WITH just one round remaining of the home and away season, Essendon is close to locking in a finals spot for the first time since 2014.
Essendon's 33-point win against Gold Coast means a win next week against Fremantle at Etihad Stadium would almost guarantee a finals berth, with West Coast needing a big win over Adelaide to knock the Bombers out.
Coach John Worsfold said there would be no need to remind players of what was at stake ahead of the final match for the season.
"We don't say 'we need to take our chances' because we need to take our chances regardless of the ladder now," Worsfold said.
"Our challenge is to use the ball better, take the right shots on goal, making the most of our opportunities all the time.
"Our destiny has been in our hands since round one, if we hadn't had taken our chances up to this point, we wouldn't be where we are."
Five talking points: Gold Coast v Essendon
The Bombers missed a golden opportunity to boost their percentage, struggling to convert in front of goal in a congested forward-50.
"When they had seven and sometimes eight defenders, that makes it hard to score," Worsfold said.
"I've seen it a lot over the years, and if you set up well, it means you're going to lock it into your half, eventually the goals come.
"Really, you play into their hands if you miss the easy shots, that was a bit of what we were doing early."
WATCH: John Worsfold's full post-match media conference
In a scrappy affair, it was the work of debutant Josh Begley that would have most pleased Bombers fans.
Not only did the forward score a goal with his first kick, he followed it up with two goal assists to James Stewart and another goal of his own, all in the first quarter.
His opening goal raised eyebrows, the first-gamer cutting across Joe Daniher's lead to mark the ball, but Worsfold backed Begley with a smile.
"Good on him. Plays the game as he sees it, saw the opportunity to take that mark, and he has to back himself in.
"The kid's been on the edge of selection for a number of weeks, really good form. The opportunity opened up for him and he played his role really well. Excellent start of hopefully a nice, long career for him."
