Essendon great Matthew Lloyd not opposed to Bombers dropping Joe Daniher as Dyson Heppell demands change
ESSENDON coach John Worsfold could drop Joe Daniher back to the VFL after the forward’s form struggles continued at the MCG on Saturday, with Bombers great Matthew Lloyd declaring the club has two options to deal with Daniher’s slump.
Essendon
Don't miss out on the headlines from Essendon. Followed categories will be added to My News.
ESSENDON coach John Worsfold has not ruled out dropping out of form spearhead Joe Daniher as the All-Australian struggles for form.
Bombers great Matthew Lloyd believes the club has two options to try and get last year’s best and fairest winner out of his form slump — to drop him back to the VFL or play him in the ruck.
JOHN WORSFOLD: BOMBERS LOW ON CONFIDENCE, SKILLS POOR
REPORT: SICILY, HAWTHORN PROLONG ESSENDON’S PAIN
Daniher has kicked just eight goals in seven games so far this season and is averaging just under 14 disposals and five marks per game.
Daniher was quiet again in Essendon’s loss to Hawthorn at the MCG on Saturday, booting just one goal from 11 disposals and four marks.
His output is down on last year’s form that earned him All-Australian honours and the tag as one of the game’s premier forwards after 65 goals from an average of just over 15 disposals and nearly seven marks per game.
“Confidence is one of those things you always consider,” Worsfold told 3AW. “If a player is out of form for a consistent period they start to doubt themselves and can go away from just playing uninhibited and with their natural flair.
“There are several ways you look to try help the player get that back and obviously one of them is what Matthew was talking about but it’s not the only way.
“That’s something we’ll keep exploring.”
Lloyd, who worked with Daniher as a part-time goalkicking coach at Essendon in 2015, believes the time may have come to send him back to the VFL.
“He needs a circuit-breaker,” Lloyd told Channel 9.
“I would have loved to have seen him ruck for the majority (of the game), although (Tom) Bellchambers was their best player yesterday.
“So it’s either ruck or if he needs a spell in the twos to get his hands on the ball, you just do it for a week.
“They need to do something because the same result is happening for him week after week.”
Essendon slumped to 2-5 after Saturday’s 23-point loss.
Frustrated captain Dyson Heppell, who was one of his side’s best with 28 disposals and a goal, was scathing in his assessment of the defeat.
Heppell has demanded change and wants reputations and profiles ignored.
“We need to challenge the group,” Heppell told Triple M. “Whoever you are if you’re not willing to buy into our game style, other guys are going to get looks ins.
“Players in the VFL are standing up and playing our way and these things might have to happen if you’re not playing our way you can go back to the twos.
“I’m not fed up. I’m willing to keep challenging the group to buy into our culture and buy into the way we want to play and that’s not going to stop just because we’re losing games of footy.
“I’m not going to go and tell the coaches to change our game plan and mix things up. There’s no point doing that.
“But if guys are displaying the right style of footy at other levels then they deserve opportunities to come into this side. They’re the players I want to play with.
LIVE stream every match of every round of the 2018 Toyota AFL Premiership Season. Get your free 2-week Foxtel Now trial & start watching in minutes. SIGN UP NOW
Robbo: ‘Exploration in leadership’ behind key Dons’ US venture
Essendon’s search for finals success goes on, and to find some inspiration, three of their most important people will head to the US for some “leadership growth,” reports Mark Robinson.
Trading places? How the biggest AFL deals will get done
Almost every AFL club is poised to get busy this trade period. See who your club is looking at, who they should be chasing and how they will get their deals done in our ultimate guide.