Essendon fullback Ben McKay has refuted a stinging attack by ex-Bombers captain Matthew Lloyd about his former club.
Following the Dons' 62-point hammering by the Hawks at the MCG on Friday night, Lloyd lashed Essendon, accusing some its players as being lazy.
"They were out of their depth, they were so poor defensively," Lloyd said on 3AW.
"It is the way they lost, alarm bells would be ringing. Watching it live, the players don't know what to do. A lot of them were lazy."
Speaking to the media on Tuesday, McKay, who had one of his better games since crossing from North Melbourne at the end of 2023, rubbished that claim.
"I don't really listen to it too much, to be honest," McKay said.
"Everyone's got an opinion.
"What we looked at in the last couple of days, we didn't feel it was laziness or a lack of effort.
"It was, as I said at the start, some of the decision-making and attention to detail stuff that let us down.
"So, yeah, I don't really care what Lloydy says. He's got his own opinion."
In addition to Lloyd's criticism, Richmond legend Jack Riewoldt said Essendon's lack of on-field success means they are no longer a member of Victoria's "big four" clubs.
The Bombers last lifted the premiership cup in 2000 and haven't won a final since 2004.
"There is this aura inside Victoria about the 'big four' - Richmond, Carlton, Collingwood and Essendon. And I think, and I think many would think, that Essendon is no longer part of the big four," Riewoldt said on Fox Footy's On the Couch.
"They are not a big club, Essendon. In the way that they have performed - they have not played in a winning final in 20 years … the Zach Merrett saga last year."
McKay believes Riewoldt is off the mark, at least in terms of off-field metrics, but he did concede the Bombers, who have lost 14 games on the bounce, dating back to May last year, need to start delivering where it matters most.
"Factually, we are a big club, so not sure what Jack is talking about there. You look at the weekend, there were, what, 75,000, 80,000 [attendance] there. Our history is our history – we are very proud of it. You know, our attendance is amazing," McKay said.
"Yeah, we want to be relevant again in terms of on-field performance. And that's the biggest selling point, isn't it? Winning games. So, I can understand [Riewoldt's comments] from that point of view."
The Bombers will get a chance to redeem themselves against Port Adelaide on Sunday at the Adelaide Oval.
