Bombers' problems laid bare in damning review

2 years ago 104

Damning findings from Essendon's outer reappraisal person painted the nine arsenic 1 that lacks unity and is filled with players who deficiency the fittingness of their rivals.

Seven weeks aft the Essendon committee commissioned an outer reappraisal into the nine pursuing a disastrous season, president David Barham delivered immoderate of the cardinal findings to Bombers members.

Hawthorn champion Jordan Lewis and erstwhile Bulldogs manager Brendan McCartney had large roles successful the outer review, with the duo teaming up with consultancy steadfast Ernst & Young to measure the club's practices against manufacture standards.

More than 80 players and a further 130 individuals from crossed the nine were spoken to during the review.

Barham said the intent of the reappraisal was "about bringing the nine together", and highlighted immoderate of the cardinal findings and areas for improvement.

"The reappraisal is besides wide successful its proposal of the request for stronger alignment of the halfway functions wrong the shot department," his missive to members read.

"The areas of coaching, carnal performance, subordinate improvement positive database absorption and recruitment person lacked unity and a shared imaginativeness that is embraced by all."

Essendon's fittingness unit has besides travel nether scrutiny successful the review. The club's 2022 play was hampered by a bid of soft-tissue injuries to cardinal players arsenic good arsenic a fig of repetition injuries.

"The reappraisal besides recommended the request to thrust higher grooming standards and to physique a amended fittingness basal for our players starring into the season," Barham wrote.

"We person accepted this, and our caller AFL elder manager Brad Scott has committed to a demanding pre-season designed astatine improving the consistency of our grooming standards crossed the full playing group."

With the club's men's programme having 1 of the youngest lists crossed the AFL, much accent has been placed connected developmental coaches.

Essendon has already begun the recruitment process for 2 recently created positions - a wide manager of show and a caput of improvement - with announcements connected the individuals filling the roles to beryllium announced successful the coming weeks.

"Our subordinate improvement country was further boosted contiguous with the announcement that the VFL manager volition go a full-time position, held by an EFC coach," Barham wrote.

"This volition mean our subordinate improvement country has been boosted from 2.5 coaches successful 2022 to 5.5 coaches successful 2023. This is simply a important concern for the club.

"We volition besides revamp our enactment programme successful 2023 to absorption connected increasing the enactment capabilities of our players present and for the agelong term."

The reappraisal has besides revealed however Essendon has slid from being 1 of the manufacture leaders with regards to its relations with First Nations people.

"We request to bash much to embed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cognition and expertise astatine each levels of the club, including astatine committee level. To that end, we volition soon beryllium appointing the club's inaugural First Nations committee director," Barham wrote.

"This is an important measurement for Essendon and, rather frankly, agelong overdue. This manager volition pb the board's nationally focused Indigenous sub-committee to supply enactment connected taste information and oversee our caller Indigenous improvement program. We are looking guardant to making this announcement successful the coming weeks."

Following the embarrassing saga which saw erstwhile NAB brag Andrew Thorburn hired arsenic CEO earlier resigning 24 hours later, Essendon is expected to denote its adjacent CEO successful the coming weeks.

Brisbane Lions CEO Gregg Swann is understood to beryllium astatine the apical of Essendon's privation list.

"We recognize that the nine volition beryllium judged connected actions, and we look guardant to pursuing done successful delivering the recommendations and connected our committedness for sustained occurrence into the future," Barham said.

"Our agelong and palmy past is 2nd to none.

"Now is the clip for our nine to get to enactment connected creating a stronger and much unified Essendon Football Club that we tin each beryllium arrogant of."

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