THE BRISBANE Lions had a hiccup against Collingwood and Essendon continued to wobble with a loss to West Coast at the weekend, but both teams have everything to play for at the MCG on Saturday night.

If the Lions win they can all but sew up a top-eight spot and push back towards the top four, while victory can see Essendon remain in touch with the eight.

In fact, if Michael Voss can get his players over the line and St Kilda beats Hawthorn, the Lions will officially make their first finals appearance since 2004.

Both teams are sweating on the availability of some key personnel before Saturday night; Though Essendon won't regain full-forward Matthew Lloyd or midfielder Jason Winderlich, Alwyn Davey and Mark McVeigh could return while the Lions are waiting on the availability of Daniel Bradshaw (hamstring).

Veteran Tim Notting is also back after sitting a week out through suspension.

The teams met at the Gabba in round six with the hosts easily accounting for the Bombers in a 43-point win.

Forward scout:
The club: Essendon Bombers

Season to date: There's no doubt the Bombers have been one of the most exciting teams in 2009, but they have undone a fair bit of their hard work in the past three weeks. After 15 rounds they were snugly inside the eight with an 8-7 record but successive losses to the Western Bulldogs, Richmond and West Coast have pushed them to ninth and the brink of finals oblivion. Their trademark is their run and carry through the midfield, but this has been missing the last three weeks. However, the Bombers have beaten Carlton twice and Collingwood among others and have shown they can tear a game open in 15 minutes.

The coach: Still very much in the infant stages of the post Kevin Sheedy era, Matthew Knights has done a superb job with the Bombers regardless of their finish to the season. Moving Patrick Ryder to the ruck after the season-ending knee injury to David Hille was a masterstroke and his bold play-on-at-all-costs philosophy make Essendon one of the best teams in the league to watch. Not only that, but he's getting results. Slowly but surely Knights has also taught them the art of backing off and defending a lead and his development of the club's youthful list is something he can hang his hat on.

The gun: He still flies under the radar and is not one of the flashiest players in the competition, but Brent Stanton is one of the most effective. He has shown he can play on the inside and outside and the 23-year-old's game average has him in the league's top 20 possession winners. While proving he is capable of winning the hard ball, Stanton's disposal has improved and he has become an integral part of the Bombers machine who can ignite his faster, more flamboyant mates.

The sleeper: Andrew Lovett. He was almost traded at the end of 2008 after some off-field misdemeanours, but Lovett has returned the club's faith so far this season. The 26-year-old has overcome a couple of knee injuries and is back to his damaging best, able to run and carry and hurt oppositions through the midfield. Not only can Lovett pick apart the best zone defence, he can also impact on the scoreboard, making him a difficult assignment to match up on.

The bolter: After being handed one of the most difficult positions early in his footy career, 19-year-old Tayte Pears has done a fine job at centre half-back this season. With Dustin Fletcher missing matches through injury, the teenager had extra responsibility thrust upon him and stepped up to the mark. He has received a NAB AFL Rising Star nomination and looks a great key position defender for the Bombers' future.

Strengths: There's no prizes for guessing that if Essendon beat you it will be with its blistering midfield and small forwards. Lovett, Alwyn Davey and Kyle Reimers are just a few of the Bombers that love to carry the team forward. Stanton, Brent Prismall and Jobe Watson can get the ball in close and if they ignite their runners, opposition defenders can have a tough time stopping the avalanche.

Weaknesses: While they have an army of little players that can hurt you, Essendon is often caught short for key position men. If Ryder doesn't fire in the ruck, the back-up has proved scratchy, while Scott Lucas needs to provide a good target up front or the same problem occurs. But it's the defensive side of the game that can hurt Essendon the most. Teams prepared to work both ways often catch the Bombers on the break as they fail to pick up men running the other way. They like to play open footy and rarely drop numbers back, giving teams the chance to rattle on goals in a real hurry.

The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the club.