Essendon coach John Worsfold still yet to sign new contract but surely needs no more incentive than Round 1 win

FOR weeks it’s been considered only a matter of time before Essendon coach John Worsfold signs a new contract but he still hasn’t put pen to paper. So what’s the hold up? The Bombers should get a pen in his hand on Monday, Glenn McFarlane writes.

John Worsfold is still yet to sign a new contract with Essendon. Picture: Getty

C’MON ‘Woosha’, it’s time to sign.

About the only thing that could further brighten the demeanour of Essendon supporters following Friday night’s smash-and-grab on Adelaide at Etihad Stadium would be to end the long-running why-hasn’t-Woosha-signed debate.

It is considered a certainty the 49-year-old will ink a new two-year agreement at some stage in the comings weeks, so why not just get it out of the way now?

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That would at least stop the endless questioning Worsfold has been getting at his press conferences that date back to late last season when he suggested he was more than happy to wait before the new deal is sealed.

The wait goes on.

There have been a few minor complications behind the scenes which have caused the delay, part of which was the fact that Bombers CEO Xavier Campbell was overseas at stages of last month, but expect it to happen ... very soon.

Campbell admitted on radio on Friday night that it was “pretty close” and that it was “just a matter of dotting the I’s and crossing the T’s.”

John Worsfold is still yet to sign a new contract with Essendon. Picture: Getty

Well, as soon as Woosha has finished his review of the club’s come-from-behind win over the Crows on Monday, the Bombers would be wise putting a pen in his hands and dotting those additions to the contract.

He deserves it.

It can be argued that few men in the history of the game have taken over a football club at ground zero as much as Worsfold did for his first season in 2016.

He took on a club still reeling from the sports supplements scandal, and in the space of a few months, lost the bulk of his stars when 12-month drugs bans were handed out. He had to make do with a patched-up group of players and some other hand-me-downs to get through a season.

People predicted they wouldn’t win a game that year; they won three.

Then last year, when the stars returned from their suspensions, he had to work on the chemistry of the club and while there were some ups and downs, the Bombers made the finals, even if that elimination final flogging from Sydney left a bad aftertaste and wasn’t reflective of the gains they had made.

Essendon’s big-name recruits Jake Stringer, Devon Smith and Adam Saad sing the song after the win. Picture: Michael Klein

2018 represents Worsfold’s first real crack at it as Essendon coach without the myriad of distractions. Add to that the recruitment of its traded players Devon Smith, Adam Saad and Jake Stringer, as well as the continued development of its young stars, and the improving leadership of Dyson Heppell, and it means a first finals win for the club since 2001 is the pass mark.

Some have tipped the Bombers to win the flag; that seems premature and at stages of Friday night, it seemed a million miles away, but at their best, this Essendon group has plenty of upside this season.

The 2006 premiership coach knows for that to happen, the defensive side to the team needs to take better shape. He’s done that with the inclusion of Saad, who shut down Eddie Betts on Friday night, and the presence of the former Gold Coast defender has meant that Andrew McGrath’s move to the midfield (or the wing) hasn’t impacted on the structure.

At times the back half looked a little susceptible, but when you have someone like Michael Hurley leading the way, things can turn around, as they did.

John Worsfold at Essendon training. Picture: Michael Klein

That reshaping of the defence, and a greater reliance on pressure across the field, while retaining what has been termed their ‘Harlem Globetrotter tricks’, will be a constant challenge.

But it could be the difference between being a contender and a pretender.

Worsfold said after last year’s finals loss: “I’ve got some specific things I want to achieve with Essendon ... and these first two years there’s probably been a different set of goals, or maybe additional goals, compared to normal.”

“I’ll work in with what the club’s vision is and as long as that’s aligned and we’re achieving the goals we want, then hopefully it’s a nice, long partnership.”

Some have questioned whether Worsfold — a man who started his AFL senior coaching career before any of the other 17 coaches today — still has enough of a grasp of the modern nuances of the game.

Don’t forget the last bloke they said that about — Damien Hardwick — is the reigning premiership coach.