It is no surprise to Essendon coach Matthew Knights that the Bombers' return to their early-season form has coincided with their emergence from a horror run of injuries.

Having started the year with two wins in their first three games, on the back of a slick, pacy brand of football, the Bombers endured a run of eight straight losses, including three in a row by 10-plus goals from rounds six to eight.

But, having broken that trot with wins over West Coast last weekend and Carlton, Knights believes his team is returning to the sort of consistency they need, with the settled nature of the side largely responsible.

Having lost key forward Scott Lucas to a knee injury in round one, things really started going pear-shaped for the Bombers when midfielders Mark McVeigh and Sam Lonergan were injured during their round four clash with the Western Bulldogs, a narrow loss.

A season-ending knee injury to speedy forward Alwyn Davey ahead of their round six Anzac Day meeting with Collingwood also hit hard.

Knights said the recent return of Lucas, McVeigh and Lonergan had been crucial.

"It's just good to have a semblance of a reasonably good side back in," he said.

"... Even Scotty Lucas didn't have a huge day, but structurally he's very important for us.

"McVeigh and Lonergan, to have them back with another three or four games under their belt, they were really important structurally for us before they went out.

"... We were running at about five or six changes a week for a month and it's just not the recipe for good consistent footy."

The Bombers sustained a minor injury blow, with small defender Henry Slattery expected to miss next Sunday's clash with Fremantle with a cracked cheekbone.

Knights praised his courage, after he ran back with the flight of the ball into a marking contest early in the game, copping a knee in the face from Carlton spearhead Brendan Fevola.

"He zones in and he doesn't waver on ground balls or high balls, he's going back if a Mack truck's coming the other way, that's just Henry Slattery," Knights said.

He was also pleased with the aggression shown by skipper Matthew Lloyd, who laid a ferocious front-on tackle on Carlton captain Chris Judd later in the first term, which left both players sprawled on the ground after a clash of heads.

While both played on, Judd needed several spells on the bench and was clearly below his best.

Blues coach Brett Ratten said the Carlton skipper was dazed in the clash and had to be assessed several times by the club's medical staff.

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