Essendon president David Barham has sent a letter to club members after their 2023 season came to end last week.
After a promising start to the year, Brad Scott’s side produced too many poor results that saw their finals chances diminish towards the end of the year.
Their 126-point loss to Greater Western Sydney in Round 23 was the final nail in the coffin.
In a letter released on Tuesday afternoon, Barham acknowledges the club is disappointed to miss finals, but concedes the reality is they weren’t good enough this year.
“It was disappointing to miss the finals and the last two games were particularly disappointing. In a year characterised by dogged, determined performances, these last two matches were out of character and unacceptable to all,” Barham wrote.
“The reality is, we were not good enough to play September football. The ladder doesn’t lie, and our job is to accept where we are, put our heads down, and get better and that’s what we are doing.
“Essendon is working hard to build a strong football base from which we can launch successful finals campaigns for all our teams. We have invested heavily in player development and additional coaching resources and will be doubling down on this again next year.”
The newly appointed president says short-term wins are not the answer to sustained success, calling for members to be patient.
“There is a lot of work ahead. But this club is committed to doing everything properly, no matter how long that takes. Short-term fixes and sugar hits are not the key to long-term success. I have no doubt a well-considered strategic plan, a committed off-field organisation, a focused and hard-working football department of players and coaches, and unwavering support from our fans will bring results,” he added.
“With a young team and in year one of a new era, there were fluctuations in performance, and, with a couple of exceptions, we have been a highly competitive team. However, our end to the season has not been good enough and will drive our off-season.”
Essendon finished the year with 11 wins, a vast improvement from their seven-win season in 2022.