Steven King says the Western Bulldogs will be backing the system that sees them ranked as the number two defence in the AFL against in form Gold Coast tall timber Tom Lynch and Peter Wright.
The emerging young forwards kicked five goals each in the Suns’ win over Brisbane last week and will be a handful for a Bulldogs backline with just one player standing taller than 195cm, full-back Fletcher Roberts.
King told gathered media in Cazaly's Stadium in Cairns that he has total faith in the Dogs’ backline to get the job done against the 199cm Lynch and 203cm Wright.
“We’ve got complete faith in our back six or seven," King said.
“Wright and Tommy Lynch and even [Sam] Day have been in great form marking the footy, so for us, we’ve just got to stop the ball from getting in there.
“I’m really confident in the way we play together and the systems that Rohan Smith has got the boys playing, we can hopefully bring the ball to ground and hopefully pose a threat going the other way.”
The Bulldogs will be looking for their third straight win in Cairns, and will be coming up against a Gold Coast team that has hit some good form in recent weeks, despite a growing injury list.
King said that the Dogs won’t be taking the Suns lightly, despite them missing high-end talent like Gary Ablett, Michael Rischitelli and Dion Prestia.
“They’ve still got a lot of talent, both athletically and from a football sense," he said.
"We’re missing Libba and Lukey Dahlhaus too, not that it evens up but we’re certainly preparing for their best.
"[Aaron] Hall’s been in great form, Touk Miller has been in ripping form from last week, and we know who they’ve brought in with Halllahan and Lonergan too.
“They can all play at the level and we’re expecting a fierce contest.”
King: Dogs expecting ‘fierce contest’
Steven King spoke to reporters at Cazaly's Stadium in Cairns today, previewing Saturday night's clash with Gold Coast.