Essendon’s disappointing season comes to an end on Saturday as they face Melbourne at Metricon Stadium, with coach John Worsfold on the cusp of coaching his final match for the club.
Ben Rutten will take over the senior coaching reins from 2021 but for this season, both Worsfold and Rutten have worked together as part of a coaching handover.
After Worsfold angered Essendon fans following a series of post-match comments after their loss to ladder-leaders Port Adelaide on Saturday, Jack Heverin believes Ben Rutten must face the press after their Round 18 clash on Saturday.
Heverin said it was the “biggest no-brainer of all time” to have the new coach address media and fans and outline his plans for next season.
“There’s one thing that must happen this weekend at Essendon,” he said on SEN’s The Sporting Capital.
“They can’t wait for this season to be over and I reckon it will be relief when the siren sounds at Metricon Stadium on Saturday after the game against Melbourne.
“There is one thing that must happen win, lose or draw – Ben Rutten must do the post-match press conference in my mind. This is the biggest no-brainer of all time.
“This is just so simple in terms of the messaging you’re projecting for the footy club next year.
“After Saturday, John Worsfold’s time at Essendon is over. Ben Rutten needs to talk to the football public but most importantly, he needs to talk to Bombers fans on Saturday after that game.
“It doesn’t matter if they win or if Melbourne beat them by 15 goals, the result is in many ways irrelevant but what comes out of the post-match is what starts to flow into the next season.”
Worsfold took over at Essendon in the immediate aftermath of the supplement saga, with the club finishing 2016 as woodon spooners in his first year at the club after 12 of the club’s players were banned by WADA.
In his five seasons as senior coach, the Bombers qualified for finals on two occasions.