<p>Times are incredibly grim at the West Coast Eagles.&nbsp;</p> <p>Another game was lost by a margin exceeding 10 goals. More signs of disharmony and desperate attempts to retain key players. It’s just one massive, never-ending cluster of doom.&nbsp;</p> <p>So, returning home after a few weeks on the road should be a reason for some respite and perhaps a performance improvement. I don’t know if that will be the case with an in-form Essendon coming to town.&nbsp;</p> <p>The Bombers have now secured back-to-back wins and stabilized their season after defeating Melbourne at Gather Round.</p> <p>It's been a productive couple of weeks for the Bombers, who seem to be gaining momentum as the season progresses, and now face a struggling Eagles side with an opportunity to build confidence and gain more momentum.</p> <p>Is this another match where you wonder, ‘By how much will the team playing West Coast win? Or can the Eagles rally and potentially upset one of their significant interstate rivals?</p> <p>For the latest analysis, odds, team news, and betting tips, check out our Eagles vs Bombers preview below.</p> <p><br /> &nbsp;</p> <h2>West Coast vs Essendon Predicted Teams</h2> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h3>West Coast Predicted Team</h3> <p>B: Brady Hough, Harry Edwards, Reuben Ginbey&nbsp;</p> <p>HB: Jayden Hunt, Sandy Brock, Jack Hutchinson</p> <p>C:&nbsp; Tyrell Dewar, Jack Graham, Liam Duggan</p> <p>HF: Jamie Cripps, Jake Waterman, Clay Hall</p> <p>F: Jack Williams, Oscar Allen, Liam Ryan</p> <p>Foll: Bailey Williams, Liam Baker, Harley Reid</p> <p>Int: Tom Gross, Matt Owies, Tim Kelly, Archer Reid, Hamish Davis</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h3>Essendon Predicted Team&nbsp;</h3> <p>B: Jordan Ridley, Ben McKay, Andy McGrath</p> <p>HB: Jaxon Prior, Zach Reid, Mason Redman</p> <p>C: Dylan Shiel, Archie Roberts, Will Setterfield</p> <p>HF: Nic Martin, Nate Caddy, Jade Gresham</p> <p>F: Isaac Kako, Harrison Jones, Jye Menzie</p> <p>Foll: Sam Draper, Zach Merrett, Sam Durham</p> <p>Int: Ben Hobbs, Archie Perkins, Xavier Duursma, Saad El-Hawli, Elijah Tsatas</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h2>West Coast vs Essendon Prediction &amp; Betting Tips</h2> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h3>Head-to-Head Prediction</h3> <p>Like most teams have against the Eagles, the Bombers have dominated the head-to-head in the past three seasons, winning four of the past five meetings.</p> <p>And you’d think, unless something beyond comprehension happens, that’s a record that’s likely to grow to five out of six.</p> <p>New Eagles coach Andrew McQualter made another selection statement last week when he axed senior players Tim Kelly and Tom Cole, along with experienced youngster Noah Long. Despite another lopsided result, none are considered walk-up returnees for this weekend after middling performances in the reserves.&nbsp;</p> <p>The Eagles recorded a record-low contested possession count on Saturday (-59) since stats have been recorded. They allowed the Blues to do as they pleased. Surely, they won’t afford the Bombers the same luxury after that embarrassment, right?</p> <p>The Bombers are doing a lot right. They’ve found a way to score. They’ve found a young talent in Archie Roberts along with the blue-chip young talent in Kako and Caddy. They realised Dylan Shiel’s new role wasn’t working, so they put him back in the midfield, which has seen the former Giant return to something resembling his best form.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>They will, though, need to make a forced change to their lineup after emerging ruckman Nick Bryan ruptured his ACL in the win over Melbourne. This likely means a return to full-time rucking for Sam Draper, who has started this season out of the goal square. The question for Brad Scott is, do they replace him like-for-like, or do they go smaller up front and trust Nate Caddy and Harrison Jones by themselves?</p> <p>Whichever way they go, it shouldn’t have too much of a bearing on the final result. It really is, unfortunately, a question of Essendon by how much.</p> <p><strong>Betting tip:</strong> <a href="https://www.sportsbet.com.au/betting/australian-rules/afl/west-coast-eagles-v-essendon-9107381">Essendon</a></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h3>First Goal Prediction</h3> <p>The Bombers forwards will be queuing up and looking to fill their boots.</p> <p>A bag of goals, starting with the first one of the day, might be enough to get Isaac Kako his Rising Star nomination… and get the confidence sky-high before ANZAC Day next week.</p> <p><strong>Betting tip:</strong> <a href="https://www.sportsbet.com.au/betting/australian-rules/afl/west-coast-eagles-v-essendon-9107381">Isaac Kako</a></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h3>Most Disposals Prediction</h3> <p>Normally, for an Essendon game, I’d say Zach Merrett, as he’s the one that pulls the strings and gets involved in everything that the Bombers do.</p> <p>Coming up against the Eagles, though, he’s either going to break a record and have a million possessions, or he might spend some time resting forward and conserving energy in a real ‘break glass in case of emergency’ type role.</p> <p>If Brad Scott was smart, which he is, I reckon he would go with the latter to save his best player, Hence, I like Nic Martin to put on a show with the most disposals in front of his home crowd.</p> <p><strong>Betting tip:</strong> <a href="https://www.sportsbet.com.au/betting/australian-rules/afl/west-coast-eagles-v-essendon-9107381">Nic Martin (25+ disposals)</a></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h2>West Coast vs Essendon Match Details</h2> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Date:</strong> Friday, April 18th</p> <p><strong>First Bounce:</strong> 6:10 PM, AEDT</p> <p><strong>Location:</strong> Optus Stadium, Perth</p> <p><strong>How to watch:</strong> Fox Footy/ Kayo Sport</p>