Resting milestone man Dustin Fletcher ahead of two AFL blockbusters in four days was a luxury unbeaten Essendon had not yet earned, coach James Hird said on Friday.

The Bombers may have lost their opening two matches of 2012, but Hird still did not rate his side good enough to consider rotating players – even against the lowly Gold Coast Suns at Metricon Stadium on Saturday night.

After what is expected to be a runaway victory over the winless Suns, Essendon face two of their biggest games of the year – Carlton next Saturday night and the traditional Anzac Day clash with Collingwood.

Both games are at what will be a packed MCG – a fitting backdrop for Fletcher to mark his 350th game.

Instead Fletcher, 36, will bring up his remarkable milestone on the tourist strip this weekend – but Hird is making no apologies.

“We didn’t think about it (resting Fletcher) at all – Dustin wanted to play the game,” Hird said.

“We are a developing side. We are not the best side in the competition by any stretch of the imagination.

“We need our best players out on the ground and Dustin is one of those.

“It doesn’t matter if it is at the MCG in front of 90,000 people or up at Carrara – we are going to put our best team out there and try our hardest.”

Hird was taking no risks against a Suns side with a 41.7 percentage after coming off two heavy losses.

“If we are 9-0 we might think about it (rotating players),” Hird said.

“But I can’t see that happening at this stage in our development.

“Coaches are never happy. I would rather be 2-0 than 0-2 (but) we just have to keep getting better.”

Fletcher will become just the 12th person in AFL-VFL history to join the 350-game club.

Hird admitted there was a “do it for Dustin” vibe in the fifth-placed Essendon camp ahead of the Suns game.

“I think it is a huge part of it. Obviously when you get out on he ground it is about how good you are and how you stick to the gameplan,” he said.

“But Dustin stands up there with our great players of the last 130 years of our history – he’s up there at the top.

“And the players in this team have a huge admiration for him.”

Life may seem easy for Hird but his opposite number Guy McKenna is feeling the heat after the Suns board launched a review of the coaching position.

McKenna defiantly claimed on Friday he would not change his new defensive structures that have put his job under scrutiny.

Hird said he was surprised McKenna was under the pump at the start of his second season at the new club.

“You look at where Guy McKenna and the Suns are at in their development and it’s odd that they would be criticised at all,” Hird said.

“We have a lot of regard for them and are almost envious of what they have built so far.

“He’s doing a very good job and will continue to do a good job for another two or three years.”