Essendon coach Brad Scott has thrown his support behind Ben McKay, after the maligned key defender attracted Bronx cheers from his own fans in the Bombers’ breakthrough win over Port Adelaide.
McKay was Essendon’s boom recruit at the end of 2023, lured as a free agent from North Melbourne on a bumper contract.
But McKay and the Bombers’ defence have had a difficult start to 2025, including the brutal 61-point loss to Adelaide in round two, and appeared to receive Bronx cheers when taking marks early in Thursday night’s 9.18 (72) to 8.12 (60) win.
Scott didn’t believe the cheers were derisive, but made a point of how important McKay, who started his career under him at North Melbourne, had been.
“It’s funny that. I don’t think it was Bronx cheers — maybe it was, maybe it wasn’t,” he said.
“But he was the leading intercept defender on the ground for the most part of the game … he was really, really important for us tonight.
“Ben McKay’s got all the attributes of a really good key defender. He’s a great size. He can play on all the big strong key forwards.
“When you have breakdowns all over the ground defensively, it’s usually the last line, key defenders, that get hung out to dry. And we hung them out to dry last week.”
The Bombers, seeking a response to their humiliating 10-goal loss to Adelaide in round two, trailed for most of Thursday night’s scrappy encounter, let down by wasteful goal-kicking.
They were behind by 11 points early in the fourth quarter.
But Brad Scott’s Bombers, sparked by Nate Caddy and Isaac Kako, kicked four goals in a row to claim a 9.18 (72) to 8.12 (60) win in front of just 25,114 spectators at Docklands.
In the process, the Bombers (1-2) piled fresh pressure on the Power (1-2) and coach Ken Hinkley, who is in his final season before handing over to senior assistant coach Josh Carr.
While Caddy (two goals), Kako and debutant sub Saad El-Hawli had their moments, Essendon’s midfield stepped up late.
Bombers captain Zach Merrett (34 disposals) was typically prolific, while Sam Durham (28) and Xavier Duursma (29) had plenty of the ball.
Power forward Mitch Georgiades stood tall early with two first-quarter goals and his impressive aerial work, including a big hanger on the wing in the second quarter.
Georgiades threatened to break the match open, but he let himself down with poor kicking and he was contained by Zach Reid in the second half.
