Coaching Staff Senior Coach: John Worsfold - Thank you John

[Old Campaigner]

You do raise an interesting point. Once he knew he was hamstrung and not going to get his way he was pretty much staying around for a pay check. The club then let him because they where too scared to sack another coach after giving him a premature extension.

Is this for real? Do you know what it was that he wanted and who was doing the hamstringing?

 

[BrunoV]

Carlton.

Have you heard whether it was the backroom that knifed SOS or whether it was the club trying to recover control from the backroom?

Absolutely nothing about his termination made any sense.

 

[Burzum]

Is this for real? Do you know what it was that he wanted and who was doing the hamstringing?

 

[Lore]

Is this for real? Do you know what it was that he wanted and who was doing the hamstringing?

There's been chatter all over our corner of the forum for at least a couple of weeks now about this theory that some of the coterie people, former players, ("Essendon people") are having an undue level of influence. Smattering of inside info from people like ant who have connections and some connecting of the dots from public comments, tail wagging the dog type stuff. Wallis, Lloyd and Sheedy in the media certainly seems to reinforce it, Worsfold's press conference last week. Also a recent article that said something about Worsfold not being given the respect at Essendon that he was used to out west.

 

[Old Campaigner]

There's been chatter all over our corner of the forum for at least a couple of weeks now about this theory that some of the coterie people, former players, ("Essendon people") are having an undue level of influence. Smattering of inside info from people like ant who have connections and some connecting of the dots from public comments, tail wagging the dog type stuff. Wallis, Lloyd and Sheedy in the media certainly seems to reinforce it, Worsfold's press conference last week. Also a recent article that said something about Worsfold not being given the respect at Essendon that he was used to out west.

I’ve heard the chatter, I just wasn’t sure if Ant knew any more detail give he’s working/worked in the footy industry

 

[Westlo]

Off rides John into the sunset leaving behind an unbalanced list

No idea why you want to pin that on Woosha when it's Dodo's fault.

"Aw nah Dodo is good, it's Woosha's fault Dodo is going to draft a half back flanker and try and turn him into a mid this upcoming draft".

 

[Jobe Watson]

No idea why you want to pin that on Woosha when it's Dodo's fault.

"Aw nah Dodo is good, it's Woosha's fault Dodo is going to draft a half back flanker and try and turn him into a mid this upcoming draft".

Dodo can go too.

 

[yodellinhank]

There's been chatter all over our corner of the forum for at least a couple of weeks now about this theory that some of the coterie people, former players, ("Essendon people") are having an undue level of influence. Smattering of inside info from people like ant who have connections and some connecting of the dots from public comments, tail wagging the dog type stuff. Wallis, Lloyd and Sheedy in the media certainly seems to reinforce it, Worsfold's press conference last week. Also a recent article that said something about Worsfold not being given the respect at Essendon that he was used to out west.

Yeah, but what did Woosh want that he didn't get? Who was undermining him and how? He says he has faith in the list, he believes in the way we want to play. So where's the problem?

 

[I Remember Bluey]

‘Is that the culture I need to uphold?’: When Worsfold almost walked out of Essendon

Former Essendon coach John Worsfold has opened up about events after the 2017 elimination final, and questioned why the Bombers still believe they are beyond on-field struggles.

www.theage.com.au

Former Essendon coach John Worsfold has questioned the Bombers’ culture and taken aim at how club directors responded to the 2017 elimination final defeat to Sydney.

As the Bombers prepare to celebrate their 150th anniversary against Carlton on Friday night, Worsfold used his speech at the Perth Rotary of Elizabeth Quay on “Modern Day Masculinity,” kicking off men’s health week, to provide insight into his five years with the Bombers.

Worsfold detailed his time taking over a group in late 2015 that had been ravaged by the supplements scandal and “been burnt so badly by this club”. He said he needed to rebuild trust in players who “had just come out of a period of turmoil” and perhaps had lost trust with the club.

“The players had been accused of being cheats, this was going through a public battle, it was in the papers every day … but they got exonerated in May 2015 [by an AFL tribunal], but the World Anti-Doping Authority took that to the Court of Arbitration for Sport for appeal,” Worsfold said.

Following WADA’s appeal, 34 past and present Essendon players at the time were banned for the 2016 season. They returned a year later and made the finals, only to be beaten by 65 points by the Swans at the SCG.

