‘Not being walked over’: New Dons gearing up for season defining clash against old side

Essendon utility Nik Cox has said the Bombers can’t wait for their clash with Port Adelaide on Friday night in what will be the hardest task of this year’s Gather Round.

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - MARCH 30: Nik Cox of the Bombers in action during the 2024 AFL Round 03 match between the Essendon Bombers and the St Kilda Saints at Marvel Stadium on March 30, 2024 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

Emerging Essendon defender Nik Cox says the club’s new hard edge is about “not being walked over” like previous teams as the Bombers attempt to gatecrash Port Adelaide’s Gather Round home clash.

The Dons have been handed footy’s worst Gather Round fixture, taking on premiership contender Port Adelaide at Adelaide Oval in front of a baying Power crowd.

Cox said he couldn’t wait to play at Adelaide Oval but is aware of the size of the challenge given the Power will want to bounce back after last week’s home loss to Melbourne.

“Friday night footy games are massive. We want to play well, we want to show we are up for it. It’s a massive game on their own ground so we want to bring the heat,” he told this masthead on Thursday.

“It’s exciting and we are going to do everything we can to embrace it and hopefully put on a good show. We just want to play our way and do it consistently for four quarters. They are going to come out firing, which we expect. It is obviously going to be hot, so we need to bring it. It’s never easy when you have the crowd against you and the crowd is so massive. I love Adelaide Oval but I feel like they are going to be very loud with the whole of Australia watching.”

Can the Dons upset Port on Friday night? Picture: Getty Images

For Cox the club’s new Essendon “edge” is about being tough over the ball and consistent to his teammates rather than letting tempers fray with ill-disciplined acts.

“I think it’s just being strong in the contest and not being walked over. It’s not off the ball, the huff and puff, it’s being strong in the contest and having a brand that is going to stack up against the best teams in the competition. It’s what we want to do,” he said.

“We just want to get back to being a hard football club that teams fear coming up against. We feel like we haven’t been that for a long period of time, so we want to get back to that as quickly as we can and we want to start showing our fans that we can do it, and that we can be one of those top teams.”

On Friday night Xavier Duursma and Brandon Zerk-Thatcher will take on their former clubs for the first time, and the Bombers will be there to help their hard-running wingman if he gets added attention.

“We don’t want to get distracted from what we need to do but we need to be there for our teammates and there is every chance Xavier might come under fire so we need to do everything we can to support him and keep him playing his best footy,” he said.

Jake Stringer kicked the game the winner against the Saints last week. Picture: Michael Klein

Fourth-year utility Cox said Jake Stringer’s new-found openness about his mental health journey had allowed younger teammates to believe they could be their authentic selves at the club.

Stringer has done the work on body and mind over summer and it has not gone unnoticed across all levels of the club.

“When you see a senior player being vulnerable it is inspiring,” Cox said.

“It helps so many people. We have got a pretty young group at the moment.

I don’t know what the average age is, but he’s an incredibly talented player. On his day he’s probably one of the best in the competition. For him to be vulnerable like that, it gives the younger players a lot of confidence to be themselves and he’s had a great start to the season and hopefully he can keep building on that. It’s inspiring.”