Coaching Staff Former Coach Ben "Truck" Rutten - Sacked for real this time - 21/8

[faible]

Last year we had a heap of injuries and a less experienced list. We achieved what we achieved. Don't think the club has been accused of over achieving since '93.

But of course it's a "rebuild", that'd be why we hit the draft so hard, oh wait...

We have half our forward line out, and started the season with 3 games against Top 4 teams last year. It was always odds on we’d be 0-3.

Last year we arguably overachieved, it’s not common 11 wins play finals from memory, and a couple of teams underachieved - e.g Carlton - that meant we went through.

Even if we manage to tread water this year whilst turning over our spine (which we need to do) it was unlikely we’d play finals.

If last year was an overachieving year, then this year is one of consolidation. 2 games in against 2 of the Top 4 sides from last year probably doesn’t give a clear indication where we’re at.

 

[bomberlegend2007]

Last year we had a heap of injuries and a less experienced list. We achieved what we achieved. Don't think the club has been accused of over achieving since '93.

But of course it's a "rebuild", that'd be why we hit the draft so hard, oh wait...

Three picks in the Top 10 in 2020 is hitting it hard, I would think anyway.

 

[MiguelM]

We have half our forward line out, and started the season with 3 games against Top 4 teams last year. It was always odds on we’d be 0-3.

Last year we arguably overachieved, it’s not common 11 wins play finals from memory, and a couple of teams underachieved - e.g Carlton - that meant we went through.

Even if we manage to tread water this year whilst turning over our spine (which we need to do) it was unlikely we’d play finals.

If last year was an overachieving year, then this year is one of consolidation. 2 games in against 2 of the Top 4 sides from last year probably doesn’t give a clear indication where we’re at.

For me it gives a precise indication of where we are at and how far we have to go!

 

[faible]

For me it gives a precise indication of where we are at and how far we have to go!

It says where we’re not at - Top 4. It doesn’t tell us whether we’re in the middle band of teams like last year, or the bottom 4.

 

[MiguelM]

It says where we’re not at - Top 4. It doesn’t tell us whether we’re in the middle band of teams like last year, or the bottom 4.

Fair call.

 

[yodellinhank]

Three picks in the Top 10 in 2020 is hitting it hard, I would think anyway.

Brave call to rest on those 3 picks. We'd really have to hope Reid can actually get on the park and Cox can develop into something. Especially you look at the drafts preceding and what we've got (or don't) coming through.

 

[I Remember Bluey]

Think Truck is on AFL360 tonight (Coaches Night)

 

[Lore]

Think Truck is on AFL360 tonight (Coaches Night)

Going to be mandatory watching, although Merrett did it last week for Players Night and it wasn't soooo bad considering.

 

[I Remember Bluey]

Going to be mandatory watching, although Merrett did it last week for Players Night and it wasn't soooo bad considering.

Zach was a bit lucky though, as all Gerard & Robo wanted to talk about was the MRO.

 

[Kakkle]

Sam Mitchell dropped Liam Shiels

14

Liam Shiels

Age

34

Ht

184cm

Wt

82kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

20.2

5star

K

11.7

4star

HB

8.5

5star

M

3.6

4star

T

5.9

5star

CL

3.4

5star

D

17.4

4star

K

10.4

4star

HB

7.0

4star

M

2.4

3star

T

4.1

5star

CL

1.9

4star

D

12.2

3star

K

6.8

3star

HB

5.4

4star

M

2.4

3star

T

3.8

5star

(25 disposals), after 1 round. You think Rutten would have it in him?

 

[Beerfish]

Sam Mitchell dropped Liam Shiels (25 disposals), after 1 round. You think Rutten would have it in him?

Not sure how Truck drops Liam Shiels.

 

[I Remember Bluey]

Not sure how Truck drops Liam Shiels.