However, it was the post-match events that left Worsfold said left him wondering whether he should walk out of the club.
“As a coach I was so proud of them. We went into the finals. Some of those I talked about had injury battles the previous two games going into the finals, but they wanted to play in the final in their first year back, so we brought them in for the final,” Worsfold said.

“They were a bit underdone and we were rolled by Sydney in Sydney and I congratulated the players on what they achieved post-game and told them how proud I was of what they had done. But I had people telling me post that, that I should have berated them for losing by 50 points, I should have told them that is not what the Essendon Football Club deliver up and that’s not what is expected.

“Even as a coach, you are fighting that. This is coming from board directors of the club … I am thinking ‘I am trying to win these players’ respect and trust back that you guys potentially lost and you want [to diminish] what they have achieved for this club. To win enough games to make the finals this year is quite remarkable.’ Anyway, that was my take on it. Other people thought differently.

“I had to wrestle with that. Was I right? Was I wrong? Should I have been harder? Is this what that football club does? Is that the culture I need to uphold, which, if it was, I probably would have walked out then. That doesn’t align with who I am as a leader of men, but we worked through that.”

The Bombers recalled Michael Hurley

18

Michael Hurley

Age

33

Ht

193cm

Wt

94kg

Pos.

Def

Career

Season

Last 5

D

18.3

5star

K

12.1

4star

HB

6.2

4star

M

6.4

5star

T

0.9

3star

MG

389.3

5star

D

16.5

4star

K

11.8

5star

HB

4.7

3star

M

6.3

5star

T

0.3

1star

MG

301.2

4star

D

15.0

4star

K

7.6

3star

HB

7.4

5star

M

5.0

5star

T

2.0

4star

and Orazio Fantasia

14

Orazio Fantasia

Age

28

Ht

180cm

Wt

73kg

Pos.

Fwd

Career

Season

Last 5

D

13.6

3star

K

7.4

3star

HB

6.2

4star

M

3.6

4star

T

3.1

5star

G

1.4

5star

D

9.8

2star

K

5.4

2star

HB

4.4

3star

M

3.0

3star

T

1.2

2star

G

0.2

3star

D

12.0

3star

K

4.6

2star

HB

7.4

5star

M

3.4

4star

T

2.2

4star

G

0.0

1star

for that final but there had been injury doubts over others.

Former federal politician Lindsay Tanner was club president at the time, while current president Paul Brasher was on the board. In the club’s annual report, Tanner wrote: “Results throughout the year were never guaranteed, but one thing was certain, we played an exciting brand of football and showed the rest of the competition that we can be a force in years to come. In the end, our season didn’t finish the way any of us would have liked, however, our players represented the sash with great pride, and now, having tasted finals football, have an appetite for more.”

The Bombers head into their anniversary clash against the Blues on Friday in 16th spot (2-9 win-loss record) and enduring a horrid year. Their form prompted a contentious mid-season review and legendary coach and current board director Kevin Sheedy this week to question if “people at our club” understand that “it’s a war every seven days – that’s the only way to play and coach”.

Worsfold, a legendary West Coast Eagle, felt the current mood of the club was similar to what he felt after the 2017 final, and questioned why the Bombers claim they are beyond the on-field struggles all clubs face at some point.

“It’s interesting that now, as that same football club are back in the [media] at the moment, the same arguments are coming out – it’s unacceptable, that’s not who we are. Like that’s the only club in the world that has a right to never be average even though the game, the rules of the AFL, are to make sure that everyone gets their turn at the top, which does mean, unfortunately, that everyone gets their turn at the bottom,” he said.

 

[owen87]

‘Is that the culture I need to uphold?’: When Worsfold almost walked out of Essendon

Former Essendon coach John Worsfold has opened up about events after the 2017 elimination final, and questioned why the Bombers still believe they are beyond on-field struggles.

www.theage.com.au

Former Essendon coach John Worsfold has questioned the Bombers’ culture and taken aim at how club directors responded to the 2017 elimination final defeat to Sydney.

As the Bombers prepare to celebrate their 150th anniversary against Carlton on Friday night, Worsfold used his speech at the Perth Rotary of Elizabeth Quay on “Modern Day Masculinity,” kicking off men’s health week, to provide insight into his five years with the Bombers.

Worsfold detailed his time taking over a group in late 2015 that had been ravaged by the supplements scandal and “been burnt so badly by this club”. He said he needed to rebuild trust in players who “had just come out of a period of turmoil” and perhaps had lost trust with the club.

