A week ago, Mark Ricciuto, who presents as the football powerbroker for the Crows, gave a radio interview where he gave stand-in coach Scott Camporeale very little support at all. He said interim coaches often failed when appointed to a full-time position and was quick to cite Port Adelaide's Matthew Primus as an example. Robert Walls says former Blues coach Mick Malthouse was selfish and insecure. Credit:Pat Scala I thought it was disrespectful and insensitive to Camporeale, who has done a fine job leading the Crows in difficult circumstances. There is no doubt Ricciuto is paving the way for Worsfold to be the Crows' next senior coach. Essendon, who don't do much right, flew to Adelaide in a private jet two weeks ago to talk with Worsfold. On board was their chairman, CEO, captain and wannabe captain. Why Worsfold entertained such a high-profile visit at that time of the Crows' season is hard to comprehend. Now Worsfold is an interesting case study. As a player he was very good. As a captain he was inspirational. As a person they say few are better, but as a coach I think he was ordinary.

In 11 years as senior coach of one of the best-resourced clubs in the country, and with the best ever centre square combination (Cox, Cousins, Kerr, Judd) he finished with one premiership (by a point) and a 53 per cent winning rate. Brendan McCartney never got the chance to "put the icing on the cake". Credit:Pat Scala It was also on his watch that a drug culture festered that ultimately ruined the club's reputation. The people in high places at the Eagles at the time will always question whether enough was done to control a dangerous situation. When Worsfold left, the team sat 13th on the ladder. Now, less than two years later, with a progressive new coach, the Eagles are flag favourites. If you want a conservative man-on-man game plan, then Worsfold can deliver, and maybe that suits Essendon at the moment. If you want fast football flair and modern defensive spread, which I believe the Crows are capable of, I doubt Worsfold's the answer.

His niche is the role he has been undertaking at the Crows and that is overseeing and mentoring the young coaching staff. Another name that has surfaced as a possible Essendon coach is Brendan McCartney. Now this is a man the Bombers should seriously consider. McCartney spent 11 seasons as an assistant coach at Geelong. It was during this period they rose to power. It was McCartney who developed the talents of young men who became champions in a champion team. Jimmy Bartel, Gary Ablett, James Kelly, Steve Johnson, Paul Chapman, et al, all speak glowingly of him. In 2011, he assisted James Hird in his first year as senior coach at Essendon. The players loved him. He then took on the senior role at the Western Bulldogs. It was a tough ask. The list was askew. Not enough players in their prime presented a problem. Too many were too old or too young. McCartney looked to the future and played kids. In three seasons, 16 youngsters debuted under him. He put tough demands on them and started to set high standards as he knows what's required to build a premiership team.

Problem was, some of the oldies couldn't cope. They started to bitch and the younger ones became affected too. Macca was too tough, too defensive. It's no fun anymore, they whinged. When the captain walked out, the club panicked. McCartney, who had a couple of years on contract, read the play and fell on his sword for the good of the cause. This year the Bulldogs have thrived. What shouldn't be forgotten is that McCartney put the first 60 games into the likes of Luke Dahlhaus, Tory Dickson, Jason Johannisen, Jake Stringer, Mitch Wallis and Jack Macrae. He taught them to be competitive, to win contests in close, skills that would have broadened their football education. But he never got a chance to put the icing on the cake. Two coaches who will go into the final year of their contracts in 2016 are Hardwick and Buckley. Neither Richmond nor Collingwood should feel obliged to extend their tenure. Some will argue that it didn't help Carlton and Malthouse who went into the exact same position earlier this year. But there is a difference. And that is, both Hardwick and Buckley are not as selfish or insecure as Malthouse was, and will put their club's interest ahead of their own.

If the Tigers can't win a final in Hardwick's seventh season, it may well be time for a change. For Buckley, his fifth season could make or break him as a coach. He has had four years to turn his list over. It is time to have a consistently strong season. No longer can second half of the season capitulations be accepted. If the Pies and Tigers win a final next year, then both coaches should get two-year extensions.