Essendon coach John Worsfold has praised his side’s staunch defensive group, which has become the league’s leading backline.

From round four onward the Bombers have led the AFL in that department, conceding an average of just 66.1 points per game.

Worsfold put the team’s defensive success down to continuity in the back six, with key defender Cale Hooker and young gun Mason Redman settling into the line-up since being included in the club’s round four thrashing of Brisbane.

“The backs – since Cale Hooker came back into the line-up and Mason Redman has been building his form – it’s been a very stable group, which is a really key indicator for how well your group will perform,” Worsfold said on Monday.

“All of those boys are working really well together.”

Young Bomber Aaron Francis and experienced defender Marty Gleeson are two players Worsfold singled out as being unlucky to be missing out on a spot in the senior line-up, with Ben McNiece, Jordan Ridley, Brandon Zerk-Thatcher and Matt Dea also in fine form in the VFL.

“Aaron and Marty Gleeson are two guys that I think are good enough to be in our best team. 

“But the guys that are in there are doing the job, so they’ve got to make sure they’re available and ready to go as required.

“It’s a good position for us to be in, but it is hard for individual players at times.”

Marty Gleeson continues to put his hand up for senior selection. (Image: AFL Photos)

The Bombers now sit in 10th position on the ladder with an even ledger at six wins and six losses, but despite being 13 rounds into the season, Worsfold said it is “still too hard to tell” where the team stands in the competition.

One thing Worsfold is clear on is the ultimate goal his team, with the league’s most experienced coach not willing to settle on a

“The real big picture is winning a premiership, not just winning a final.

“I’m not in this game just to win a final, I’m in the game to win a premiership and that’s what we’re working on.

“Once every team has played each other once, which sometimes doesn’t happen until very late in the season, you start to get a feel for where you sit.

“We’ve got a lot of work to do against some good opposition coming up.”

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Essendon will face reigning premier West Coast in Perth on Thursday before taking on the second-placed Greater Western Sydney at Marvel Stadium the following Thursday in a key fortnight that could define the club’s season.

The Bombers will be striving to emulate their outstanding performance against the Eagles at Optus Stadium last year, when they booted the first eight goals of the game to stun West Coast on its home turf.

But rather than focusing on that occasion, Worsfold said it is important not to read too much into the impressive victory, which will have been played just a day short of a year before Thursday’s encounter.

“We’re certainly aware of what happened, but they had a couple of key players out and we’ve got a different line-up as well.

“Our focus is on being aware of what West Coast do but trying to play our best footy.”

Worsfold said star forward Jake Stringer remains in the mix to take on the Eagles after being cleared of any serious damage from a lower leg injury suffered against Hawthorn on Friday.

Stay tuned for a comprehensive update on Stringer and the remainder of the injury list on essendonfc.com.au on Tuesday.