John Worsfold

“I sent Hurls a message the other day, but I’m hoping to hear from him and catch up fairly soon.” Has about as much time for the media as Malthouse, but without being a total ■■■■ about it.

“I sent him a message the other day,” Worsfold said.

“I thought he was overseas because he hasn’t responded yet … I’m hoping to hear from him and organise a time to catch up fairly soon.”

Few hours later BANG Hurley re-sgins

Worsfold the master at Trolling.

Serious man crush happening here.

John Wosfold media handling level = Yoda

Serious man crush happening here.

John Wosfold media handling level = Yoda

Nothing fazes this bloke plays everything with a straight bat and gives them nothing lol

I thought winning wasn’t a priority…

When WADA’s appeal against the Essendon 34 succeeded last year, it felt like the small, insulated world of the AFL had been hit by a tsunami.

Henceforth, we were led to believe, every AFL footballer would be treated the same as every Russian athlete and swimmer. I remember using that exact example at the time and questioning whether it would prove to be true. Because it hasn’t. The Russian team, or most of them, got to compete at the Rio Olympics. The Essendon 34 are watching from the stands.

You can argue it’s not WADA’s fault that most of the Russian team competed at Rio – WADA recommended to the IOC that they be banned. But the fact is the big fish got away and, in terms of the international politics in which these things are mired, the Essendon 34 are very little fish. If I were one of the Essendon 34, I’d be thinking along these lines.

This week, I rang a contact at Essendon and asked him if there was any such attitude of resentment around the club. “Not at all,” he replied. “Not even around the water cooler.” “Why not?”, I asked. “Woosha”, he said. “He’s an optimist. He always looks ahead.”

John “Woosha” Worsfold is an intriguing figure. Now he is Woosha the Wise, Woosha the Patient, Woosha the Beneficent, but I remember a time when he and Dermott Brereton used to line up like figures in a medieval joust. Sir Dermott did combat for Ireland and the Hawthorn Football Club. Sir Woosha represented Western Australia.

In the old pre-AFL days, the Victorians believed South and Western Australians were weak (and they really believed it). Woosha set out to single-handedly prove them wrong. There was nothing the Vics did to him or his young West Coast teammates that he wouldn’t do back. And he did it with a smile which suggested that this was the game as he enjoyed playing it.

Perhaps it was after he stunned Dermott with a shirt-front in Perth, or perhaps after he met Gary Ablett full-on at the MCG and the two hard men bounced off one another like giant boulders, that Victorians accepted that John Worsfold was an extremely tough hombre.

He’s 47 now. When you meet him, you see a young face with lots of deep lines in it and, of course, that bewildering smile which could be mistaken for innocence had you not seen what he did to Peter Daicos behind play during the 1990 qualifying final replay. But nor can I forget the grey sandbag of blood beneath Woosha’s right eye after the 1991 grand final, the Eagles’ first, which they lost to Hawthorn.

Dermott had collected him – with what, I cannot say – but I do remember Woosha saying to an interviewer post-match, almost reverently: “Hawthorn gave us a football lesson today.” The next year, West Coast won the flag. Woosha was their protector. He was still only 24, not that tall, not that quick, but a player with a large and unmistakable presence. So, yes, if I were a young Essendon player and Woosha told me to look ahead, I’d look ahead.

Essendon’s new president, Lindsay Tanner, is also displaying footy smarts. Why’s that, you ask? Seen him on the news lately? Seems to me he’s letting Essendon’s spirited young team and their loyal fans do the club’s talking. This was the week when former Collingwood captain Tony Shaw said the Pies “don’t have an identity”. No one could say that about Essendon. Their identity is defiantly on display every week.

I knew Essendon would get through this year. The club is as deeply rooted in family histories around Australia as it is in the history of the game. I also thought they’d pinch a game or two. I went to a match earlier this year against North Melbourne. The Bombers didn’t have a goal at half-time – and nearly won. The excitement was wild. Afterwards, North coach Brad Scott described it as a win that felt like a loss, thereby giving further credence to Essendon supporter Bill Jennings’ statement that 2016 is the Bombers’ year of Zen footy.

Last weekend, against the Suns, the Bombers had their second win of the year. One of the commentators said it was a memorable result in what was an otherwise forgettable year. I couldn’t disagree more. It’s been a fascinating year for Essendon. Departing Brownlow medallist Adam Cooney described it this week as the best two-win season he’s ever played in.

The fact of the matter is that Essendon’s gone somewhere this year. They’re like a bus that, relative to where the club was 12 months ago, has gone a long way. And that’s the bus the banned Essendon players who come back next year are going to have to get on.

