ESSENDON will use the rapid rise of the Western Bulldogs as inspiration as it looks to push back up the ladder next year, according to All Australian defender Cale Hooker.

After making the finals last year, the Bombers have fallen to the bottom-four this season and won just five games.

The poor form and increasing pressure on coach James Hird saw him depart the club last week, before another loss to the Gold Coast on the weekend under stand-in coach Matthew Egan.

But the Bombers believe their drop-off can be isolated to 2015, having seen the Western Bulldogs and Port Adelaide turnaround their fortunes quicker than expected. 

"We're definitely feeling really positive about the group and the talent we've got on the list and what we can achieve," Hooker told AFL.com.au.

"We've got great examples in Port Adelaide and the Bulldogs in turning things around really quickly, so we're hoping this year will just be a one-off and we'll bounce back very quickly.

"You look at a lot of teams over the years who have finished off down the bottom of the ladder and bounced back.

"You can improve very quickly or as we saw this year, we didn't perform and were 10 per cent off, and we were straight back down the bottom. We'll be looking to improve very quickly."

Having been named in last year's All Australian backline, Essendon turned to Hooker in the middle of the season after struggling to find an avenue to goal.

With Jake Carlisle injured, Hooker took on the centre-half forward's role and since round 14 he has kicked 15.16 and offered plenty of direction for Essendon's midfield. 

"I felt like I had it down-pat down back and then they told me to go forward. I was a bit unsure about it, but I've probably been more dangerous than I thought," Hooker said. 

"I'm starting to get a bit of chemistry with the midfielders and other forwards, and I'm really enjoying it.

"I played on all the best players [when I was in defence] and learnt a few tricks off them. They probably still do it a little bit better than me, but I'm taking a few of their tricks and trying to implement them and make my own style as a forward."  

Hooker said the players were given some time away from the club after Hird's exit last week, but was pleased how the group responded in the two-point loss to the Suns.

"It was obviously an emotional week for the players. A lot of the players area really close with 'Hirdy' and we've spent a lot of time together over the last four or five years," he said.

"It was a tough week for a lot of us, but we're really proud of the boys' effort [against Gold Coast]. 

"We couldn't quite get over the line at the end of game but we were really proud of the way the boys came out and the type of footy we played."