FORMER Brownlow medallist and Bomber Adam Cooney has labelled Essendon as "spiritless" and "lifeless" and taken a swipe at its coach John Worsfold, suggesting he should spend more time building relationships with his players to get the best out of them.
Worsfold has come under heavy criticism for his game-style as his side has slipped to 15th on the ladder and lost its past three games by an average losing margin of 36 points.
Cooney played 219 games for the Western Bulldogs before being traded to Essendon in 2014, where he finished his career. The 32-year-old is now a regular voice in the AFL media industry, working on both TV and radio.
“He’s not getting anything out of this group at the moment,” Cooney said on SEN on Friday afternoon.
“They look spiritless, they look lifeless.
“John Worsfold, clearly, needs to invest more time into that relationship-building side with his players because he’s not getting anything from them at the moment.”
YOUR COACH RATINGS Bomber fans losing faith in Woosha
But Bombers utility David Myers "couldn't care less" about the external noise surrounding the club ahead of their crucial clash with old rival Carlton.
Essendon, which has lost three consecutive games to slump to 15th on the ladder, face the winless Blues at the MCG on Saturday afternoon, and Myers said a week of headlines following the Bombers' loss to Hawthorn last weekend wouldn't be a distraction.
On Wednesday, Bombers coach John Worsfold took a swipe at seven-time All Australian Paul Roos for his comments questioning the "uncontested" roles of Brendon Goddard and Michael Hurley.
"I couldn't care less to be honest (about) what's being said outside our four walls," Myers said.
"Good thing about most of us, me in particular, [is that] I don't read anything and I don't watch anything (about footy).
"As players and people, we love (Hurley and Goddard), we wouldn't have it any other way than them being in the team.
"They're super important to us.
"Internally, there is no issue and I love playing with them."
GET THE FOOTY QUIZ EVERY FRIDAY Subscribe for free with the AFL on Messenger
Myers said following his side’s 23-point loss to Hawthorn last Saturday, "Guys (from the VFL) are going to come in as we can’t keep playing the way we are", but ahead of its clash against the Blues, Essendon made no unforced changes.
Joe Daniher (osteitis pubis) and Andrew McGrath (calf) have been replaced by Orazio Fantasia and Shaun McKernan, who will play his first game of the season.
But despite Myers’ initial comments, the 104-game Bomber isn’t surprised by his side’s team selection.
"No (I wasn’t surprised by our selection)," he said.
"Two guys have come in - Orazio and Shaun - they’re both important players and it’s good to get them back.
"Shauny has really earned his spot, he’s been fantastic all pre-season [as well as] what he’s done in the VFL so far. (Fantasia’s) a star, he’s very important, he’s a great leader too."
While Myers put himself and every other Essendon player on notice, understanding one more poor performance may cause the metaphorical selection axe to be swung as several players from its VFL side continue to dominate.
"(Carlton is) obviously a massive game in terms of how our season will look from then on," Myers said.
"What are we, two and five? We drop this one and it starts to get pretty tough. There are 44 guys on the list and everyone’s fighting for spots on the weekend.
"If you’re not putting your best foot forward or playing your role … Anyone - senior or younger - if they’re not doing their job in the one’s, there’ll be players ready to go (to replace them)."
