It's been described as the AFL prize no one seems to want.

Essendon's Jobe Watson begs to differ, saying the Bombers are desperate to grab the last spot in the top eight for their supporters, themselves and their footy education.

The Bombers, Hawthorn and Port Adelaide are seemingly taking turns throwing away their chance to make the finals.

Their inability to win matches recently means 11 victories could be enough to secure a finals spot, and has opened the door for Sydney to rejoin the top eight chase.

Essendon's latest twist was coughing up a lead for a late draw with Brisbane last weekend - leaving them just half a win behind eighth-placed Port with three home-and-away matches remaining.

"It's been five years for this club to be part of finals - and that's a long time," Watson said.

"We're really focused on getting something out of this season and we really feel we've taken a step since last year.

"To play in a finals series would be a great learning curve for a lot of players, and it's something we've really focused on.

"The supporters would really appreciate to be around in September and not taking holidays, and so would the players."

Onballer Watson admits their next challenge is a daunting prospect - playing a St Kilda side who will roll out eight big inclusions to tackle the Bombers at Etihad Stadium on Sunday.

The unbeaten Saints are looking to extend their winning run to 20 matches against Essendon and have loaded up the guns to do so.

Skipper Nick Riewoldt, midfield stars Nick Dal Santo, Leigh Montagna and Lenny Hayes, defenders Brendon Goddard, Sam Gilbert and Sam Fisher and tagger Steven Baker all return following time on the sidelines.

But while Watson admitted it looked a tough task, he said the Bombers had learned and taken confidence from their 19-point loss to St Kilda earlier this season.

Essendon were ambushed in the first quarter by the Saints' relentless tackling pressure, but matched motors with the league's best for the remaining three terms.

"When a team's 19-0 and they haven't lost all season, obviously they're doing a lot of things right," Watson said.

"But we played them early in the year and we probably gave them too big a start, but we were competitive for the other three quarters.

"Hopefully we can build on that and make it a tight game."

The Bombers have recalled two of their best players - Andrew Welsh and Andrew Lovett - to bolster their midfield.

Lovett was outstanding the last time the two sides met, giving the Bombers the run-and-carry which allowed them at times to trouble the Saints.

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