“It’s a total change”: Why King thinks Essendon fans should get excited about 2024 prospects

David King has been so impressed with Essendon’s turnaround since Round 4.

Coming off a 111-42 loss to Port Adelaide at Gather Round, King felt that the Dons were a mess defensively, but since then, things have changed dramatically.

In the last five weeks, the Bombers haven’t conceded more than 85 and they hold a four-win, one-draw record over that period.

Their best win of the lot came on Saturday against GWS at Marvel Stadium by 20 points and King was wowed by their ability to keep the Giants to just 62 points.

King thinks that Essendon’s pressure all over the ground has made the side as strong defensively as he’s seen from the club in years.

“After Round 4, I thought they were a mess defensively,” King said on SEN Mornings.

“At that time, it was, ‘Nothing's changed. They're still the same product. They can move the ball. They can win the ball’. We endorsed the captain (Zach Merrett), we thought he was having a great start to the year and his impact on the clearance game was profound.

“He was one of the top midfielders at that stage after the first month of footy, but nothing had really changed in terms of the team buying to defence.

“But since then, it's a total change. It's an absolute correction and it leaves Essendon right now as probably the best, most sound defensive model that we've seen a Tullamarine for a long, long time.

“This is built off the back of pressuring the opposition into a speed of operation they can't handle.

“They (the opposition) become dump kickers, they become high ball kickers, dirty ball kickers that don't allow their forward line to perform.”

Looking specifically at Essendon’s defence, King thinks that they’re benefitting greatly from the pressure being applied up the ground and named his standout performers in the back six.

Scarily for opposition clubs, King thinks they’ll improve even more in that area of the ground once Jordan Ridley returns from injury.

“You then get the intercept marking of Ben McKay, standing tall, you get Mason Redman back into form, you have Nic Martin playing the way you want him to play. Dyson Heppell - the game's coming slower at him which suits him as he’s a very experienced player and a star when the game is at that speed and in that pressure,” King said.

“Then I look at the ins that are likely to come back around the bye,

“I don't think he's quite ready for the next week or two, but they've got Jordan Ridley to come back who I think is their best defender, he's a star this guy.

“We haven't had the luxury of seeing him in full operation over the last couple of years and in full health and he probably won't be in full health for the first month of footy (when he returns).

“But I'm looking forward to seeing what he can then do and how aggressive they become from that point forward.”

That defensive backbone has finally given King the confidence that the Dons can mix it with the best in finals.

While he doesn’t think they’re a threat for the flag yet, he thinks that they can certainly win finals if they continue to keep this form and model up.

“For me, this model is the first time I've looked at Essendon and thought, ‘Can they mix it with the big boys? Can they stay defensively sound?’,” King said.

“It's a big if, but if this is them defensively, then they're in it … not necessarily to win it, we don't need to go to that degree just yet.

“But this is the model that wins finals. You have to be diligent without the footy.

“That's the only thing I really track is what you do when the opposition have got the ball. Right now, they’ve held the Dogs to 67, the Crows to 75, the first half against Collingwood was outstanding, don’t worry about the Eagles game too much.

“To hold the Giants to 62 points … the way they just rendered the most powerful offensive tsunami in the competition useless, was alarming for them but brilliant from an Essendon point of view.

“I think the fans should get excited.”

Essendon will hope to continue their strong form up when they face North Melbourne on Sunday afternoon.