The Western Bulldogs’ final hopes are now in the hands of fate following their loss to Fremantle on Saturday.
The Round 21 loss was a demoralising one for Dogs fans, as the Dockers kicked their way through Luke Beveridge’s set-up with ease.
The side’s defensive system across the ground broke down again. Since the bye, they’ve conceded 94+ points on six ocassions, the latest 17-point defeat coming after Fremantle kicked nine first-half goals.
The Dogs have been linked with two main targets in the upcoming trade period, one of which is former Carlton defender Liam Jones.
Jones is reported to have been enticed by a three-year deal from the Dogs and will likely sign with them when the trade period opens in October, a recruit King is supportive of.
“I understand (the play for) Jones, I 100 per cent understand because they need a key post defender that can play on a man and still beat that guy and intercept,” King said on SEN’s Whateley.
“They’re a hard combination to find, and when you find them, you hang onto them. So Jones is that man.
“I don’t know whether he’s too old or past his best or whatever but the product we saw at Carlton 18 months ago is that guy.”
But the dual-premiership Kangaroo was far less positive about the club’s links to Dockers tall Rory Lobb.
Lobb is under contract with Fremantle but will reportedly pursue a move away from the club again after almost joining GWS last year.
The Dogs have confirmed interest in Lobb. However, he’d join Aaron Naughton, Jamarra Ugle-Hagan and Josh Bruce in an already top-heavy forward line.
Sam Darcy is also touted as a forward but debuted in defence for the Dogs on Saturday evening.
“(The play for) Lobb I don’t understand because I think they’ve got that player, they’ve got a few of that player,” King continued.
“What does that look like? Does Darcy go forward next year and replace Bruce and they go younger again? You can’t have Jones, (Alex) Keath and Darcy (in the backline), it’s too tall.”
Lobb kicked four goals for Fremantle on Saturday to be the best forward on the ground.
If they are to play in September, the Dogs will need wins against GWS and Hawthorn and rely on other results going in their favour.
However, just scraping into the finals won’t cover up a subpar season after playing in last year’s Grand Final.
“So I don’t know how it’s going to look next year, all I know is the way they set up this year, they don’t win the ball back in their midzone of the field, which means the pressure is on their back six constantly and they’re not good enough to handle that level of pressure,” King concluded.
“They’ve been awful as a one-on-one defence. You had to make a decision, you either cut the supply or support back. They’ve done neither, and that’s why they find themselves where they are on the AFL table.”
Carlton and Richmond need just one more win to sink the Dogs’ final hopes, while St Kilda requires two wins to feature in September given their inferior percentage.