Mark Robinson: Essendon need a review into its coach, players and officials after poor start to 2022 AFL season

Essendon needs figures on and off the field to further instil standards. Which football people can help Ben Rutten — or even replace him?

In no particular order of urgency, Ken Hinkley, Luke Beveridge and Leon Cameron kept the wolves at bay at the weekend after winning the much-needed four points.

At Essendon, the wolves are clawing at the front door because the unmistakeable smell of blood lingers at Tullamarine.

A review is needed at Bomberland.

Certainly into the football program, and what it’s lacking, and maybe even into the senior executive.

That’s the coach, his assistants, their coaching methods and the game plan — a review that could help explain why four players stand within 10m and handball to each other.

The players aren’t blameless, either.

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Bombers head coach Ben Rutten after losing the Anzac Day match against Collingwood.

Are they not adhering to the coaches’ instructions or are they incapable of it?

Are they being overcoached in a way that is stifling their instinct?

Or, more pointedly, is Ben Rutten the coach Essendon believed he would be?

The million-dollar question always is: When exactly does a team realise it has made a mistake with its coaching appointment?

The Bombers aren’t at that stage with 38-year-old Rutten, and they will continue to support him to high heaven, but loss upon loss brings that question more to the fore.

How can it not?

There are reasons and excuses for performance — it’s usually blamed on youth and injuries — but sometimes those reasons and excuses mask a greater problem.

Essendon is 1-6 after seven rounds and is the most mystifying team in the competition.

External experts are baffled by the lack of contest, urgency and effort and ask why this once feared football program — and team — is tame and unthreatening.

Internally, senior people are also baffled. And a baffled board can often lead to a jittery board.

Rutten is liked, but so was Alastair Clarkson and even he got the lemonade and sars.

Essendon has slipped to 1-6 after seven rounds of the 2022 season.

The Bombers are the Easybeats.

It’s why a review is urgently needed.

And if the Bombers baulk at holding a review now, then when?

If it’s not started this week, then it should begin next Monday if they lose to another young team in Hawthorn.

If not then, take your pick because they play Sydney, Richmond, Port (away) and then Carlton in the club’s 150th year celebration game.

They could be 1-11 by the Blues match and if that’s the scoreboard, this review is not a suggestion, it will be a necessity.

The Bombers’ top brass say they are not panicking, but they should be shifting uncomfortably in their seats.

This season is a write-off in regards to finals and, adding insult, the team is being spoken of in the same sentence as North Melbourne (who are attempting to climb out of rock bottom) and West Coast (who are at rock bottom).

At the very least, football boss Josh Mahoney and chief executive Xavier Campbell, who put in place the Rutten succession plan to replace John Worsfold, should be already scouring over the football department.

Ben Rutten with Essendon CEO Xavier Campbell in 2022. Picture: Michael Klein

What’s needed? A Hardwick-type, or a Clarkson or a Choco Williams, a footy person with menace to help Rutten? Maybe even replace Rutten?

What about on the field? They need veteran types to further instil standards. The Giants got James McDonald and Steve Johnson, for example. Brisbane zeroed in on Luke Hodge. Melbourne landed Jordan Lewis.

They brought leadership and professionalism and demands to their groups.

Could Shane ‘Titch’ Edwards help for a year on the field and off the field after that, for example?

More pressing, the review could uncover why Archie Perkins and Nik Cox have fallen away in their second years, and why Nick Hind has disappeared.

Further to that, what’s happened to Jordan Ridley, why does Jake Stringer get injuries and takes weeks to get himself right, and why does recruit Jake Kelly look like he’s been “Essendon-ed”?

Essendon’s best player this year is Peter Wright. Its next best is Nic Martin. He arrived at the club in January. Has the instinct not been coached out of him yet?

The game style is the challenge. What is it? Is there buy in?

In 2021, the ball movement and stoppage work was strong. This year, their ball movement is the fourth-worst in the competition.

In 2021, the defensive numbers were sound from Round 14 onwards. This year they have faltered.

Peter Wright has been one of the few consistent players for Essendon. Picture: Michael Klein

In the middle, they over possess and play east–west footy, which means they look right and left which is driving the forwards insane.

The Bombers are seventh for overall disposals, but 16th for forward-half disposals.

The premiership model is to play the forward-half game and try to lock it in.

True, the forward group is decimated with injury, and maybe that has meant a lack of confidence in going forward. But that’s just another excuse.

As much as Essendon says the team is young — how many times have Bombers fans been told that over the past 15 years? — but so is Hawthorn, this week’s opponent.

What a match it will be.

Of course, a review doesn’t automatically translate to bloodletting.

Melbourne underwent a review at the end of 2020 and, more recently, St Kilda did a review of their football performance when in Sydney midway through last season.

The Bombers are in worse shape than those two teams were.

The fact is Rutten has coached for two seasons and seven games — he was the strategic coach in 2020 when John Worsfold was officially the coach — and he might need help.

Or he might need replacing.

A review will go a long way to determining which one.