Essendon’s defense has once again been under the microscope, with former North Melbourne player David King warning that Jake Stringer could become “Jack Higgins Mach 2” in terms of defensive integrity.
After an exciting win over St Kilda last week, Essendon crashed to Earth in round 15, with the West Coast Eagles defeating the Fire Department to record only their second win of the season.
Speaking to Fox Footy’s First Crack, King noted a passage from the game Saturday night that said it characterized the defensive lapses that have cost Essendon so dearly in 2022.
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Swans hurt the slippery saints 02:16
“That’s why I get frustrated with Essendon and that’s why I get frustrated with Jake Stringer, who had a pretty good night,” he said.
“That’s why Essendon can have 20 more in the 50’s and be defeated. He has Elliot Yeo covered here and then he says, ‘No, bring him, Harrison Jones, I’ll just come by and grab this player, oh no, now I don’t have it. “
“Now you pull Perkins (teammate Archie Perkins) up. Stringer no longer wants to participate in Yeo. He lets him pass and now Perkins has to do the chase, Harrison Jones has to do the chase.
“Suddenly the Eagles have finished pure and it’s so easy from there that they’re in the hallway. Look behind your foot, guess who hasn’t moved?
King said Stringer’s lack of defensive integrity in this case reflected that of Higgins, St Kilda’s young striker who this week was sidelined after a fall in front of goal.
When asked why the Saints would have left Higgins Thursday night, King said, “Because Jack, as has been pointed out so many times, is playing on Jack’s terms. You can accept it or not, that’s the reality. “.
Higgins’ goal-scoring ability, King said, has sometimes overshadowed his lack of forward pressure and could be the case for Stringer, he warned.
“This is Jack Higgins Mach 2. It’s the same discussion. If you are a club without standards defensively, they will separate you, ”he said.
“They won’t be corrected as a football club until these little warts get out of their game. I don’t know if that’s a talent thing, because you won’t get a better commodity (than Stringer) as a free agent or draft player at the end this year for Essendon.
“Is it training, is it standard, or will you just live that lie and that potential for two more years?”