A foofer valve?
Since the beginning of time, man has yearned to destroy the Sharon
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Cousins is on the record saying it made him feel bullet proof.
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I bet it did! I didn’t consider the mental side of it.
Change has already started to sweep through a political football department in which differences of opinion over game style and perceived agendas of various assistant coaches has created an environment in which some players have been allowed to get away with breaking team rules, in turn creating a sense of frustration for others.
I was told at the time it was etorphine.
Posted in the Worsfold thread, but these issues boil down to leadership and probably the responsibility of Xavier and Heppell.
Whispers i hear … this article is very close to it
Interesting article
Clearly we’ve had a dysfunctional coaching group as well as playing group
More changes afoot it seems
It’s lame to say “Some of their tactics have brought other clubs into fits of laughter” without explaining what they are. No doubt cherny would have no idea.
Anyone know what this could be referring to?
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Probably our kick ins
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It’s a very concerning article. Sounds like it’s a bit of a shitshow at the moment and an environment in which we will not win games, and at this time of year, probably result in one or more trade requests.
I agree, that the Saga is well and truly past the use by date for us, but the difference is I believe, that teams that weren’t affected at all during that 3 - 4 year period (that is everyone else) are way ahead of us in terms of player development, chemistry, higher draft picks, finals experience etc.
Those years put us behind the comp majorly, and we are only just starting to catch up.
Considering this, I don’t think we are doing that badly, but at the same time, it is frustrating, because we are all starving for success that we were so close to achieving with Hird. Woosha has done a great job getting us back on track.
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I don’t agree that our list is suffering or is any sort of excuse for Worsfold in any way whatsoever.
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drugs do different things to different people. Some people go to sleep on phenergan, some go nuts. I take a medication for arthritis that will make me silly as a wheel if I don’t take the right dose, but others get cranky.
You might be in the majority that’s had a stereotypical experience but it doesn’t mean someone else can have a vastly opposite one.
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Sounds like Woosha needs to be firmer with the assistant coaches, if the article is to be believed.
Yep good point.
If the article’s to be believed, it sounds very much like the tail’s been wagging the dog at EFC for way too long…
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the whole article for those who can’t be bothered clicking on it
This is Essendon’s election campaign. The importance of the next eight quarters of football for the Dons have not been lost on those at Tullamarine. Several Bomber insiders have noted that Saturday night’s meeting with Fremantle in Perth, and the following Friday night’s game against Collingwood at the MCG, will shape the direction of the club over the next four years.
The stakes are high. The prevailing view from those at the club spoken to by The Age this week is that it is hard to foresee Worsfold being with the Bombers next year if the Dons don’t make the finals, and that even a first-round finals defeat could prove the end of his tenure. Essentially, nothing short of a first finals win in 15 years will entirely secure the 2006 premiership coach, whose competitive streak led him back to the hot seat after initially helping out at Adelaide in 2015 following the death of his former deputy Phil Walsh.
[
](javascript:void(0)Essendon players form a huddle at training on Wednesday.CREDIT:AAP
Change has already started to sweep through a political football department in which differences of opinion over game style and perceived agendas of various assistant coaches has created an environment in which some players have been allowed to get away with breaking team rules, in turn creating a sense of frustration for others.
High-performance chief Justin Crow will part ways with the club at season’s end in the wake of mounting pressure and a crippling injury list. At least one of Crow’s underlings has also been told his time is up.
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Assistants Paul Corrigan and Rob Harding, the latter of whom followed Worsfold from Adelaide, will both depart in the coming weeks. Most of the other assistants are understood to be contracted for next year, as is Worsfold, who signed a two-year extension early in 2018. There is some doubt, however, about midfield performance coach Hayden Skipworth, who is believed to be out of contract.
There is a view internally that Worsfold’s mandate has slowly been whittled down since the end of 2017 when football department chief Rob Kerr left the club and was replaced by Daniel Richardson, who arrived from reigning premiers Richmond. Partly that is because Worsfold, in stark contrast to the brute of a player he was at West Coast in the 1990s, is the type of person who likes to empower those around him.
[
](javascript:void(0)Essendon coach John Worsfold speaks to the media ahead of training on Wednesday.CREDIT:AAP
Richardson, having overseen difficult but ultimately justified changes on the Tigers’ coaching panel at the end of 2016 before being subordinated by the super-experienced Neil Balme, arrived at Essendon as something of a change agent, not unlike Simon Lethlean at St Kilda. He was responsible for the unceremonious exit of Worsfold loyalist Mark Neeld early last year, another call which in hindsight proved justified, and has since lured two highly touted assistants from Punt Road: Ben Rutten at the end of last year and Blake Caracella last week.
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Rutten, whose defensive methods from Richmond were instilled into the Essendon playing group over the summer, is viewed at Tullamarine as Worsfold’s most likely internal successor, although should Worsfold be sacked there will doubtless be a groundswell of support from supporters for 2000 premiership player Caracella. The actual implementation of Rutten’s philosophies has been an interesting study too, with opinions mixed about just how much the message has varied at times during the year.
Whatever the case, the Bombers are not perceived around the league to be tactically cutting edge, especially in their defensive 50. Some of their tactics have brought other clubs into fits of laughter. A playing list still with some players touched by the supplements saga to varying degrees, also means that the Essendon’s senior core don’t necessarily trust as readily as players from other clubs.
Then there is the matter of the lingering uncertainty surrounding the long-term playing futures of Orazio Fantasia and Joe Daniher. Aaron Francis has been in and out of the side, sent from end to end, and is yet to sign for 2020. Emerging defender Mason Redman is another out of contract, with Fremantle and Melbourne both linked to the South Australian.
While there have been recent additions to the board, the hard-working and affable chief executive Xavier Campbell wields a great deal of power. He may shortly be staring down the difficult call to part ways with a man hired under his watch.
All the while, Worsfold has remained stoic internally. He has reminded players that other teams have copped heavy defeats like the Dons did last week against the Western Bulldogs and still gone on to make and win finals. And Essendon were talented and spirited enough not so long ago to win five games in a row - with a string of late comebacks. If they can summon that effort again, Worsfold may yet be spared when the board goes to the polls.
If those bolded bits are true, that is highly concerning
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No way, just a quick google search shows that’s an opioid and a crazy strong 1 at that. If he’d have been high on that you could of swapped a sloth into that midfield and it’d get more touches.