“The players had been accused of being cheats, this was going through a public battle, it was in the papers every day … but they got exonerated in May 2015 [by an AFL tribunal], but the World Anti-Doping Authority took that to the Court of Arbitration for Sport for appeal,” Worsfold said.

Following WADA’s appeal, 34 past and present Essendon players at the time were banned for the 2016 season. They returned a year later and made the finals, only to be beaten by 65 points by the Swans at the SCG.

However, it was the post-match events that left Worsfold said left him wondering whether he should walk out of the club.
“As a coach I was so proud of them. We went into the finals. Some of those I talked about had injury battles the previous two games going into the finals, but they wanted to play in the final in their first year back, so we brought them in for the final,” Worsfold said.

“They were a bit underdone and we were rolled by Sydney in Sydney and I congratulated the players on what they achieved post-game and told them how proud I was of what they had done. But I had people telling me post that, that I should have berated them for losing by 50 points, I should have told them that is not what the Essendon Football Club deliver up and that’s not what is expected.

“Even as a coach, you are fighting that. This is coming from board directors of the club … I am thinking ‘I am trying to win these players’ respect and trust back that you guys potentially lost and you want [to diminish] what they have achieved for this club. To win enough games to make the finals this year is quite remarkable.’ Anyway, that was my take on it. Other people thought differently.

“I had to wrestle with that. Was I right? Was I wrong? Should I have been harder? Is this what that football club does? Is that the culture I need to uphold, which, if it was, I probably would have walked out then. That doesn’t align with who I am as a leader of men, but we worked through that.”

The Bombers recalled Michael Hurley and Orazio Fantasia for that final but there had been injury doubts over others.

Former federal politician Lindsay Tanner was club president at the time, while current president Paul Brasher was on the board. In the club’s annual report, Tanner wrote: “Results throughout the year were never guaranteed, but one thing was certain, we played an exciting brand of football and showed the rest of the competition that we can be a force in years to come. In the end, our season didn’t finish the way any of us would have liked, however, our players represented the sash with great pride, and now, having tasted finals football, have an appetite for more.”

The Bombers head into their anniversary clash against the Blues on Friday in 16th spot (2-9 win-loss record) and enduring a horrid year. Their form prompted a contentious mid-season review and legendary coach and current board director Kevin Sheedy this week to question if “people at our club” understand that “it’s a war every seven days – that’s the only way to play and coach”.

Worsfold, a legendary West Coast Eagle, felt the current mood of the club was similar to what he felt after the 2017 final, and questioned why the Bombers claim they are beyond the on-field struggles all clubs face at some point.

“It’s interesting that now, as that same football club are back in the [media] at the moment, the same arguments are coming out – it’s unacceptable, that’s not who we are. Like that’s the only club in the world that has a right to never be average even though the game, the rules of the AFL, are to make sure that everyone gets their turn at the top, which does mean, unfortunately, that everyone gets their turn at the bottom,” he said.

Fair comments from Worsfold, the bolded gives an insight as to how the coach and the executive were pulling in different directions from the start of his tenure.

 

[Howard Moon]

That's 2 former Coaches picking their week to comment, knights next?

 

[Lore]

Fair comments from Worsfold, the bolded gives an insight as to how the coach and the executive were pulling in different directions from the start of his tenure.

The fish rots from the head.

 

[Red Black and Blue]

Don’t disagree with his stance about the final, but the guy never enforced any standards whatsoever. His style bred complacency when the kindest thing he could have done for those players was create an environment that could have provided success instead of guarantee a full career of mediocrity.

 

[yodellinhank]

They were underdone but they wanted to play so I brought them in and we got thrashed.

Yeah John, I'd say there could be a culture problem, well spotted.

 

[fishardansin]

The biggest inditement on Worsfold was that in 2018 and 2019 he had a mature list that had been topped up. We started each year horribly, then came home with a wet sail.

This said to me that they spent the whole summer working on his game plan and were rubbish implementing that. After 6-8 weeks the coaching staff said "stuff it". Run and carry, have some fun out there boys. Then the actual talent of the list would shine through and they'd start winning games.

You could say the same happened this year, but I think it was an injury-plauged immature list that didn't live up to the false hope of last year. You could see the pressure around the ball last year. When that disappeared following the injuries, Stringer and Tippa weren't there to paper over our dearth of inside mids and terrible transition defense led to this year's disaster. However, you can see that there is some (not enough) improvement in that over the last month.