By Michael Gleeson, Jake Niall and Marnie Vinall
Essendon are determined to chase an experienced coach after the sacking of Ben Rutten on Sunday, while new president David Barham backed the club’s embattled board and chief executive.
Barham informed Rutten that his contract, which had a year left to run, had been terminated less than 24 hours after the Bombers lost to Richmond by 66 points at the MCG to complete a miserable season, and after Rutten said he deserved better than the way he had been treated.
The decision to end Rutten’s tenure follows a chaotic week during which board upheaval, and the subsequent failed pursuit of legendary coach Alastair Clarkson, made Rutten’s position untenable.
Ben Rutten said after Saturday night’s heavy defeat to Richmond he wanted to stay with the Bombers.Credit: AFL Photos
Nathan Buckley, who had already indicated he did not want to coach in 2023, on Sunday ruled himself out of contention. “Essendon are having to sell themselves to someone as they need to prove to the person who steps in that they have their ducks in a row and I don’t think they have them at the moment,” Buckley told Fox Footy.
Barham insisted the job would be attractive to an experienced coach despite the turmoil of the past week. Those with senior coaching experience include Ross Lyon, Leon Cameron and James Hird, while experienced assistants include Adem Yze and Adam Kingsley, who are in the running to replace Cameron at GWS, former Essendon defender Dean Solomon and ex-Bulldog Daniel Giansiracusa, who has been working with Rutten at the Bombers.
“We’ve got a good list, we’ve got big matches, we’re an attractive club to coach, I would expect people would be interested in coaching Essendon,” Barham said.
After a board meeting lasting more than two hours, Barham acknowledged the past week had been “an incredibly tough time for Ben and his family, and broadly, our whole club”.
Essendon lost to the Tigers in their last match of the season on Saturday night.Credit: AFL Photos
However, he added: “The unfortunate reality is, at various stages this season; we have simply been uncompetitive. And while we acknowledge that we have an emerging playing list, we were compelled to make the decision.”
Barham said Rutten was “deeply disappointed” with the board’s decision but that he understood the reasoning.
“There’s no question this process this past week and making a decision about Ben’s future has been difficult and messy. For that, the board and I take responsibility.”
Barham also called the player leadership group, including captain Dyson Heppell, Andrew McGrath and Zach Merrett.
Addressing the media alongside CEO Xavier Campbell on Sunday afternoon, Barham said the process to find an experienced coach could happen alongside the external review of the club to which he had already committed.
“We can effectively manage both processes at the same time,” Barham said.
“We need to get on with it because this is where we are. We also need to do a thorough review of the football club, so we can go about those things successfully at the same time.
“We think we need a more experienced coach. We think a more experienced coach to get more out of this list and we really want to give the list the best chance.”
Barham stated he didn’t think there would be changes to the board following the review and that Campbell had the board’s full support.
Campbell, whose contract was extended by previous president Paul Brasher, said the events of the past week were not something to be proud of. “Football clubs are emotional places. They’re complex places. You know, first four years of my tenure was the most complex and challenging that probably any sporting club in history, really,” said Campbell, referring to the aftermath of the supplements scandal.
Rutten was senior coach for two seasons but oversaw the game plan during the final year of John Worsfold’s tenure in 2020 under a handover arrangement engineered by Campbell. He took the Bombers to an elimination final in 2021, but they have managed just seven wins this season and have ranked poorly on key defensive measures.
The coach’s position was thrown into doubt last Monday when Barham, who had wanted an external review of the club’s underperforming football department instead of an internal one, took over from Brasher as president.
Then came the late, failed bid for four-time premiership coach Clarkson, who on Friday agreed to a five-year deal to coach North Melbourne.
“We would have been negligent in our duty not to check out Alastair Clarkson,” Barham said.
He said the Bombers, who have not won a final since 2004, were “bordering on an entire group of young players and young fans who have not witnessed any sort of success as they should have.
“We owe it to our fans, our supporters, our players, our staff and every single member of the Essendon family to give ourselves every chance of success and that work starts now.”
He insisted the board hadn’t lost the trust of the playing group, but that he’d be “communicating really strongly with them” moving forward.
Barham on Friday apologised to Rutten for not calling him as soon as he started the club’s pursuit of Clarkson.
Rutten said on Saturday night he wanted to coach out his contract in 2023.
“I am committed to coaching this footy club. That’s my job, that’s what I signed up for. I said it [on Friday], I didn’t put my hand up to coach this footy club because I thought it would be easy – I did it because I thought I could make a difference,” he said.
“I signed up, and I committed to give my services to the Essendon Football Club and the supporters and the members and the players. That’s what I want to do – I want to see it through. I know I can make a difference and I know I can take us to where we want to get to.
“It’s been disappointing. I probably think I deserve better. I think that’s something that we need to come together, as a whole football club, and we need to stick to [the] plan, put our heads down, bum up, and do the work. There is no other way,” Rutten said.
Club great Matthew Lloyd told 3AW on Sunday that he understood the club’s decision.
“The performance just wasn’t good enough, you watch them every week and there was just nothing about them that you thought, ‘OK, they’re on the right track on the way they’re developing’...”
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