Essendon would do well to scout Bayley Fritsch's stunning goal against Collingwood and pay him extra-close attention whenever he is near that part of the MCG.
One of the Demons' most dangerous forwards will come into the AFL match this Saturday with renewed confidence after kicking three goals in their King's Birthday win over the Magpies.
Fritsch had kicked no goals in four of his previous five games.
Bayley Fritsch gets the Dees back within a goal 👀#AFLPiesDees pic.twitter.com/IH1PVeRru6
— AFL (@AFL) June 8, 2026
His second goal on Monday, early in the frenetic last quarter, was a highlight - Fritsch gained possession on the run, than snapped over his shoulder to bring Melbourne to within three points.
That spot, in the outer forward pocket at the Ponsford end, is a happy hunting ground for him.
"I've probably kicked three or four goals from that exact spot against Collingwood. I don't know what it is," Fritsch told AAP.
"When I saw Kade (Chandler) had the ball and it was coming over the top, I knew I had about five metres on my opponent.
"I could take a bit of a steadying step, and to see it sail through it was obviously unbelievable."
A few minutes later, Fritsch's third goal put Melbourne in front. Kysaiah Pickett kicked the match-winner and was best afield, but Fritsch's return to form was also big for the Demons.
Overall, the Demons looked much more dangerous in attack after losing their previous two games.
But they are the only team to lose to Essendon this season and remain a work in progress under new coach Steven King.
"Our forward handball game had probably been gone for the previous couple of weeks. It was a really strong part of our game in the first two months of the season," Fritsch said.
"We'd really worked on that, and to see it come out on game day was pleasing.
"There's still so much room to grow. At times we probably kicked when we should have handballed, and handballed when we should have kicked.
"But by and large, we started to feel like Melbourne footy again."
Veteran forward Jake Melksham will return against his former club, while mid-season draftees Lukas Cooke and Joel Fitzgerald were named for their AFL debuts.
Melbourne also recalled Bailey Laurie.
The Bombers will be strengthened by the return of young gun Dyson Sharp and defender Jordan Ridley, who was important when they beat Melbourne in Gather Round.
