Essendon say they are determined to be “bold and courageous” on the path to once more being “a successful club”.
It would be nice if they added restoring class and respect to that worthy list, for over the past week they have seriously lacked both.
The treatment of Ben “Truck” Rutten was appalling. That it took until Sunday to finally be open and honest with him about his future was as classless as it was predictable. Whether Rutten deserved to keep or lose his job is irrelevant to how he was treated. Richmond players and officials treated Rutten (formerly an assistant coach at Tigerland) and final gamer Michael Hurley with more class and respect than the Essendon hierarchy did.
Essendon CEO Xavier Campbell and president David Barham at the Hangar on Sunday.Credit: Paul Jeffers
The Bombers have looked panicked and divided. That it took until Sunday to decide they would part ways with their coach when plainly a large section of the board had that strong feeling long ago, and waited until the 11th hour to force change, suggests that while appointing a new coach is the most immediate concern, the more compelling issue is to unite a politically divided club.
Essendon will not be a bold, courageous and successful club until they have alignment among the board, the CEO and the footy manager, no matter who is appointed their next coach.
The clear divisions in the club have led to the unedifying scenes of the past week. They were not wrong to openly chase Alastair Clarkson; indeed they were correct in saying they were duty bound to talk to him. But they should have sacked Rutten first, or at the very least told him that they intended to sound out Clarkson.
The first process that needs to start at Essendon as they launch their coach search is to urgently commence the external review of the board that David Barham said would happen when he was appointed president. That review should not be contained to the board but look at the connection with the CEO and the football manager. It should ask if three former football people is too many on the board (hint, it is) when they now need to bring in outside eyes to figure out what is not working in the football department.
It will not matter who Essendon appoints as their next coach if the person does not come in with broad support. The club must unite at executive and board level first or no coach – not even Clarkson if they got him – will have a chance of success.
Essendon have now left it so late to look for a coach that two other clubs, the Kangaroos and Greater Western Sydney, have had their free choice of coaches – to the extent they have run full processes canvassing all options – and the most credentialed coach is off the market.
That does not mean good coaches are not on the market. A club that wants to be bold and courageous should back a process to find one – no matter the size of the coach’s name or profile – and then back them in by making the bold and courageous decisions about their own board and executive.
The lesson for Essendon on Sunday was not to be found out at the Hangar, it was to be found at the MCG. Twelve months ago, Carlton and Collingwood were virtually where Essendon is now. Collingwood had acrimonious board troubles. Following the departure of Nathan Buckley they ran a process found a low-profile but good coach in Craig McRae. Carlton, too, changed presidents in an earlier-than-planned handover, and their new president Luke Sayers was as urgent for change as Essendon’s Barham is. The Blues appointed Michael Voss as coach. The results were there to see from both teams on the MCG on Sunday.
Carlton chose a big name coach, Collingwood his no-name former Lions teammate. Neither decision was wrong. Essendon could go with safe hands in Ross Lyon, with contentious hands in James Hird. They should also be bold enough to consider an assistant coach such as Adem Yze or Adam Kingsley (whichever one misses out on the Giants job) or Steven King or Ashley Hansen. The latter pair’s departures from the Western Bulldogs as assistants doubtless played some part in the season the Dogs have had.
Carlton and Collingwood seem a world away from the Bombers right now, but watching two of their most detested foes playing in a blockbuster game to decide finals places at least offers Essendon succour that things can turn quickly.
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