Niall:
"... while the injury/availability prospectus isn't blue chip, February's injury list won't be the critical factor in Essendon's 2020 campaign.
Rather, it will be culture, cohesion and the how the club manages the final year of John Worsfold's tenure and Ben Rutten's stint as understudy that will shape Essendon's season.
The most significant surgery at Tullamarine over the post-season wasn't Hurley or Hooker's. It was the revamping of the football department, which saw Blake Caracella arrive from Richmond and Sean Murphy, the new head of strength and conditioning, from the Hawks.
There were quite a number of new roles among existing staff, too, the most critical of which, of course, was the coaching handover arrangement.
Worsfold will oversee the team performance, with heavy delegation. Rutten and Caracella will be responsible for the game plan, and for educating the players and coaches in that method.
...
The renovation of the leadership group, meanwhile, pointed to the reality that they erred last year by leaving Hurley out of the group, while electing two players - Daniher and Orazio Fantasia - who subsequently either wanted out (Daniher) or explored that option (Fantasia). Merrett's omission was the result of a new voting system among the players, who were given different criteria to nominate their preferred leaders.
Internally, the view is that there is a clearer understanding of game plan, roles and an improved morale among the coaches, compared with this time last year."
https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/cul ... 5409e.html
Rutten-Worsfold coaching succession
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