Ben Rutten Biography

Ben Rutten is sacked as coach of Essendon following the Bombers' final game of the season, a 66-point loss to Richmond.

"Ben's commitment and care for this playing group was second to none, and we thank him for his dedication to what we recognise is an all-consuming role as senior coach," Bombers president David Barham said in a statement.

"The unfortunate reality is, at various stages this season; we have simply been uncompetitive. And while we acknowledge that we have an emerging playing list, we were compelled to make the decision."

Essendon will make a decision about Ben Rutten's future on Sunday after its late-hatched grand plan to land Alastair Clarkson misfired, with Rutten saying he was blindsided by the Bombers' brazen coup attempt.

Rutten, who will steer the Bombers on Saturday night against Richmond, was reluctant to say whether he would want to stay at Essendon next year anyway after their treatment of him this week.

In a dramatic day at Tullamarine, New Bombers president Dave Barham said he regretted not speaking with Rutten as he became the president-elect of the club, taking over from Paul Brasher, and that players were disappointed they had not been more consulted through another week of turmoil at the club.

"That was a mistake. I should have called him (Rutten) Monday, and I apologise for that. I called him Tuesday, went and saw him at his house on Wednesday; I got that wrong," Barham said.

Ben Rutten continues to serve as head coach of Essendon despite the club openly pursuing the services of Alastair Clarkson for the role.

"It’s not ideal, obviously. I have got the confidence of the players. I have got a job to do, and I am going to coach to the best I can in the next five days," Rutten said.

Ben Rutten's future as Essendon coach comes under scrutiny as the club mulls over whether to pursue four-time premiership coach Alastair Clarkson in the wake of a lackluster 2022 season.

Blake Caracella will coach Essendon this week against Adelaide at Marvel Stadium due to senior coach Ben Rutten being in isolation as part of the AFL's health and safety protocols.

John Worsfold says he will welcome any opportunity to stay involved in football after handing over the reins as head coach of Essendon to Ben Rutten.

"I feel as though I've got a good handle on all areas of footy departments because I've been there for so long," Worsfold said.

"I love the AFL industry and really would love to still contribute and add some value in some way."

Essendon is set to embark on an historic succession plan, with Ben Rutten to take over from John Worsfold at end of 2020.

"The time is now right for me to transition from the role of senior coach at Essendon and I go into the next 12 months really looking forward to helping the club move into its next phase," Worsfold said.

Rutten will start his senior coaching role on a three-year contract with the Bombers.

"While I am excited by the opportunity ahead, going into next season having 'Woosh' here to steer the ship will be incredibly important and I'll certainly be utilising all opportunities to be exposed to various aspects of the role," Rutten said.

"I want to thank the board and the club for the opportunity to lead this football club down the track, but right now our immediate focus will be on ensuring we build on the strong foundations in this pre-season for a successful 2020 campaign."

Ben Rutten admits there's an element of stepping outside his comfort zone in taking his first coaching job away from the familiar surroundings of Adelaide.

But a week into his role as Richmond's backline coach, the 31-year-old is confident he made the right call in moving away from the South Australian capital, where he spent 13 years.

"It was going to be best for my development to look outside," Rutten said.

"It had been fantastic environment for me but it would have been the comfortable decision, to try and look at a role in Adelaide.

"The timing was right for me and my family to take on another challenge and I was really pleased to be able to get an opportunity here at Richmond."

Former Crow Ben Rutten joins Richmond as an assistant coach.

"We are very fortunate to have Ben at the Richmond football club, and we look forward to welcoming him to our coaching group," Richmond football manager Dan Richardson said.

"Ben's playing achievements speak for themselves, and his leadership skills, knowledge of the game, and experience guiding Adelaide's younger players will hold him in good stead as he embarks on a coaching career."

Ben Rutten began his career with three goals from his first three kicks and finished it with a goal from his last kick in the AFL.

Teammate Eddie Betts had marked inside the Crows forward 50 inside the last two minutes of Adelaide's clash with St Kilda before dishing a handpass to Rutten who kicked truly.

The Crows celebrated Rutten's final game with a 79-point win against the Saints.

Ben Rutten has announced he will retire at season's end.

"It wasn't a tough decision…throughout pre-season I was sort of going into it preparing and treating every session and moment like it was going to be the last year," Rutten said.

"I'm pretty comfortable with the decision. I'm not going to be slowing down…I'm really going to be finishing off the year strong."

An emotional Rutten said he hoped he had taught the next crop of Adelaide defenders about the importance of reliability.

"I think our young defenders at the moment are really good, enthusiastic and they're going to be the nucleus for our team for the next 10 years," he said.

"I feel as if I've had an impact on their careers and I'm definitely going to be following them and watching their progression.

