Watson’s message for wantaway Bomber

Essendon great Tim Watson has given his take on Jordan Ridley’s current status as a Bomber.

The injury-prone defender is believed to be pondering his future at The Hangar after a wretched run that has restricted him to just 26 games since the start of the 2024 season.

Ridley, 27, had looked at the possibility of joining either Brisbane or Gold Coast last year, which did not come to fruition, with Channel 7’s Mitch Cleary now reporting that his management is looking at Victorian clubs.

Additionally, Ridley said on the weekend that “I’m not sure at this stage” when asked if he will be in red and black next year having suffered a foot injury against Hawthorn on Saturday.

But Watson, wearing his duffle coat as a passionate Essendon supporter, is not so sure it will be that simple for a player contracted until 2029.

“I’ve got my duffle coat on here. I’m the first person to admit, I’m speaking as a fan of the club right now,” Watson said on SEN Breakfast.

“Obviously it is not his fault if he gets injured

“But he re-signed back in 2024, he extended this contract. He’s played 26 games since.

“He may want to leave the club, he may think in his own mind that he’s been mismanaged in some way with his injuries or whatever.

“He hasn’t been able to produce. I would say to him and his management that they are not in the driver’s seat here. He clearly wants to go and his management is probably doing all they possibly can to facilitate a move somewhere.”

Former Dons captain Watson firmly believes if Ridley does want to depart, then his management has to find a deal that appeases his current club.

“What he needs to do, like all players that do this and want to force their way out of football clubs, is they need to make sure that they work incredibly hard with their manager to find some options for their team,” he continued.

“So the Essendon Football Club has at the very least two options and they can decide then because they’ve got the whip hand. He’s got a contract.

“He may think they’ve let him down because of mismanagement. I don’t known whether his soft tissue injuries, his quad injuries, his hamstring injuries, his calf injuries are subject to him being mismanaged in some way.

“But what I do know is he’s got a contract. And when you sign that contract both parties sign that in good faith. Your function of that contract is to fulfil the contract and perform to the best of your ability, and to get yourself ready to play week in, week out for the rigours of AFL footy.

“Now he’s in a situation where he wants to leave the club and good luck to him if that’s what he wants to do. But he doesn’t have the whip hand here, like Zach Merrett last year.

“You are not in the driver’s seat, you are at the mercy of the football club and the deal that can best benefit the football club.”

But what if Ridley senses that the Dons don’t want him?

“I don’t think that’s the case,” Watson replied.

“Why would they not want him other than the fact he hasn’t been able to play and he hasn’t been able to demonstrate durability.

“That is something that needs to be investigated. You would think after this period of time there is enough evidence to suggest that he has broken down multiple times.

“26 games since 2024. They need to get the root of the problem. I think they’ve searched the world to try and fix his body as best they possibly can.”

With his Bombers duffle coat and hat firmly on as a long-time fan, Watson only wants Ridley to leave if the Dons are looked after.

“It annoys the hell out of me when players think that they can just force their way out of a football club because the circumstances they find themselves in are not suitable to them,” he said further.

“Duffle coat Tim wants to keep him until we can do the best deal we possibly can that is advantageous to the Essendon Football Club.”

Listen to the full conversation below: