Essendon still has a slim chance of making finals and will need to assert itself against a struggling West Coast outfit at Marvel Stadium.
The Bombers could need four wins to make finals but have shown that their best football can match the very best of the competition.
West Coast is coming off a win over North Melbourne in Perth, with its young core starting to show promise.
MORE: AFL Ladder Prediction: Which clubs will make finals?
What time is the AFL today? Essendon vs West Coast start time
Saturday's game between Essendon and West Coast will begin at 1:45pm AEST.
The game will be held at the Marvel Stadium in Melbourne.
| City | Sydney | Melbourne | Brisbane | Adelaide | Perth |
| Time | 1.45pm | 1.45pm | 1.45pm | 1.15pm | 12:15 pm |
How to watch or livestream Essendon vs West Coast
| Region | Sydney | Melbourne | Brisbane | Adelaide | Perth | Tasmania | Darwin |
| Channel | Fox Footy | Fox Footy | Fox Footy | Fox Footy | Channel 7/Fox Footy | Fox Footy | Fox Footy |
| Broadcast time | 1.30pm | 1.30pm | 1.30pm | 1.00pm | 11.30am | 1.30pm | 1.00pm |
Kayo Sports will also stream the game live, with a full replay to be available after.
MORE: AFL Injury List 2023
Essendon vs West Coast odds
Essendon is favoured to win this game, paying $1.05 to West Coast's $10 per BlueBet.
Essendon vs West Coast round 21 team lists
Essendon's starting 22
Substitute: Alwyn Davey Jnr
| Full Back | Nick Hind | Brandon Zerk-Thatcher | Jake Kelly |
| Half Back | Mason Redman | Jayden Laverde | Andrew McGrath |
| Centre | Nic Martin | Jye Caldwell | Sam Durham |
| Half Forward | Nik Cox | Peter Wright | Elijah Tsatas |
| Full Forward | Archie Perkins | Kyle Langford | Ben Hobbs |
| Followers | Andrew Phillips | Darcy Parish | Zach Merrett |
| Interchange | Dyson Heppell | Nick Bryan | Matt Guelfi |
| Jye Menzie | |||
| Emergencies | Alwyn Davey | Will Snelling | Sam Weideman |
| Kaine Baldwin |
INS: Elijah Tsatas
OUTS: Alwyn Davey Jnr (Omitted), Will Snelling (Omitted)
West Coast's starting 22
Substitute: Greg Clark
| Full Back | Alex Witherden | Jeremy McGovern | Liam Duggan |
| Half Back | Brady Hough | Elliot Yeo | Tom Cole |
| Centre | Andrew Gaff | Tim Kelly | Campbell Chesser |
| Half Forward | Luke Edwards | Jack Darling | Jamie Cripps |
| Full Forward | Ryan Maric | Oscar Allen | Noah Long |
| Followers | Bailey Williams | Xavier O'Neill | Elijah Hewett |
| Interchange | Jack Petruccelle | Jayden Hunt | Jack Williams |
| Josh Rotham | |||
| Emergencies | Isiah Winder | Luke Foley | Greg Clark |
| Callum Jamieson |
INS: Jeremy McGovern, Josh Rotham
OUTS: Dom Sheed (Injured), Rhett Bazzo (Managed), Shannon Hurn (Managed)
