Essendon coach Ben Rutten admits his side need to find their form quickly after suffering a heavy loss against Fremantle on Sunday.
The Bombers are priced at 40/1 to win the grand final but now face an uphill battle following a 48-point drubbing against the Dockers at Marvel Stadium.
Bombers need a response
The Bombers now have just one win from their opening five games and face a huge game when they take on Collingwood in the traditional Anzac Day clash next Monday.
Rutten admits the pressure is on and they need to start hitting some form or their season will be over before it has begun.
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"There's always a sense of urgency," Rutten said. "The best thing we can do is knuckle down, review this game hard, really have some good reflections about what we did well but also understand why we got what we got in the second half. That's going to be key to our improvement in the short-term and in the long-term."
Poor second half
It was a bad night all round for Essendon but it was the second half in particular that disappointed Rutten as Fremantle booted goals with ease.
"It felt like we were well and truly in the game, probably couldn't quite cash in on some opportunities that we created pretty well," he added.
"It's a bit disappointing we weren't able to step up and get in the arm wrestle that was required at that time."
