Interesting to note that on the day Essendon played the Western Bulldogs that news came to light of a report released by former Bomber chief executive Peter Jackson, stating that the Western Bulldogs need the same level of love and care from the AFL as the new Great Western Sydney club.

Jackson has been consulting to the Bulldogs in recent months and gave the club a glowing assessment, saying that the club had moved well and truly from its working-class, Footscray heritage.

But following the nine-point loss to the Bombers at Etihad Stadium on Friday night the question needs to be asked whether the Bulldogs are able to stand a little bit of prosperity.

The talk of the town after winning the pre-season competition, the Bulldogs are 6-4 and will be a game outside the top four if the Saints beat Adelaide on Saturday night. At some stage, they're going to have to put a few wins together on the trot (certainly more than three) if they are to crack the top four and launch a serious assault on the flag.

So far this year, they've struggled. At 3-3 they appeared in some trouble, just got past Melbourne to make it to 4-3, but dominant wins over Sydney and North Melbourne had us all believing they were approaching top form.

Maybe not.

Perhaps the Jason Akermanis business during the week proved a bigger distraction than first thought. Maybe injuries to Brad Johnson and Nathan Eagleton meant the forward line lacked punch.

But harking back to that earlier point, maybe the hype and expectation doesn't sit well with the club. Perhaps the Western Bulldogs play their best football when they have a chip on their shoulder. It was a ploy Terry Wallace used countless times in his time in charge at the Whitten Oval and which Rodney Eade may need to draw upon when his team plays Collingwood next Sunday in a Sunday twilight game every bit as important as the round 22 match between the two clubs last year. Same time, same venue.

As for the Bombers, how could you help but not be impressed? Their pace continues to b a feature, but their spine - Dustin Fletcher, Tayte Pears, Cale Hooker, Scott Gumbleton and swingman Michael Hurley is emerging. And in David Hille and Paddy Ryder they have two of the better ruckmen in the league.

In recent weeks the Bombers have claimed the scalps of a pair of flag aspirants - St Kilda and the Bulldogs - and there is this air of a sleeping giant emerging. They're in the eight tonight - perhaps only fleetingly given that Port Adelaide should beat Richmond on Saturday and trade places with Essendon - but if you were asked which of the Bombers or Port is a more deserving finalist, right now, you'd have to say the Bombers.