Essendon captain Jobe Watson insists that the club must remain competitive and focussed in the remaining rounds of the season, following the clubs disappointing loss to West Coast on the weekend.
“That’s the reality of it, you’ve got to work through it as a group, and we’ll do that this week and we’ll continue to do it for the rest of the year.
In the wake of much media scrutiny, Watson dispelled any rumours that internal issues are to blame for the Bombers’ recent form slump.
“We’re a pretty close-knit group. It’s just part of the game, and you just have to put up with it,” he said.
“The players are playing for the coach, they’re playing for the jumper, it’s just at this stage we’re not good enough.
“Although we didn’t play well last night, we’re a united group internally and I think that you have to be prepared to not listen to the people who just really don’t know.”
The captain also stood firmly behind coach Matthew Knights, noting that the players need to be just as accountable for the performance of the club.
“I think that if you ask any player from any club that’s been under scrutiny, they’ll say that the players have to wear a lot more of the responsibility than they do. And that’s certainly the case.
“He (Knights) left us in no uncertain terms about how we’ve got to improve, and the areas we’ve got to improve in. But he was behind the group and he was willing to work through it as we all are.”
Looking at the rest of the season, Watson maintained that the club will continue to tackle each game head-on, with the older club members continuing to lead the junior players.
“It’s about improving, being strong mentally and physically, and that’s something we’ve really got to focus on for the remaining six weeks,” he said.
