Bombers football boss backs John Worsfold

John Worsfold will today publicly discuss the extraordinary circumstances surrounding the departure of Mark Neeld.

Bombers head coach John Worsfold and former assistant Mark Neeld.

Essendon coach John Worsfold will today discuss the extraordinary circumstances surrounding the departure of a senior assistant coach so early in what is another dire season for the club.

The Bombers have endured a disastrous month, culminating in a loss to Carlton last Saturday, which was the catalyst for the redundancy of former Melbourne coach Mark Neeld on Monday.

But Worsfold, a premiership coach with West Coast who also assisted the Adelaide Crows during a critical recovery period following the murder of Phil Walsh in 2015, yesterday received strong backing from Essendon’s football boss Dan Richardson yesterday.

He declared “things are never as bad as they seem” and was adamant Worsfold was the right man to lead Essendon to success.

“John is a premiership coach, so he’s a proven coach,” Richardson said. “He’s a person of the highest quality, highest standards, highest principles and values. There’s no doubt in the club’s mind, no doubt in my mind, that’s he’s the coach to take us to where we want to get to.”

It is now more than 5000 days since the Bombers, who have claimed 16 premierships, last won a final, against Melbourne in 2004.

Worsfold ensured an Essendon side ravaged by the doping suspensions handed to 34 past and present players was competitive in 2016 when fielding “top-up” players. Last year, he led the Bombers into the eight, but their finals series ended abruptly when they were thrashed by the Swans at the SCG.

It was widely expected Essendon would challenge again this September but the year has been a debacle on and off the field.

Key position bookends Joe Daniher and Michael Hurley are injured, so too last year’s Rising Star winner Andrew McGrath.

Other senior footballers, including 2016 best-and-fairest winner Zach Merrett, are struggling and there is scrutiny on the recruitment of the misfiring Jake Stringer.

Club greats have raised concerns about the game plan, while there are reports match-day communication between Worsfold and his assistants is dysfunctional.

Off the field, the club has been shaken by the controversy surrounding favourite son Mark Thompson, a former premiership captain and caretaker coach, who was recently charged with serious drug trafficking counts.

James Hird, the Brownlow medallist and premiership captain who was senior coach at the time of the supplements scandal, complained of the lack of support he received from the club during the ongoing turmoil and the severe impact it had on his mental health.

Former chairman Paul Little wants to move on from the crisis but legal matters in the Supreme Court still plague the club.

It is against this backdrop that Worsfold has led the Bombers to just two wins from eight games.

Richardson, who joined Essendon from Richmond, pointed to the reigning premiers as an example of how quickly things can turn when backing Worsfold.

“I seem to remember people said the same thing about Damien Hardwick not too long ago and said the same things about the Richmond footy club at the end of 2016, that the place was a basket case,” he said on SEN. “Well, history says that wasn’t the case and things are never as bad as they seem.”

Richardson said the administration will work carefully to figure out the best coaching structure after the exit of Neeld. He was also supportive of Worsfold’s remaining assistant coaches.

Meanwhile, Mark Baguley yesterday issued a stringent, though qualified, apology for sledging directed towards Carlton’s Jed Lamb that sparked a three-quarter time melee on Saturday.

Lamb’s father was murdered when he was a boy and he took issue with Baguley sledging his dad during the match.

“I would like to be extremely clear I was unaware Jed’s father had passed away, nor was it the subject of my comment directed towards Jed,” Baguley said yesterday.