The fourth game on Saturday for AFL Round 23 is between Essendon Bombers and Richmond Tigers. The opening bounce is set to commence at 7:40pm with the game to be played at MCG. The favourite for the match is away team Richmond Tigers. View our preview and teams for the game between Essendon Bombers and Richmond Tigers.

Round: Round 23 7:40 PM August 31, 2013
Stadium: MCG
Weather: 20° Partly cloudy.

Featured Bookmakers:

Essendon Bombers $2.90 vs Richmond Tigers $1.40 at Sportsbet Australia get a $250 FREE BET on this match

Essendon Bombers $3.30 vs Richmond Tigers $1.35 at Luxbet Australia get a $500 FREE BET on this match

Odds Comparison by AFL Odds:

Essendon Bombers	2.90	N/A	3.30	N/A	2.90	N/A
Richmond Tigers	1.40	N/A	1.35	N/A	1.40	N/A

Preview:

Big clash on Saturday night sees the recently punished Essendon up against Richmond who are on the eve of their first finals appearance since 2001.

It was a big performance by the Bombers last week who, as they’ve done for the majority of the season, were able to put the off-field drama aside and register a tenacious six point win
over Carlton.

Unfortunately though, their efforts this year will amount to nothing with the AFL declaring the Bombers will not be permitted to participate in this year’s finals due to the supplement scandal findings.

It is one of if not the biggest drama to have hit the AFL and it is anyone’s guess how the Bomber players will perform this weekend.

Richmond coasted to a 121 point victory over GWS last week. It was their third win in the past four weeks which included a win over Hawthorn in round 19.

There’s little between the two teams in terms of season stats and it could come down how well the Bomber players handle the developments of this week.

Richmond will have to brace for an early onslaught from the Bombers who generally start well. If they can weather that, the emotional toll of this week and season, as it had prior to last week’s Carlton match, might start to take a toll on the Bombers.

Richmond have won 2 of 5 matches between the two clubs since 2011 – all held here at the MCG.

This is a unique clash and from a betting point-of-view has too many questions that can’t be answered until during or after the game.

Teams:

Essendon Bombers:
B: Baguley Hurley Pears
HB: Dalgleish Hooker Goddard
C: Hibberd Watson Stanton
HF: Hardingham Carlisle Crameri
F: Merrett Ryder Davey
FOLL: Hille Melksham Zaharakis
I/C: Howlett Lovett-Murray Kavanagh Jetta
EMG: O’Brien Browne Ashby
In: Nathan Lovett-Murray, David Hille, Leroy Jetta, Elliott Kavanagh
Out: Nick Kommer (hand), Joe Daniher (omitted), Heath Hocking (suspension), David Myers (illness)

Richmond Tigers:
B: Morris Rance Grimes
HB: Houli Chaplin Petterd
C: Grigg Cotchin Jackson
HF: Vlastuin A Edwards Ellis
F: White Vickery Martin
FOLL: Maric Deledio Conca
I/C: Foley Stephenson King Tuck
EMG: Nahas Lonergan Dea
IN: Orren Stephenson, Shane Tuck
OUT: Shane Edwards (suspension), Jack Riewoldt (back)

Thompson good fit for AFL Bombers: Mooney

Ex-Geelong forward Cam Mooney says his former AFL coach Mark Thompson would feel obligated to step in and take over at Essendon for the 2014 season.

“He left Geelong (after the 2010 season) and he’s gone there with James Hird to guide him through for three or four years, whatever his contract was,” Mooney told Fox Footy’s AFL 360 program on Thursday night.

“After everything that’s happened this year, he would feel a lot of responsibility to make sure this club bounces back over the next 12 months.”

Following this week’s announcement that Essendon senior coach Hird will serve a 12-month ban for his part in the club’s supplements scandal, Hird has declared his assistant coach Thompson as the man most likely to fill the role until August 25, 2014.

Thompson has been fined $30,000 for his role in last year’s supplements scandal.

“We’d all like to see Mark Thompson do it. He’s the obvious choice,” Hird said on Wednesday.

Mooney, who played in Geelong’s 2007 and 2009 premiership sides under Thompson, says a 12-month stint as senior coach would be perfect for Thompson at Windy Hill.

“Any longer than that, I don’t think he’d want to do it,” Mooney said.

“It’s all the other stuff that goes, not just coaching, it’s all the commitments outside coaching that probably burnt `Bomber’ (Thompson) out a little bit.

“But for 12 months I think he can do it.”

Mooney says Thompson or fellow assistant coach Simon Goodwin, who will coach the Bombers in their last-round clash against Richmond on Saturday night, should be the first candidates considered.

“It has to come from somebody in the club anyway,” Mooney said.

“You can’t bring a guy in who doesn’t know the game plan, doesn’t know the direction the club wants to go and doesn’t know the players.

“It’s just a waste of time for one year.

“So it’s got to be `Bomber’, Goodwin. Whoever it is, it has to come from insiders.”