Haha, I could tell that was Flannagan before clicking the link. Gee he like to waste words on flowery bullshit that is meaningless…

“They’re like a bus that, relative to where the club was 12 months ago, has gone a long way.”

With the season over for us now, for me, close to, if not, coach of the year. If his name was paul roos or had done an apprenticeship under Clarko the media would be all over his performance like Brucey over cyril

Same number of wins as Ross Lyon. Unreal.

hahahahhahahahahahhahahahahhahahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahahhahahaha. Carlton.

Thanks Woosha for making what was supposed to be a nightmare season into a genuinely enjoyable season to watch.

How must it feel when you can come last but still beat Fark Carlton and have a massive turnout of fans for the last game of the year.

Wooden spoon decider won’t get Woosha watching
Callum Twomey August 27, 2016 6:30 PM

ESSENDON coach John Worsfold won’t be watching Sunday’s clash between the Brisbane Lions and St Kilda with extra interest, despite the game being set to decide this year’s wooden spoon.

The Bombers gave themselves a chance of avoiding last place on the ladder with a 24-point win over Carlton at the MCG on Saturday, which lifted them equal on points with the 17th-placed Lions.

The Lions have a 0.5 per cent lead on Essendon, but Worsfold said he had little interest in the game at Etihad Stadium, which will also decide who takes the prized No.1 draft pick.

“Who are [St Kilda] playing? I honestly didn’t know who Brisbane were playing, or when they were playing and I’m not too fussed,” Worsfold said after his team’s victory.

The 2006 West Coast premiership coach said he had not followed the story lines throughout the season about Essendon potentially claiming its first wooden spoon since 1933.

WATCH: John Worsfold’s full post-match press conference

“To be honest I won’t be looking at the result. I haven’t looked at it all year to see where we’ve sat with other clubs and what scenarios could take place,” Worsfold said.

“For the Essendon Football Club, they’re a very proud club and … it’s not something they enjoy doing [winning the wooden spoon] and it hasn’t been a part of their history, so if we avoid that, that would be wonderful. It’s not something I’m sitting there praying for.”

The Bombers’ third win of their challenging 2016 campaign came with a dominant display over the Blues, who were back at the MCG a week after spoiling Melbourne’s finals plans.

But Essendon stopped Carlton from repeating those efforts, and reached the 100-point barrier for the first time this season.

What about this effort from Walla?! #AFLDonsBlues https://t.co/iLCNukNc7W

— AFL (@AFL) August 27, 2016
The Bombers can take some enthusiasm from the last-round win but Worsfold said it wouldn’t guarantee improvement ahead of 2017.

“These players haven’t lost momentum or lost faith at any point. It’s nice to win, but all our messages have been – regardless of wins and losses – that it’s about the effort we’re putting in and what we’re trying to achieve,” he said.

“It’s nice to finish with a win but the momentum doesn’t come from that, it comes from our desire to continue to get better.”

Key forward Joe Daniher was exceptional against the Blues with five goals to take his season tally to 43 – a career-best for the 22-year-old.

Much has been said about Daniher’s kicking accuracy this year but after two shaky misses early against Carlton, the Bombers forward kicked brilliantly at goal, including roosting a long shot from inside the centre square.

Worsfold left the game encouraged by what he has seen from Daniher this year, and is already looking forward to seeing how he can develop his game ahead of next season.

“He’s a quality footballer who’s got a bright future ahead. But he’s like us as the Essendon Football Club. We’ve got a lot of hard work ahead to reach where we want to get to,” he said.

“Joe’s the same, he’s still a very young footballer but I see the desire for him to do the work to become the footballer I know he can be.”

Daniher is dominating at the 'G! #AFLDonsBlues #ohwhatafeeling https://t.co/GThGTJUAzH

— AFL (@AFL) August 27, 2016
Essendon used its final game to thank its 10 top-up players for their service across the year, with defender Matt Dea using the occasion to again show he is worthy of a permanent place on the club’s list.

The Bombers can automatically sign him as a delisted free agent from November 1.

Essendon supporters showed their own appreciation to the team after the game with a sea of red and black remaining at the MCG as the players ran around the boundary, while legendary coach Kevin Sheedy and former chairman Paul Little were among a packed changerooms after the game.

“[The win] typified the endeavor that they’ve showed all year, often against teams that were way too powerful for us,” Worsfold said of the result.

“But those teams even knew they had to fight hard to win the game against us. Today’s energy and effort typified what our supporters have been proud of all year.”

He says he is interested in jaeger bombers…
Any supporter up for a round?

Watch the fixture work in our favour next yr.

AFL want their cash cow back winning games, mark my words.

I used to think this way too but I don’t believe it anymore.