A good left hook should do it

 

[brutus76]

A stiff uppercut should knock him out cold

 

[Beerfish]

A good left hook should do it

A stuff uppercut should knock him out cold

 

[Lore]

Think Truck is on AFL360 tonight (Coaches Night)

ICYMI | Rutten on AFL 360 (March 28)

Senior coach Ben Rutten joins the AFL 360 desk for Coaches Night on Monday March 28.

www.essendonfc.com.au

• Hardwick there too (former colleague). Rutten looks a lot more relaxed, Hardwick arms crossed sitting tight.
• James Stewart = brain fade. Questions about "what is deliberate".
• Poor performance against Geelong. Responded more the way we want to show up against the Lions. Continuing to evolve, not the finished product.
• Midfield was stretched a little with Shiel pulling out, now we have to redesign a little bit with Merrett out as well.
• Is there more than one kind of syndesmosis? Some concern about that on the night but we were hoping it was minor. Scan revealed it needs surgery and a "tightrope put around it". 6-8 week injury. Last two minutes of the game, Cox and Zach both doing ankles, really unfortunate to be without him for a period of time.
• Hardwick talking about being excited to see what the kids can do when driving into the game, then got blown out of the park by Carlton's dominant midfield. Talking about his ruckmen and Cotchin leading from the middle this week after issues with stoppage execution and structure, which was a stern conversation on the Monday and "that's not what we do how we play" and the players responded (this sounds familiar).
• 6-6-6 is becoming more important and centre bounce is becoming more important, becoming one of the most important sources of scoring.
• Questions about Dustin Martin.
• Back to Rutten asking about tactics tagging Neale etc.
  • Rutten: "It's a great question and as a coaching group we're constantly discussing that. What are the pros and cons? Because there's always a cost whenever you make a move like that, to tag. What I would say is I'd like to continue to develop within our playing list, the ability to be able to do something like that whether it be a full blown tag or probably moreso the ability to close someone out at stoppage for a period of time. There's no guarantees that that works mind you, Lachie Neale it wasn't like he was a spare player, we had players on him and good players as well and some of our guys you know Darcy Parish got his fair share as well but there's no doubt Lachie is a star, he's one of the best players in the competition and he likes playing Essendon. I would like to develop amongst our team the ability to do that from time to time."
  • Robbo: "What is the cost Ben? I often hear coaches talk about 'its a system and if we make it 17 against 17 it's going to disrupt...' what is the major negative component of running a tagger or a cooler or stoppage man or a person who runs from stoppage to stoppage with a guy, how does that disrupt the team defence?"
  • Rutten: "Well I think that depends on your style, I mean there are teams that are more 1v1 so it's potentially a bit easier for teams to play a tagger or a run with role, other teams work on developing more of a system based game and the costs are if we play more of a designated tagger, then we don't play one of Parish, Shiel, Merrett, Stringer as well, so we've got to weigh that up, that's the potential cost. Some clubs are fortunate to have someone who can play in the midfield be a stopper but also be a really productive midfielder as well, so they're the things we're always weighing up, certainly the scoreboard plays an impact as well, at 3QT we were down by 22 points, stoppage had been a score source albeit an inaccurate one, and we're also trying to win the game as well, so we're weighing up do we take one of our prime movers out of stoppage when we actually need to try to score from either intercept or stoppage to try and win the game. So they're all the things we're trying to discuss as coaches and there is often no perfect, there's no right answer, that's why it's difficult."
  • Robbo asks Hardwick for his view: "Lachie Neale averages about 45 against us to be perfectly honest, he gets us every time. I reckon if we tag him he gets 30!" [Did you ever run with a tag?] "Very rarely, we might as Ben said might be around stoppages there might be certain players that we'll hit up at stoppages, but we tried with Cripps obviously against Carlton and it was ineffective, but you know the game when it's on the line on the weekend, the guy we wanted to keep an eye on is Whitfield, he's the guy off the back of stoppage who can win the game up and going from the back half. So there are certain players you can monitor and have influence over but then as Ben said there are certain situations where it becomes really detrimental to how you want to set up..." [Is that when you use the wingman? Pickett? Pressure? Do y ou use the wingman for that role?] "Probably not as much, there might be stages but generally you've got players that can come in and nullify, generally it's a high forward who can come in and nullify that guy off the back, but various sides have different avenues, it's probably an area where like Ben we haven't got a true formula we just find someone who is not playing that well that might be able to nullify the impact of a key player, if that makes sense."
• Gerard to Rutten: What does 0-2 mean to you? Not the ideal start for us but not losing any belief about we're not the finished product use the season to improve, that's the nature of the early part of the season, small sample size, figuring out what the best game style, line up looks like. We are aspiring to be like Geelong, Richmond, Melbourne and we're really hungry to be like those teams, and to play those teams early in the season is a great opportunity looking forward to playing them Melbourne is no bigger challenge or opportunity to get.
• Robbo reels off Petracca's stats, Rutten "and Oliver?" Robbo "oh he's not damaging but oh they're both damaging". (– argh, gonna mozz us!) What do you do about them? Rutten reiterated previous comments about tagging Neale, Petracca and Oliver are a team, if one is having a bad day he'll set the other one up to succeed.
• Questions about Buddy Franklin 1000 goals. Rutten played on him back in the day...
• COVID - West Coast lost a lot of players, we lost Nic Martin... Hardwick: We're in a better situation than the WA teams, presumably the same will happen to Freo feel a bit sorry for Simmo. Good for the young kids to get a chance but then you get a lot of competition in your own boys. Rutten talking about supplementary lists. Significant amount of our squad have had it so if it comes through again it shouldn't wipe out the whole team hopefully.
• Hird was at the GWS game, asking Dimma about it.
• Wanganeen being the sub as a debutant?? Rutten: a fan as much as a coach. Fairytale with Martin last week, not ideal for Tex. Also trying to pick the team best you can for that game, Tex had the option to play in the VFL game down at Geelong or be the AFL sub, and he wouldn't change a thing. Hardwick: why not change the rule so after half time you can put them on like a regular sub? Doesn't make sense to have a perfectly healthy player sitting there all game unable to impact.

