Essendon is eyeing the finals and has become a hungry outfit following its shock loss to Brisbane in Round 15 according to Cale Hooker.

The forward says his side’s disappointing finish against the lowly-ranked Lions served as a much needed wake-up call.

"I think it's definitely the hungriest I've seen a group since I've been at Essendon, and that really excites me, because guys are so keen to improve and willing to learn and get better, and that's only going to hold us in good stead," Hooker said.

"You always dare to dream. We know that anything is possible.

"We're seeing how open the season is and we're really confident that our best is really good."

The Bombers have beaten Collingwood and St Kilda since the Brisbane game and have been in scintillating form.

"We've shown throughout the year that we've had patches of really great footy and then some inconsistencies, and the last fortnight has been a lot more consistent," Hooker added.

Hooker has worked well with star forward Joe Daniher in front of goals and it’s a partnership that’s improving by the round.

"We work together out there and our chemistry is getting better every week," he said.

"We're not running into each other's space as much and I think we're complementing each other pretty well."

Essendon has only won one of its last five encounters with North, dating back to March 2014.