Garry Lyon says he’s got concerns over whether Essendon’s patched-up forward line will deliver them success in finals footy.
The Bombers were soundly beaten by the Bulldogs on Friday night, largely stemming from Luke Beveridge’s side dominating the midfield battle for large parts of the contest.
While star midfielder Dylan Shiel didn’t play because of suspension, it was forward of centre where Lyon was more concerned about.
“The Essendon forward group is where they concerns lies at the moment,” he said on AFL Nation.
“Their defence is holding up OK, we know their midfield has enough polish and they’ll welcome back Dylan Shiel in another week’s time.
“It’s forward of centre where there’s going to be some question marks and that’s whether (Jacob) Townsend, (Shaun) McKernan and (Jayden) Laverde as your taller marking options can take you into a finals series and when you’re there, rely on them doing any damage.
“Joe Daniher is the wildcard but you can’t rely on him coming back so I’ve withdrawn him from the equation.
“I’m not sure they can do it - Laverde had a couple of moments (against the Western Bulldogs) and kicked a couple of goals but he’s yet to prove he can be a week in, week out second or third tall forward of finals-influencing quality.”
Essendon will be aiming to bounce back against bottom-placed Adelaide next Sunday afternoon.