Robbo: Essendon chairman Paul Brasher must demand answers from key staff about how the Bombers fell apart
Essendon’s board will meet Thursday in what it says is a routine meeting. However, it should be anything but if new chairman Paul Brasher wants answers. His first question should be: How did it get to this? Mark Robinson reports.
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Two questions need to be tabled and answered at what should be a cleansing Essendon board meeting on Thursday.
1) How did this culture crisis infiltrate the club and who is taking responsibility for it?
2) What is being done to correct it?
It’s easy to announce a cultural reset, but new chairman Paul Brasher cannot push under the rug the reasons why this 149-year-old football club found itself in the position for a cultural reset in the first place.
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Chief executive Xavier Campbell, head of football Dan Richardson and coach Ben Rutten will address the board on Thursday.
So will list boss Adrian Dodoro in what the club says is a routine monthly meeting.
There will be welcomed news.
The so-called player exodus won’t reach the predicted epic stages and it’s looking likely any player who leaves Essendon from here on in will be based on Essendon’s decision and not the player’s decision.
The re-signings of this year’s best-and-fairest Jordan Ridley, who on Wednesday agreed to a four-year extension, Andrew McGrath and Kyle Langford are expected to be followed with announcements that James Stewart and Jayden Laverde are also recommitting to the club.
And unless something drastic happens, it appears Devon Smith, Cale Hooker and Michael Hurley are also staying put.
Add potentially three first-round draft picks and banished North Melbourne key forward Ben Brown, and optimism is blooming.
Clearly, the predicted full-blown crisis has been averted.
The Bombers believe — or have convinced themselves to believe — that Joe Daniher and Orazio Fantasia were always going and Conor McKenna wanted to go home.
And that only Adam Saad departed with the belief the club was lacking direction and with the belief Carlton would allow him to freewheel out the back half, which Rutten didn’t promise him in his exit meeting.
Absolutely, Rutten is driving the culture change.
He made it clear in his interview with the Herald Sun on September 19 the new sheriff was in town.
“They (the players) are really clear where they are as a player,” he said.
That upset some players and galvanised the majority.
Clearly, 2020 saw a breakdown on the field and it’s almost accepted at Essendon that the dual coaching with John Worsfold didn’t work.
Worsfold’s philosophy was to empower the players.
Rutten is taking some of that power off them.
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Brasher must on Thursday ask hard questions, mind you he has already canvassed opinions from several club officials and players.
How did it get to this? How did the board not know of the disillusionment in the players’ camp?
Were those reporting football matters to the board, led by Richardson, not across the issues —
culture, development, mindfulness?
Was the board sufficiently inquisitive to those issues?
It would be too simple and irresponsible to sheet the blame for the disappointing season on Worsfold, who is now gone.
The Bombers now know, besides the fact Rutten learnt plenty off Worsfold, the two of them had different philosophical positions.
Still, the Bombers feel the external pile-on has been excessive.
Earlier this week they were bemused by criticism of Kevin Sheedy appearing on 3AW last Saturday.
One of the people who interviewed Sheedy on Saturday took a swipe at Essendon and Sheedy on Monday.
They were bemused why the person didn’t criticise Sheedy to his face.
And were further bemused because 3AW invited Sheedy on to the radio station in the first place.
Brasher, Rutten and Campbell — who are all passionate for change — know they have to ride out this storm, but it’s imperative those responsible for why the club is in this position in the first place are held accountable.
Really, there’s only one question: How did it get to this?
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