Essendon's endurance has been elevated to a new level The Bombers are running out games strong. ESSENDON is the most powerful last-quarter team in the AFL. As the Bombers grapple with an ASADA drug investigation, statistics reveal James Hird's men are going hardest for longest. Rather than showing signs of fatigue, the Bombers actually get stronger late in games. Privately, some rival clubs question whether Essendon is getting an unfair advantage from last year's supplements program. The Dons have won after being behind at half-time four times this season - the most in the league. They have saluted after trailing at three-quarter time on three occasions - also the most in the competition. Carlton v Essendon,MCG, Dyson Heppell, Picture: Ludbey Wayne Source: Fremantle (up by 36 points at half-time), Carlton (up by 14 at three-quarter time) and West Coast (up by 17 at three-quarter time) have felt the wrath of Essendon's late surge. The improvement in the Bombers' fourth quarter output from last season to this season is remarkable. Essendon has gone from a disposal differential of -3.6 (ranked 15th) to +14.5 (1st). Disposal efficiency has skyrocketed from -3.6 per cent (15th) to +5.1 per cent (1st), inside 50s are up from +1 (7th) to +4.6 (1st) and uncontested possessions - a key indicator of a side's willingness to run - have leapt from -8.4 (15th) to a runaway +13.5 (1st). Put simply, the Dons are never dead. Essendon assistant coach Mark Thompson last year said the club's 2012 training program was never about immediate results. "We are taking a bit of pain at the moment, but there will be long-term gain for us," Thompson said. The medical and sports science industries are divided on the long-term benefits of Essendon's year-old supplements regimen. Athletics expert Nic Bideau, who managed Olympian Cathy Freeman and coached Craig Mottram, told the Herald Sun in May he had no doubt there were residual benefits. The AFL Medical Officers Association has refused to comment on Essendon's players, but said many supplements had only short-term benefits. Former St Kilda doctor Rohan White said earlier this year that many peptides were fast-acting. AFL boss Andrew Demetriou accused other clubs of spreading "scurrilous innuendo about the fact that the Essendon Football Club ... are they getting an advantage?" Twitter: @SammyHeraldSun