelong came out after their loss then it's going to be a really big game."

Hardingham said the Bombers knew they were "resilient" and warned they should never be underestimated.

"We know that when we're under the pump and things aren't going our way that we can turn it around," he said.

Last year, Essendon's form dropped off nearing the end of the season but Hardingham believes there will be no repeat this year.

"As a team we have definitely improved as a whole and there's more players who are stepping up each week," he said.

"The VFL are going really well so when blokes aren't going really well we can bring players straight in and fill those gaps."

Essendon coach James Hird has encouraged his team to embrace the challenge that confronts them as they face a tough run home.

"The message to our players is that we are going to find out a lot about our group over the next six weeks and I think that is exciting," Hird said on SEN.

"We have a good win-loss record as we stand at round 17 but we are still going to play some of the best teams in the competition.

"I think it is very exciting rather than daunting."

The Bombers, currently sixth on the ladder, will play Hawthorn, Adelaide, North Melbourne, Carlton, Richmond and Collingwood over the next six weeks.