Heat turns on ‘disingenuous’ Essendon players after Ben Rutten sacking

Despite the sympathy for sacked Essendon coach Ben Rutte, Bombers players haven’t escaped criticism for their part in the coach’s downfall last weekend.

1. Rutten’s departure was announced by Essendon after their round 23 loss to Richmond, following a week of uncertainty as the Bombers attempted a late play to woo Alastair Clarkson to the club.

Those efforts fell short as Clarkson signed with North Melbourne, prompting a wave of criticism from the AFL world over Essendon’s treatment of Rutten.

Players publicly backed Rutten as the coach prepared for round 23 uncertain of his position, however club great Matthew Lloyd argued their words were ‘disingenuous’ thanks to the standard of their play this season.

Finishing 15th with a 7-15 record was not the follow-up to last season’s promising finals appearance fans had been hoping for, and Lloyd said the blame shouldn’t squarely fall on Rutten.

While Rutten’s position eventually became untenable, Lloyd said players deserved to take some accountability for how their season had played out.

“The playing group were very disappointing, so they shouldn‘t get off scot-free on anything,” he told Channel 9’s Footy Classified.

“I think the week was more about how poorly Ben was handled and not about how the team performed and how Ben coached.

“I think people felt sorry for him (Rutten) and looked past the performance of the Essendon players, which needs to be looked at.”