Brisbane Lions Senior Coach Chris Fagan says his side has a 'strong chance' of upsetting Essendon on Sunday at Etihad Stadium. 

Essendon most recent match at Etihad Stadium was a surprise thrashing of Port Adelaide, and Fagan expects the Dons to thrive again on Sunday. 

“They play well at Etihad. It suits their style – they like to move the ball quickly and efficiently into their forward line. We’ve been preparing for that all week,” Fagan said.

“We had a close tussle with them back in Round 2. Whilst we respect the fact that Essendon are a really good team on their day, we also give ourselves a strong chance.

“We need to defend and attack really efficiently. We are one of the better teams when we get the ball inside 50 – we do score.

“The critical battle always in a game of footy is winning that contested ball.” 

The Bombers are boosted by the return of Cale Hooker for the match, who missed last weekend’s heartbreaking loss to the Swans with a finger injury. 

“Cale Hooker is an outstanding player. He’s an All-Australian fullback and he’s been in very good form up front for them,” Fagan said.

“We feel confident that our young players can match up on him. Regardless of the outcome, it’s another great experience for the likes of Harris Andrews and Dan McStay to play on players like that.” 

The loss of Dayne Beams for the next month will be a setback for the Lions, but Fagan said he was excited to see a few emerging players stand up against GWS last weekend.

“Guys like Mathieson, Berry and McCluggage stood up really well under pressure.”

“We have to provide support around Beams, Rockliff and Zorko so it was really pleasing to see those players step up.”