Mick Malthouse: Chasm between polar opposites North Melbourne and Essendon never been so vast

Off the the field, with Ben Rutten’s sacking, Essendon has proven itself rudderless. And they might have a leadership problem on-field, too, writes Mick Malthouse.

So, North Melbourne is no longer the bridesmaid. Landing Alastair Clarkson as coach on Friday means Kangaroos supporters no longer need to ponder why it is so often second best.

It does make you wonder whether the Bombers’ mischievous moves during the week left Clarkson too wary to commit?

And now, as expected, Essendon horribly parted ways with a gracious Ben Rutten after a board meeting on Sunday.

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It was an insult to Rutten and his family, and an insult to the club’s players.

And as much as the supporters would be horrified by the season’s performances, fair-minded Bombers fans would perhaps be more unnerved by a club that is rudderless — president Paul Brasher resigned and the chief executive officer Xavier Campbell is waist high in muck.

North Melbourne isn’t any better. President Sonja Hood declared that North has “a really great playing list” immediately after sacking coach David Noble in round 17 and following the resignation of the entire recruiting department. Two wins heading into round 23 doesn’t exactly reflect a healthy, talented list and a solid administration.

Essendon and North Melbourne are at the opposite ends of the spectrum.

One club has a massive supporter base, the other a small, loyal following.

One has several wealthy donors (who came to the rescue when the club was financially hit after the supplements scandal.) The other has few, if any.

Alastair Clarkson speaks to the media after joining North Melbourne as coach.

One attracts big sponsors and free-agents and big-name recruits. The other struggles to lure any interest.

One plays at the MCG and Docklands as a home base, the other hosts games at Docklands and Tasmania.

One is always in the news, the other has to chase the media to get a positive story in the papers.

Essendon will always be one of the big clubs. North Melbourne has for a long time been considered the Cinderella of the competition.

But the Kangaroos still got their man, who would have run his due diligence on both suitors. The smaller club beat the bigger club to one of the most-sought after signings this century.

THE FIRST STEP

The first and foremost thing a prospective coach — experienced or not — must look at before making a career decision, is the leadership within the club.

David Barham has taken over as president at Essendon. He is well respected and connected within the media industry. We don’t know what his capabilities are as a football club president, but with his history in the game one would suspect he has good knowledge and the know-how to get what he wants. He needs to stand up and be strong from the outset.

Sonja Hood took over as president of North Melbourne at the start of this season. She has sacked the coach and lost a recruiting department in that time. She put all her eggs in one basket in an attempt to sign Clarkson and got the job done.

Then you judge the administration.

Campbell doesn’t have a rosy reputation as the Bombers CEO. His failures may become his undoing.

His North counterpart, Ben Amarfio, hasn’t exactly brought stability or surety to the club since his arrival 2020, seeing off two coaches (Rhyce Shaw and David Noble.)

Essendon chairman David Barham endured a tough time with the media on Friday.

Then you look at the football side of things: management, recruitment, support staff and the playing list.

A coach with no profile will take what he’s given from the club. Whereas a more experienced coach will more than likely try to inject his own team around him. This can have dangers. If they are “yes” men, then we know the senior coach has an autocratic system that doesn’t always necessarily add up to a subjective view of the game. Then again, club appointees and a new coach don’t always gel smoothly either.

In my own experience, I benefited from bringing one or two trusted deputies on board with me, while being mindful that the club is run by the CEO down to the football operations manager, with the right to appoint who they think fit to join the football department. It felt like a better balance, where football matters could be discussed and debated.

WHO’S ON THE LIST?

The playing lists at both Essendon and North Melbourne need work.

Pre-season I had the Bombers winning the premiership. It was out there; I know that. But it was based on how well the kids improved last year, along with the developing game style. Neither progressed this season.

North Melbourne, quite frankly, doesn’t have enough top-tier players. It doesn’t matter what system you have; you need class to beat the best.

So, any prospective coach needs to ask: What is being done about current available free agents? Have the club’s better young players been signed? (Like Jason Horne Francis, who has already shown a belligerence that had him dropped from the senior side.) If the club has free agents, do they want to retain them or are they prepared to let them go?

Essendon has proven it can attract quality free agents like Dylan Shiel and recently retired, Devon Smith. It was able to wrestle Jake Stringer from the Western Bulldogs’ grasp. There doesn’t seem to be a great fight to keep Dyson Heppell at the club, so I am assuming he no longer fits into the Bombers’ future.

ON-FIELD LEADERSHIP

Which brings me to the next point: leadership on the field.

There’s no doubt that the captain, being the right-hand man of the coach, is your first line of defence. He is required to engage and support the game style, the disciplines, and in many respects, instil the club culture that the coach and administrators are trying to impose.

This year Essendon has lacked on-field direction. Heppell has been captain since 2017. It’s misleading to think the captain must be the best player, but you’d like to think he finishes high up in the best and fairest count. Last year Heppell finished ninth, so he’s had his own performance consistency to deal with.

Who takes over if he departs the club? Or, more the point, would a new coach reappoint him as captain next year?

Essendon has lost games it should have won, and as much as the coach gets the blame, there are many instances on the field when the team needs a polished leader to organise the squad.

North Melbourne has the same predicament. An ageing and bashed-up captain in Jack Zeibell, who was a wonderful warrior that can no longer consistently produce his best.

Heppell and Ziebell are outstanding people and talented players, but I wonder from a distance, whether they instil the same confidence that Max Gawn, Joel Selwood, and Scott Pendlebury do at their clubs?

The coaching merry-go-round at this time of year is a shocking ride to be on. At least North Melbourne presented to Clarkson when the coaching job was vacant and waiting to be filled. Essendon’s process was treacherous and belittling.

Originally published as Mick Malthouse: Chasm between polar opposites North Melbourne and Essendon never been so vast