Essendon met with Alan Richardson, but Bombers great says no plan to replace coach John Worsfold
Reports of an elaborate plan at Essendon to replace coach John Worsfold with assistant Ben Rutten and a mentor are unfounded, Bombers legend Tim Watson says, despite the club’s meeting with sacked St Kilda coach Alan Richardson.
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Essendon great Tim Watson says his club has confirmed it met with sacked ex-St Kilda coach Alan Richardson but poured cold water on claims it was seeking to oust coach John Worsfold.
Reports emerged last night that the Bombers were grooming former Adelaide backman Ben Rutten to take over from Worsfold next year and had met with senior AFL figures in a bid to find a mentor for the current assistant.
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The premiership captain said Bombers CEO Xavier Campbell told him the club tapped Richardson after the Dons’ 100-point loss to the Western Bulldogs with a view to a head of development role.
“It’s something that they’d been looking at doing, we already know about the Blake Caracella appointment as well, so they’re looking to bolster their football department,” Watson said.
“Richo expressed his desire about a broader role and he also had the ambition to, within that role, to mentor a younger coach.
“The footy club then said that he was great, but they didn’t have that role in mind for him.
“Subsequently Richo chose to go to Melbourne because what he really wanted to do was be part of the mentoring type role, apart from the broader coaching management position that he would hold.”
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Watson said he fully expected Worsfold to be coach of Essendon next season and believed he was aware of the meeting and understood what the club was doing.
“They think that Ben Rutten is a potential coach of an AFL team and they will continue to work with him but at this stage, you don’t join the dots the way they have been joined,” he said.
Caroline Wilson said on Footy Classified last night she believed Ben Rutten was “being primed” to take over from Worsfold, depending on how the Bombers go in their finals clash with West Coast in Perth.
“In recent weeks, which I also find a pretty extraordinary development, my understanding is the club has spoken to senior football coaching figures, talking about — or mooting — a potential senior figure helping a first-time coach, as Ben Rutten would be if he takes on the job,” she said.
Essendon was contacted for comment early this morning, but is yet to respond to the Herald Sun’s queries.
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