Ryder, Lloyd, Watson all set

ESSENDON skipper Matthew Lloyd, ruckman Patrick Ryder and midfielder Jobe Watson are all set to play in the Bombers' must-win clash with Hawthorn at the MCG on Saturday afternoon.

The winner will advance to the first weekend in September, while the loser's season will be over.

Ryder trained well at Windy Hill on Friday morning, while Lloyd also looked good during the light run and skills session.

Key midfielder Jobe Watson was under a fitness cloud with an ankle injury, and he was required to undergo a separate fitness test after the main session, reappearing about 15 minutes after the team had gone into the rooms.

Watson moved well during the test, which included sprints, cone-running and being tackled to the ground by coach Matthew Knights, and seemed happy with the results.

But Knights was spotted shaking his head during discussions with the three medical staff conducting the session – among them fitness guru Stu Cormack – and Watson.

Football manager Paul Hamilton later insisted all three would play against the Hawks.

"We're very confident. We're really excited because it looks like Jobe's fine, Paddy's fine and Matthew – as long as they pull up well tomorrow, which is always important," he said.

Ryder injured his right knee in the club's win over the Saints in round 20, and while it was feared his season could be over, he was saved by the fact that the injury was muscle-related, not cartilage or ligament.

Lloyd has been missing from the Bombers' lineup since he injured his heel in the round 17 loss to the Tigers, but his frustration is set to end on Saturday afternoon.

Hamilton was quick to warn against taking the Hawks too lightly, even without the suspended Lance Franklin and several other significant forwards.

"Obviously Hawthorn would have loved to have him in the side, no doubt about it, but they're a very good side, and they've got terrific players amongst their group, players now that have had some really good finals experience, as we saw last year.

"There's some tough, mentally-tough players in that team, so we're aware of the challenge, but certainly not having Buddy in the side is, well, we'd probably prefer not to have him than have him."