Essendon legend Tim Watson says the Bombers will be battling to play finals football unless they can improve rapidly, after a disappointing 21-point defeat to the previously winless Western Bulldogs.
After a gritty comeback victory against Adelaide in the season opener, subsequent losses to Fremantle and the Bulldogs have left the Bombers precariously placed at 1-2, ahead of a crunch clash with the unbeaten Port Adelaide at Etihad Stadium on Sunday.
The Bulldogs dominated from the outset, and if not for poor kicking in front of goal the margin of victory may have been greater.
“They didn’t really come to play, and certainly didn’t handle the pressure and heat that returned for the Bulldogs,” Watson said on SEN Breakfast.
“On the first three games, and this is the difficulty in this game, but we can only look at what we’ve got in front of us, or what we’ve seen already, they’ll be struggling from around 8th to 14th the Bombers this year based on what we’ve seen in the first three rounds.”
Having made the finals in 2017, the Bombers topped up with seasoned recruits during the trade period, and Watson feels that has increased the expectations this year.
“(Adam) Saad, and (Devon) Smith and (Jake) Stringer (were) big recruits over the summer months, but I think a lot of people then got led down this pathway believing the Bombers were a lock for the top eight.” he added.
They face a challenging month ahead with matches against Collingwood, Melbourne and Hawthorn, after the Power clash.