Essendon coach Ben Rutten has been sacked following a club board meeting on Sunday afternoon.
As the crisis engulfing the Bombers deepened, the club released a statement confirming it had terminated the contract of the senior coach.
This follows a chaotic week during which a board upheaval, and subsequent pursuit of legendary coach Alastair Clarkson, made Rutten’s position untenable.
Ben Rutten said after Saturday night’s heavy defeat to Richmond he wanted to stay with the Bombers.Credit:AFL Photos
Essendon’s board meeting went for more than two hours and Rutten was notified by new club president David Barham just after 1pm.
“We know this has been an incredibly tough time for Ben and his family, and broadly, our whole club. We wish to thank Ben, as well as wife Kylie and children Jack and Bernie for their contribution to the Essendon Football Club,” Barham said on Sunday afternoon.
“Ben’s commitment and care for this playing group was second to none, and we thank him for his dedication to what we recognise is an all-consuming role as senior coach.
“The unfortunate reality is, at various stages this season; we have simply been uncompetitive. And while we acknowledge that we have an emerging playing list, we were compelled to make the decision.”
Rutten was senior coach for two seasons but oversaw the game plan during the final year of John Worsfold’s tenure in 2020 under a handover arrangement. He took the Bombers to an elimination final in 2021, but the they have managed just seven wins this season.
Rutten’s position was thrown into doubt last Monday when Barham, who had wanted an external review of the club’s under-performing football department instead of an internal one, took over from Paul Brasher as president.
Essendon then made a late, failed bid for four-time premiership coach Clarkson, who on Friday agreed to a five-year deal to coach North Melbourne.
Barham on Friday apologised to Rutten for not calling him as soon as he started the club’s pursuit of Clarkson.
Rutten coached his last game on Saturday night, a 66-point loss to Richmond, and said afterwards he was disappointed at the way he had been treated but wanted to coach out his contract in 2023.
“I am committed to coaching this footy club. That’s my job, that’s what I signed up for. I said it [on Friday], I didn’t put my hand up to coach this footy club because I thought it would be easy – I did it because I thought I could make a difference,” he said.
“I signed up, and I committed to give my services to the Essendon Football Club and the supporters and the members and the players. That’s what I want to do – I want to see it through. I know I can make a difference and I know I can take us to where we want to get to.
“It’s been disappointing. I probably think I deserve better. I think that’s something that we need to come together, as a whole football club, and we need to stick to [the] plan, put our heads down, bum up, and do the work. There is no other way,” Rutten said.
In his statement on Sunday, Barham added: “We will be a bold and courageous football club again. We need to return to being a successful football club.
“We will thoroughly and diligently consider our next steps and in due course, will communicate the process of our next senior coach appointment.”
Barham and CEO Xavier Campbell will address the media on Sunday afternoon and are expected to lay out some of the details on how they will go about replacing Rutten.
MORE TO COME