If the AFL wanted any of their underperforming cash cows to rise up the ladder quickly, then they would’ve bent over backwards to boost Fark Carlton up the ladder rapidly, instead of letting them wallow in mediocrity or outright haplessness, over the past 15 years, even with Mike Fitzpatrick running the whole show.

The AFL just don’t give a fark about the big Melbourne clubs anymore.

Equalization is their buzzword these days. Just as long as Sydney remains the most equal out of all of them.

That’s where they believe their most important cash cow remains along with Western Sydney and SEQld at this moment in time.

So I’m not expecting any farking help from that cesspit of a corrupt organisation any time soon.

We’re on our own from now on and will have to pull ourselves out of the ■■■■ from here on in.

I wonder when the Melbourne clubs will actually make a stand about the 2 Sydney clubs getting all the help they get…swans missed the finals once in 20 years GWS well they just a shoe in to make the 8 for years to come…in fact you could probably say its a top 6 that the Melbourne teams are playing for…its not a fair competition when certain clubs have the ability to spend more then others in the same competition!

Welcome to 20 years ago. People seem to forget Sheedy stating as far back as the late 90’s that if something wasn’t done about the concessions for Syd & Brissy they would dominate the comp. 9 GF’s & 5 flags between them later & we still have a massively compromised competition. I seriously liken it to the WWE as that’s the only other sport I can think of where the administration has such an active role in the outcome. I just couldn’t imagine the yanks for example allowing the NFL to artificially prop up certain franchises or imagine the response if the EPL decided Tottenham would be gifted the best players every year. Sydney have effectively been gifted the No.1 draft pick the last 2 years. This is on top of the ability to have the games highest paid player sit above the salary cap of every non-expansion club. Its farking cheating by any measure. Eddie back in the early 00’s was the only person to give the issue the criticism it deserved. I would happily give up the FS rule, ANZAC Day or any other fixture advantage to have a fair & even true competition. I doubt I will ever see it.

Would you be happy to have the bombers move to another state if they got all the concessions listed above?

Would you be happy to have the bombers move to another state if they got all the concessions listed above?

I don’t want any concessions for anyone anywhere. Concessions compromise competition. Like I said, I don’t see the admin do it in any other professional sport.

It’s all about the obsession with making the game big in NSW and Qld. Turning the comp into a joke in order to make it bigger. Isn’t it lucky we were here to take the heat off their new pet in Qld.

I was unsure about Worsfold’s appointment at the beginning, but have eaten humble pie for the whole of 2016. Can’t wait to see what he does with our full list at his disposal next year.

Watch the fixture work in our favour next yr.

AFL want their cash cow back winning games, mark my words.

I used to think this way too but I don’t believe it anymore.

If the AFL wanted any of their underperforming cash cows to rise up the ladder quickly, then they would’ve bent over backwards to boost Fark Carlton up the ladder rapidly, instead of letting them wallow in mediocrity or outright haplessness, over the past 15 years, even with Mike Fitzpatrick running the whole show.

The AFL just don’t give a fark about the big Melbourne clubs anymore.

Equalization is their buzzword these days. Just as long as Sydney remains the most equal out of all of them.

That’s where they believe their most important cash cow remains along with Western Sydney and SEQld at this moment in time.

So I’m not expecting any farking help from that cesspit of a corrupt organisation any time soon.

We’re on our own from now on and will have to pull ourselves out of the ■■■■ from here on in.

I wonder when the Melbourne clubs will actually make a stand about the 2 Sydney clubs getting all the help they get…swans missed the finals once in 20 years GWS well they just a shoe in to make the 8 for years to come…in fact you could probably say its a top 6 that the Melbourne teams are playing for…its not a fair competition when certain clubs have the ability to spend more then others in the same competition!

Welcome to 20 years ago. People seem to forget Sheedy stating as far back as the late 90’s that if something wasn’t done about the concessions for Syd & Brissy they would dominate the comp. 9 GF’s & 5 flags between them later & we still have a massively compromised competition. I seriously liken it to the WWE as that’s the only other sport I can think of where the administration has such an active role in the outcome. I just couldn’t imagine the yanks for example allowing the NFL to artificially prop up certain franchises or imagine the response if the EPL decided Tottenham would be gifted the best players every year. Sydney have effectively been gifted the No.1 draft pick the last 2 years. This is on top of the ability to have the games highest paid player sit above the salary cap of every non-expansion club. Its farking cheating by any measure. Eddie back in the early 00’s was the only person to give the issue the criticism it deserved. I would happily give up the FS rule, ANZAC Day or any other fixture advantage to have a fair & even true competition. I doubt I will ever see it.


Spot farken on