Essendon coach John Worsfold says it is “likely” he will coach from the players’ bench again in the Bombers’ Dreamtime at the ‘G clash against Richmond on Saturday night.
Worsfold led the way from the pine in the side’s seven-point victory over Fremantle last week in a rare move he estimated was his first in nearly a decade.
The tactic has been used more commonly across the AFL this season as coaches look to combat the new tightened on-field restrictions for club runners.
The league’s most experienced current coach said he was pleased with the outcome of the change against the Dockers and he has been encouraged to repeat it against the Tigers this week.
“Generally, the feedback has been that it achieved what we wanted it to achieve and we’ve had some strong feedback in a positive sense,” Worsfold said on Thursday.
“So that looks like that’s a better way to operate, certainly in the near future.”
Essendon fans can expect to see John Worsfold coaching from the bench again on Saturday. (Image: AFL Photos)
Worsfold is excited to face the significant challenge against Richmond this week as the Bombers strive to even out their win-loss ledger with the mid-season bye quickly approaching.
“They’ve got a lot of talent, that’s the number-one thing, they’ve got a very talented squad with a lot of premiership players there.
“They play a good system of footy, they’re very structured around it, they’re consistent with the way they go, they know each other pretty well, so it will be a massive challenge for us and we’re really excited about it.
“We look forward to taking it on, we know what they’re going to bring. We need to be up to the challenge of playing our best footy against it.”
The first bounce against the Tigers is set for 7:25pm.