Coaching career John Worsfold

– age, 20 november 1999

for first year after end of playing career, worsfold worked commentator channel 7. @ end of 1999, worsfold confirmed interested in coaching, , willing move away perth in order so. subsequently offered full-time assistant coaching positions @ both west coast , fremantle, , @ 1 stage considered possible candidate coach geelong following gary ayres decision leave club coach adelaide. worsfold interviewed vacant senior coaching position @ hawthorn, along chris connolly, mark harvey, , peter schwab, turned down in favour of schwab. worsfold signed three-year contract serve assistant coach @ carlton. had been in contention position of senior coach @ richmond, declined interviewed after accepting role @ carlton. worsfold s appointment controversial; carlton s president john elliott officially confirmed worsfold had been engaged assistant coach on footy show, 2 days before club due play in preliminary final. carlton s senior coach david parkin suggested appointment had come out of blue , , later reported had threatened quit result of club s lack of consultation.

as part of restructure of carlton s coaching panel, parkin moved more of overseeing role, senior assistant coach, wayne brittain, given greater role. under structure, worsfold given responsibility coaching defence, including formulating club s kick-in strategy. @ end of 2000 season, carlton having lost essendon in preliminary final, parkin retired coach, , replaced brittain. having maintained role defensive coach under brittain, worsfold again considered strong candidate several other clubs vacant senior coaching positions during (and @ conclusion of) 2001 season. after damian drum s sacking coach of fremantle midway through season, worsfold approached interview position, refused, stating desire wait until end of season. stated in interest in position @ st kilda, filled grant thomas, had been serving caretaker coach. after carlton s season ended semi-final loss richmond, worsfold interviewed both fremantle , old playing club, west coast, had sacked ken judge. considered take position @ fremantle, neil craig considered favourite coach west coast, leveraged status @ fremantle securing west coast position.

his coaching career started in 2000 @ carlton football club assistant david parkin , wayne brittain in 2001, before applying senior coaching roles @ both west coast , fremantle @ end of 2001 season. appointed senior coaching role @ west coast, club had formerly played for, achieved level of immediate success, taking club finals in first season. after string of finals exits in 2002, 2003 , 2004, worsfold took club grand final in 2005, eagles narrowly defeated 4 points sydney swans.

in 2006 club finished on top of ladder after home , away series, , followed win in grand final, again against swans, time margin being solitary point. in doing worsfold became fourth person in history of afl/vfl both captain , later coach same club afl premiership, , first @ west coast eagles. in 2007 season west coast finished third on ladder. lost port adelaide in qualifying final got eliminated collingwood in semi final. 2008 season not successful worsfold , west coast eagles football club. loss of players chris judd , ben cousins, west coast went third fifteenth, finishing 4 wins , eighteen losses , lowest percentage in club’s history. in 2009 season worsfold , west coast eagles football club made improvement, finishing eleventh on ladder 8 wins , fourteen losses.

the 2010 season brought in low point of worsfold’s coaching career west coast eagles completing spectacular fall grace , receiving wooden spoon, winning 4 games; 2 against essendon, 1 against 2008 premiers hawthorn , against melbourne. injuries , poor form plagued eagles’ 2010 season, though overall record not bad in 2008. worsfold became fourth man after reg hickey, charlie sutton , tony jewell coach same club both premiership , wooden spoon.

twelve months later however, eagles in finals, finishing 4th @ end of home , away season , losing preliminary final against eventual premiers geelong. after club s top-four finish, worsfold signed two-year extension contract in october 2011. @ conclusion of round 9 of 2012 season, worsfold passed mick malthouse’s record games coached @ west coast.

on 5 september 2013, after underwhelming season eagles, finished on 13th afl ladder, worsfold stepped down coach of eagles.

in 11 years club, worsfold coached 281 games eagles, achieving 149 wins, 2 draws , 130 losses, winning percentage of 53.38%.

after death of close friend, , adelaide coach phil walsh in july 2015, worsford took coaching advisory role adelaide crows.

on 5 october 2015, worsfold appointed senior coach of essendon football club. signed three-year contract. first season @ club proved difficult one, twelve senior players, including then-captain jobe watson , vice-captain dyson heppell, receiving suspensions 2016 season, consequence of essendon s 2013 doping scandal. due this, club finished on bottom of ladder first time since 1933, , worsfold claimed second wooden spoon coach. however, take bombers finals in 2017, suffered 65-point elimination final defeat @ hands of sydney swans @ sydney cricket ground.

coaching style

in era coaches have implemented flood defence having players zone back, worsfold has maintained man-on-man style of game. while has led him success in home , away season, finishing second , first after home , away rounds in 2005 , 2006 respectively, strategy, or rather inflexibility strategy has led criticism @ times. firstly, teams such western bulldogs , fremantle have been perceived exploit west coast s macro-positioning. however, notable example of criticism has come after qualifying final against sydney in 2006.

the 2009 season had seen worsfold , coaching department implement use of both zone defence , man-on-man strategy depending on situation.