Essendon made just one change for this Saturday night’s Dreamtime clash with Richmond.
The Bombers have been dragged pillar to post in the fallout of their heavy loss to Sydney last weekend, criticised for playing an uncompetitive brand.
Coach Ben Rutten initially dropped Tom Cutler from the 22, replacing him with Devon Smith, while Jye Caldwell is out with a shoulder injury.
A further change has been made since with defender Jordan Ridley ruled out with COVID and Cutler retained in the team.
David King was surprised that there were limited changes made and has put the acid on the Dons, labelling this fixture as the “last roll of the dice” and that it’s time to “put up or shut up”.
“This to me is, ‘Ok, I’m picking the best team that I can possibly put out on the park to give ourselves the best chance of winning this week, I’m just going to accept a few sins of the past, but hey, this is it’,” King said on SEN Breakfast.
“Last chance saloon. Put up or shut up this week.
“It’s a big challenge, Richmond in Dreamtime. There’s nowhere to hide this week.
“This is the last roll of the dice and let’s see what they bring.”
Kane Cornes concurred with King’s sentiment and even had some individuals in the firing line.
“That’s a great read on it,” Cornes said.
“I reckon it’s the last go. If you don’t put up and shut up…
“(Sam) Draper, I’m not copping four touches and a tackle, I’m just not copping it.
“Aaron Francis, I’m not having four touches and you keep your spot. And no tackles.
“(Zach) Merrett and (Darcy) Parish one tackle each.
“Jake Kelly has been brought in to be the hard edge. He gets beaten more than any defender one on one in the game. It’s just incredible. That was his strength at Adelaide, he’s a dour, rugged defender whose tough and does drive standards. Gets eaten time and time again.
“There’s some players that are lucky to be playing.”
King was also intrigued to see which midfield setup Rutten goes with at the opening bounce.
In a show of solidarity, he would start captain Dyson Heppell in the middle in a bid to set the scene.
“My fascination for this game is the starting four at the first bounce,” he said.
“If it’s Merrett, Parish and (Dylan) Shiel or (Andrew) McGrath - either or, they’re the same player - I’d be disappointed.
“I think he (Rutten) has got to make a statement with prioritising positions on the field.
“I’d put Heppell in there, (for the) first five minutes of the game. You’re the captain, go and show us the way, put your head over the footy, set the standard for us, raise the bar a little bit from what we’ve had to accept from those same three or four players for a month.”
Cornes concluded: “One change is incredible really, when you consider the performance against Sydney.”
The Dons have lost their last 11 meetings with the Tigers including the last seven Dreamtime encounters by an average of 30 points.