It is symptomatic of Essendon's injury plight that retirees Jason Johnson and Adam Ramanauskas will be among just three veterans of the club's 2000 AFL premiership playing against St Kilda at Telstra Dome on Sunday.

Skipper Matthew Lloyd is the other, with Scott Lucas (back) and Dustin Fletcher (abductor) unable to take the field.

With another Bombers stalwart Damien Peverill and former Brisbane triple-premiership defender Mal Michael also playing their final games for the club, young forward Angus Monfries said the Bombers were desperate to upset the finals-bound Saints.

"Definitely, with Jason Johnson, Pev, Mal Michael and Rama all calling it quits, it's a big game for not only them but the whole footy club," Monfries said.

"They've been great contributors for the whole time they've been at our club and I think everyone will really do our best to make sure we pull out a win on Sunday for them."

He said it was unfortunate that the likes of Lucas and Fletcher, along with other first-choice players on the lengthy injury list, could not take part.

"Everyone who's played with Jason and Pev and Rama and Mal for a long period of time was trying everything to get up to play in this game, because they wanted to give them a good send-off," he said.

"But at the end of the day if your body's not right you can't really get on the ground and I think they were disappointed they couldn't get out there."

The farewell factor provides an incentive for the Bombers to finish on a high note, after what has been a mediocre tail-end to the season.

Having had slim finals hopes dashed with a surprise loss to West Coast in round 19, which followed six wins in seven games, they have fallen away with a 56-point defeat to Adelaide and 46-point loss to the Western Bulldogs in the past two rounds.

Monfries said the continually mounting injury toll had made life difficult.

"You don't really like to use injuries as an excuse as a footy club, but we've had to use pretty much everyone on the list," he said.

"I think this week everyone who's available is either playing or on the emergency list, so we're really cutting into our list there and trying to provide players to get out on the park."

But he said the positive was that they had blooded some promising youngsters, including wingman Rhys Magin and defender Cale Hooker in recent weeks.

The Bombers will recognise Ramanauskas, Johnson, Peverill and Michael with a video tribute before the game and the quartet will conduct a post-match lap of honour.

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