Essendon coach John Worsfold says struggling Bombers have begun turning things around with win over Melbourne

Essendon coach John Worsfold believes his charges may have believed their own hype after a solid preseason, leading to an 0-2 start, but he saw signs they were turning things around in last night's win over Melbourne, the club's first of the season.

The reality of the season-proper might have served as a shock to Essendon, coach John Worsfold has admitted.

The Bombers notched their first win of the season on Friday night, over Melbourne at the MCG. 

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Essendon coach John Worsfold celebrates with Bombers star David Zaharakis.

It was a much “freer” performance by his players, Worsfold said, after a disastrous opening fortnight to the season in which he conceded his players may have been satisfied after a promising preseason. 

“There’s no doubt the players looked a bit freer in terms of their mindset to not worry about making mistakes and work hard,” he said. 

“It’s not something (that was said or changed) that’s really that tangible. 

“I had a slight feeling that the players thought they’d had a really good preseason and that they’d turn up and play and ‘we’ll be right’, and just forgot how tough the game is and how hard they have to work on all the little things. 

“I think we started seeing that tonight.”

Dyson Heppell stood up for the Bombers. Picture: Getty Images

Worsfold credited skipper Dyson Heppell after “working his backside off” in the first two games of the season, and said the players had lifted to “a better intensity across every minute of the game”. 

He said the shift in performance – after dropping the first two matches at a combined total of 83 points – and particularly the team’s eight unanswered goals in the third term was simply a culmination of effort. 

“Things don’t just happen,” he said. 

“You train hard, you practice a lot and you’ve got to beat the opposition who are going to stop you doing that. You have periods of games where things work really well like that, so you take them while they’re there.”

Kobe Mutch was ruled out of the game early. Picture: Getty Images

But he refuted the suggestion that it was a release of pressure on the game plan. 

“It’s not my job to answer questions of people not involved in our footy club,” he said.

“I answer the questions to the players, the coaching staff, our club. We’re all on the same page with what we’re doing, so everyone’s been very clear with what we’re working on and what we want to get to. We’ve all been disappointed in the start to the season, but it didn’t mean we didn’t believe in what we’re doing.”

Kobe Mutch was the only casualty for Essendon, felled with a hamstring injury early in the first quarter. 

Originally published as Essendon coach John Worsfold says struggling Bombers have begun turning things around with win over Melbourne