Sacked Bombers coach Ben Rutten spotted at rivals with looming vacancyCatherine Healey
Fox Sports
August 27th, 2022 4:41 pmRichmond coach Damien Hardwick has been praised for turning the club into a home for “mistreated coaches”, with sacked Bombers mentor Ben Rutten the latest potential recruit.
Just five days after he was handed his marching orders at Tullamarine, 7NEWS captured vision of Rutten departing Tigers headquarters.
The Tigers do have an opening for an assistant coach in 2023, with current staffer Adam Kingsley heading north as the new GWS head coach.
The man Kingsley is succeeding, Leon Cameron, said he was glad to see the Tigers able to use former head coaches – with ex-Carlton coach David Teague and ex-Lions coach Justin Leppitsch heading to work under Hardwick after their senior roles came to unceremonious ends.
“I like what Richmond do. They’ve clearly got a great relationship Damien and Ben,” Cameron said on SEN.
“And (Hardwick’s) taken some coaches in where it hasn’t worked out at their previous clubs.
“But what he does do, he’s not silly; Dimma goes: ‘They are bloody good coaches. Let’s get them in our program. How good are these guys?’ They’ve been in charge in senior roles in the past. Whether it’s been two or five years, let’s get them in straight away’.”
7NEWS reported Rutten went for “informal talks” with Damien Hardwick and other key Tigers footy staff on Friday.
Rutten is a former Tigers assistant coach, working at the club from 2016 before he ultimately joined the Bombers under John Worsfold.
Under Hardwick, Rutten was the defensive coach when the Tigers won the 2017 flag.
Hardwick was one of the most vocal in his support for Rutten while the club left him hanging earlier this month, with its last-ditch effort to secure the services of Alastair Clarkson.
The Bombers ultimately failed in that bid as Clarkson confirmed their offer came too late before he signed with North Melbourne.
Rutten then coached Essendon’s final match – against Richmond in Round 23, before he was sacked the following day.
“It should never have happened to Ben Rutten,” Cameron lamented.
“It was almost a mercy killing at the end when they sacked him,” SEN’s Dermott Brereton added.
“Like, please stop leaving this young man like this in this state.”
Brereton questioned if Rutten was better suited to an assistant coaching role – rather than the man in charge, while Cameron said there was a “huge” difference between jobs.
“When you become a senior coach, I did an 11-year apprenticeship, I went for two jobs beforehand. I missed out at the Richmond job and the Bulldogs job and doubt sets in ... ‘maybe I’m just an assistant coach’.
“When you are lucky enough to secure a senior role, you’re 85 per cent prepared but that last 15 per cent is enormous. It’s huge.
“There’s so much more to it.
“That’s not to say Ben Rutten in two or three years time can’t become a senior coach again.”
Hardwick has publicly spoken of his support for Rutten throughout his final weeks in the Bombers coaching role.
“Ben Rutten’s a terrific coach, we’ve had him in these four walls, we know what he’s capable of and how well he can do the job,” Hardwick said just last week.
“What I do empathise with is the human element, it’s a tough situation but that’s the caper we’re in.
“It’s unfortunate in nature, but what we care about is the person and we hope Ben himself is doing OK.”
Hardwick said the Tigers believe Rutten is a “great coach”, a “wonderful man” and a “very good servant”.
Many of the AFL’s top coaches came out in support of Rutten and the way Essendon handled his dismissal.
Rutten’s exit from the club has sparked more movement with at least four board members departing, along with CEO Xavier Campbell this week.
Despite coaching his final game for Essendon, Rutten will still be paid out his 2023 contract by the club.
https://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/sacked-bombers-coach-ben-rutten-spotted-at-rivals-with-looming-vacancy/news-story/3693f493e0c564e322cdfad38828ee19
