Twin towers Paddy Ryder and Charlie Dixon loom as major headaches for Essendon in their high-stakes AFL game against Port Adelaide.
With losses to Greater Western Sydney and Richmond over the past fortnight, the 12th-placed Bombers are in a precarious position.
A loss in Saturday night's Etihad Stadium clash will leave them entrenched outside the top eight - and potentially in the bottom six - ahead of their mid-year bye next week.
Port will welcome back star forward Chad Wingard and have the chance to cement a top-four spot, with athletic ruckman Ryder instrumental in their improved form.
The former Bombers star is on pace for a maiden All-Australian berth, having been one of 34 past-and-present Essendon players to serve doping bans last year.
Key forward Dixon has been equally impressive with 24 goals, but coach Ken Hinkley says it will take an even contribution to sustain their success.
"Both boys we brought to the club with their roles in mind, but they can't be the players that they're being unless the team is playing well," Hinkley said on Friday.
"That's not being disrespectful to any of them, it's about the facts.
"The team has to play well for individuals to play well, not the other way around."
Essendon have made one change to their 22, adding James Kelly after a week out with groin soreness in place of fellow veteran Brent Stanton.
John Worsfold's Bombers have shown they're capable of playing a fast-paced, exciting brand of football, particularly during wins over Geelong and West Coast.
But inconsistency has been a major issue and Worsfold acknowledges there won't be much room for error against the Power.
"There's a lot of key things that we have to get right," Worsfold told SEN radio on Friday.
"Obviously we're a pretty good scoring side when we get the ball forward, so we've got to make sure that we're getting an even number of inside-50s with Port.
"But around stoppages we're going to have match them.
"Paddy Ryder and their midfield are in really good form so we're going to work really hard to make sure we do really well at the clearances."
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