Essendon coach Brad Scott has reflected positively on the heartbreaking loss suffered last Friday night to Adelaide at Marvel Stadium.
After conceding a nine-goal blitz in the second term to the red-hot Crows, the Bombers were on the cusp of a comeback victory late in the fourth, before letting Ben Keays and Darcy Fogarty shift the result with a late surge to victory.
While the result dents Essendon's finals hopes from a likely prospect to a line-ball possibility, Scott says it provides an opportunity for the club that would have otherwise gone by the wayside.
"The really unfortunate reality for us is that we experienced a gutting loss that I wouldn't wish upon our club. But as a coach, somewhat perversely, it's the best opportunity to get better," the Bomber coach told reporters on Wednesday.
"I've got players on the edge of their seat at the moment because they know the impact of what happened on the weekend."
They face St Kilda this Saturday night in what now shapes as a blockbuster clash with their season on the line, though fortunately may be boosted by some handy ins, including All-Australian midfielder Darcy Parish.
Fit from a calf strain that sidelined the star for more than two months, Parish is officially available, though not a certainty for senior selection.
"He's had a really good ramp up to full training, did a really good session on the weekend, probably could have played but we chose to do a game-like training session," Scott said.
"He's ready to play. We just need to see him train really strongly today and then make a final decision tomorrow based on where he plays.
"The decision is where he plays, whether it be VFL or AFL."
The form of Zach Merrett, Sam Durham and Jye Caldwell collectively could leave Parish out-of-favour as a start-up midfielder as the Bombers face a tight selection squeeze at the business end of the home & away season.
Veteran Dyson Heppell was devastated to be dropped for the first time in his career last week, especially with his form and reliability through the first half of the season.
The Essendon coach shed light on the conversation he had with the former captain, as well as the selection status of him and key-forward teammate Peter Wright.
"We are a bit horses-for-courses at the moment in terms of matchups," Scott said.
"I suspect with Dyson (Heppell) there'll be weeks where he's going to be a really important part of our team and there'll be weeks where he might miss out.
"I've had some very difficult conversations with players over my journey in football. The conversation with him last week was one of the toughest, and his reaction was the best I've ever seen."
"We don't think he needs to play VFL... it's just a matter of where we pick him, what the balance of the team looks like.
"It'll just come down to a selection decision rather than anything they (Heppell and Wright) physically need to do."
