IT WAS not exactly a re-cast of Matthew Richardson proportions, but last night Essendon's Matthew (Lloyd, that is) was directed down a similar path to the one taken by his Richmond counterpart this season.

For as long as Richardson and Lloyd have been key forwards, both have been the focal points of their respective forward lines. It has brought pleasure, pain and, in Richo's case, it has drawn a fair share of debate, including the odd criticism. Lloyd, on the other hand, a three-time Coleman medallist and 10-time leading goalkicker for his club, has been the subject of praise much more than criticism. Until this week.

In the lead up to last night's game, Bombers coach Matthew Knights made a concession that everyone else in football seemed to have already articulated. Skipper Lloyd, he said, was "not in the best form of his career". More surprising was the coach's statement that: "I'm not putting a lot of pressure on Matthew to kick bags of goals." In isolation, it sounded like a polite pronouncement that an erstwhile champion was fading.

Newsflash: Lloyd may not kick another bag of goals again if he continues to be used like he was last night. And, if Essendon's round-12 performance is the guide, that will not be the travesty it would appear to be.

West Coast's No. 1 defender Darren Glass lined up against Lloyd at the opening bounce. But it was clear from the moment play commenced that Lloyd was not setting out to be the main man in his team's attack. In fact, he looked to spend more time in the opposition's offensive half than in his own.

Scott Lucas was stationed as the Bombers' deepest forward, and fifth-gamer Jay Neagle kicked the side's first goal of the evening, claiming an honour that had been Lloyd's plenty of times before. But at no stage did Lloyd appear in any hurry to be in his team's forward 5-metre arc — other than when he ran in to congratulate teammates who had kicked a goal. And it became clearer and clearer that the instruction issued to the Bombers was not to look for their skipper in his usual football spot.

Lloyd received kicks on the wing, got involved in overlap play, marked a defensive kick-in from Patrick Ryder after taking Glass as deep as West Coast's half-forward line and, with the wherewithal of a hardened on-baller, applied pressure at stop-plays. He had 10 touches at half-time — all of them won cleanly, and well-spent — and not a score to speak of.

The first time Lloyd was lined up in the forward line was at the 28-minute mark of the second term. He was double-teamed and it would have taken a miraculous effort to pull off a mark. But for Essendon, 11 points up at the main break, all this mattered nought. In one half, Lloyd had been influential in a different way but, having played a hand in many of the Dons' goals if not getting his boot on the end of them, he was contributing as much to the team as he had all season. Lloyd took his first set shot at goal, after taking his sixth mark, in the 23rd minute of the third term. From 40 metres out he nailed it like the old hand he is. But the moment of his night — indeed the moment of the night — arrived eight minutes into the final term when Lloyd got sweet elevation over fifth-gamer Beau Wilkes, brought the ball down with him and goaled. His celebration was reminiscent of James Hird's most memorable efforts.

In 2004 Hird copped a hefty financial and public dressing-down over his whacking of umpires. He hit back at Telstra Dome with a brilliant performance.

Unlike his predecessor, Lloyd did not hug fans behind the goals after nailing his second six-pointer last night, but the accentuated swinging and pumping of his arm said just as much.