The Kangaroos are a "different" side to the one the Bombers faced in round five, according to Essendon coach John Worsfold. 

The Dons proved too good on Good Friday against North Melbourne, dominating the April encounter with a 58-point win under the Marvel Stadium roof. 

But Worsfold was quick to highlight the increased pressure the opposition was bringing under interim coach Rhyce Shaw, who stepped into the role in late May.

“There are certainly parts of what they’re doing that are different to when we played them last time,” Worsfold said.

“Personnel-wise, they’re very similar. (But) the pressure they’re putting around the contest looks like it’s been a focus for them.

“I don’t think (Ben) Cunnington could have been any tougher in the last five weeks. With (Jack) Ziebell getting more time on the ball, he’s a big, strong player as well.

“Overall, we’ve seen an increase in their pressure around the contest. They’re in good form, we’re really looking forward to it."


The Bombers put in the hard yards during training on Wednesday. (Photo: AFL Photos)

Speaking at The Hangar on Wednesday morning, Worsfold highlighted his side’s ability to stay focused on building a greater level of consistency following the Bombers’ past four wins in five games.

“I’m pleased with the fact the guys have stayed focused from round one. We had a bad loss in round one and we were disappointed,” he said.

“We’ve been focused on what we want to work to and we’ve addressed that all the way through.

“We haven’t changed too much in the last month, we’ve stuck to what we’ve been working on with a focus on getting better at consistently. 

“Consistency of effort has been better than what it has been at periods of the year."

Essendon and North Melbourne will go head-to-head in the Tackling Childhood Cancer game at 4:35pm at Marvel Stadium on Saturday.