 

[Beerfish]

Tex had the option to play in the VFL game down at Geelong or be the AFL sub

I wondered if this was it.

Inb4 tail wagging the dog!!!

 

[BrunoV]

Sam Mitchell dropped Liam Shiels (25 disposals), after 1 round. You think Rutten would have it in him?

25 touches? Thats got to be worth 1 vote, surely.

 

[yodellinhank]

Drop Dylan Shiel

9

Dylan Shiel

Age

32

Ht

182cm

Wt

84kg

Pos.

D/M

Career

Season

Last 5

D

24.6

5star

K

12.3

5star

HB

12.2

5star

M

3.1

3star

T

3.9

5star

MG

410.2

5star

D

23.4

5star

K

13.6

5star

HB

9.8

5star

M

2.2

2star

T

3.4

4star

MG

334.4

5star

D

19.8

5star

K

8.4

4star

HB

11.4

5star

M

2.4

3star

T

2.6

4star

, closest we got.

 

[TheGrizz]

Sam Mitchell dropped Liam Shiels (25 disposals), after 1 round. You think Rutten would have it in him?

You mean like the time he dropped Cale Hooker?

 

[Zach Package]

You mean like the time he dropped Cale Hooker?

Was just about to say, Zaharakis is another example of a player not getting a free ride on the basis of seniority.

Smith is the one that is most under the pump but he must be doing enough of what we want him to do to keep him in the side.

 

[faible]

You mean like the time he dropped Cale Hooker?

Remember under Worsfold when David Myers had to drop himself? Rutten has a long way to go to reach those lofty heights.

 

[faible]

Hardwick: why not change the rule so after half time you can put them on like a regular sub? Doesn't make sense to have a perfectly healthy player sitting there all game unable to impact.

Lol.

Exactly what everyone was saying the coaches would demand happen when the sub rule was introduced. 5 man interchange

 

[TheGrizz]

Was just about to say, Zaharakis is another example of a player not getting a free ride on the basis of seniority.

Smith is the one that is most under the pump but he must be doing enough of what we want him to do to keep him in the side.

I think it goes without saying that if Snelling, Walla and Langford are fit, then there would be a bunch of guys not playing at the moment in the f50.

Ham, Smith and Guelfi chief among them. But we are down to the bottom of the well in that position unless we want to throw Wanganeen or Hird to the wolves against the best team in the competition.

 

[Kakkle]

You mean like the time he dropped Cale Hooker?

Did he drop Cale Hooker prior to leaving him out of the side for good after the GWS game? I don't think it was an overly hard decision to drop Cale based on form and the future after round 19, even with Harry Jones missing. Not really in the same realm as dropping Liam Shiels after 1 game.

 

[Beerfish]

Did he drop Cale Hooker prior to leaving him out of the side for good after the GWS game? I don't think it was an overly hard decision to drop Cale based on form and the future after round 19, even with Harry Jones missing. Not really in the same realm as dropping Liam Shiels after 1 game.

Who did he drop him for?