Costing them games: Why King has North defenders in the gun

North Melbourne great David King has put the Kangaroos’ defence in the gun ahead of Saturday’s clash against Geelong.

The Roos made a defensive change at selection, with Toby Pink making way for Charlie Comben, although King thinks the match committee should have done things differently.

If King were picking the team himself, he’d go smaller in defence, playing only two of Comben, Aidan Corr and Griffin Logue, to ensure the Roos have enough creativity and drive out of defensive 50.

While that may allow an opposition’s third tall to have a bigger say in the air, that’s something King is more than willing to risk to give the side some much-needed spark in defence.

Without that, he thinks the Roos are costing themselves games at selection.

“It really upsets me to say it, but Toby Pink has been dropped this week again, and Charlie Comben has come in and taken his place,” King said on SEN Breakfast.

“But I'm putting in the gun that I think the Kangaroos are playing one too many talls down back. I think that there's not enough space for Corr, Logue, and Comben.

“I think (you should play) two of the three. You’ve got to make a tough call, and they haven’t made it.

“I think you'd have to take a risk on someone playing above his size, and that guy for me is Luke Parker, to play like James Sicily does or Jack Scrimshaw does.

“Run the risk on the third tall forward taking a couple of contested marks because I just don't think they have the skill down back to cater for three talls.

“It drops away, and the responsibility is on Caleb Daniel to be an effective ball user and Luke Parker to be a weapon with a footy. Then you need to almost push Colby McKercher or Harry Sheezel behind the ball at times to get something going with fluency or with real damage.

“It's costing them games, in my opinion.”

Saturday’s clash between the Cats and Kangaroos at GMHBA Stadium begins at 4:35 pm AEST.