"I hope I teach them about being consistent, about being reliable, about being counted upon by your teammates – they're the sort of values I've played with throughout my career.

"Hopefully I'm remembered for those sort of things."

Adelaide coach Brenton Sanderson regrets his public display of anger during the quarter time break of the Crows' clash against the Bulldogs where he is seen to push full back Ben Rutten in the chest.

"I should be a bit calmer in those situations but sometimes the anger and emotion spill over the edge," Sanderson said.

"I caught up with Truck (Rutten) who was the main one that got caught on vision. But you have got to pick your targets - he's one of our senior players and most experienced player.

"I wouldn't do it to a first gamer or second gamer or one of our younger players because you know you would lose them for the rest of the match - but Truck was one you knew you would get a response from."

Ben Rutten and Brent Reilly receive life memberships during Adelaide's 2012 season launch after both players tally 100 games and 10 years of service at the club.

"It seems a long time ago that I was on the rookie list here. To spend 10 years here and play 169 games at one club is fantastic," Rutten said.

"I've been involved in some good sides earlier in my career and, unfortunately, we didn't maximise our opportunities. I'm sure I speak on behalf of all the older boys here when I say we've never been more desperate to win a premiership."

Reilly says that life membership at the Crows is an honour.

"It's been a journey," Reilly said.

"When I first came over from Melbourne I was raw. I had no idea about life or football, but I've come a long way. I've grown up here and I'd like to call myself a South Australian."

Adelaide veteran Ben Rutten is likely to play in the Crows' season opener despite missing much of the pre-season.

"I saw Ben Rutten today and he looks really impressive," Crows assistant coach Mark Bickley said.

"In terms of fitness it looks really good for him, I guess the thing we need to do is make sure he gets plenty of touch - he hasn't done a whole lot of training."

The use of an anti-gravity treadmill has helped Adelaide full-back Ben Rutten put himself in contention for round one selection after battling plantar fasciitis during the pre-season.

"Running on the 'Alter-G' treadmill is equivalent to running on 70-80 per cent of your body weight, so it's less stressful on the body but still allows you to work at a high intensity," Crows physical performance manager Stephen Schwerdt said.

"In three days, Ben was able to fit in about a week's worth of training, which will hopefully accelerate his return to playing.

"Also, just being away for three days and doing nothing but training, he was able to get a lot of other training done in regards to his strength work, injury prevention and skills."

Injured Adelaide full-back Ben Rutten is hopeful of being fit for the Crows' season opener against Gold Coast.

"If all goes to plan, I'll be ready for round one," Rutten said.

"Hopefully, I'll be able to get a couple of good weeks of training and, maybe, half a game in somewhere beforehand. We'll play it by ear a bit, but that's the plan."

Adelaide's defence suffers another blow with Ben Rutten to undergo foot surgery to relieve plantar fasciitis that will see him miss six weeks of the pre-season and the entire NAB Cup campaign.

"Ben's had some issues with his foot over the pre-season," club football manager Phil Harper said.

"Recently, it had improved and he was able to resume full training, but unfortunately it flared up again last week and the club medical staff in conjunction with Ben have decided that surgery is now the best option."

Ben Rutten and David Mackay have re-signed with Adelaide beyond the 2011 season.

"Both are key players for the club now and into the future and in discussion they were both excited about the long-term prospects of the current group of players," football operations manager Phil Harper said.

"There are several other players we are in discussion with at the moment and the club will advise whenever any of these contract negotiations are finalised."

Crows defender Ben Rutten says the growing speed of the game means the era of himself playing almost 100 per cent game time is almost over.

"With the way forwards are pressuring defensively these days their work rate is up and they need to have time on the bench to recover," Rutten said.

"The forwards might go off for a two-minute rest and if I don't get a rest too, I have to keep up with fresh guys coming on and off the ground. Defenders have to have a high level of fitness to be able to play on these guys that are coming on and off.

"Defenders' numbers are pretty similar to the midfielders in terms of distance covered. We're on the ground longer, so the intensity isn't as high but the ground covered is pretty similar."

Nathan Bock, Nathan van Berlo and Ben Rutten will not start full training until after Christmas as they recuperate from injuries.

Jack Anthony kicks the winning goal with only a minute remaining after being awarded a free kick against Ben Rutten for holding in Collingwood's semi-final against Adelaide.

Barry Hall is set to discuss his future with coach Paul Roos this week after accepting a two-match ban from the AFL's match review panel for striking Adelaide's Ben Rutten.

Barry Hall's career hangs by a thread after he was reported for another striking incident against Adelaide, taking the gloss off what would have been a fine four-goal effort against the Crows.

Hall delivered a short, sharp, left jab to Ben Rutten's chin as the pair tangled after the three-quarter-time siren at AAMI Stadium.

"There's definitely still some issues there with Barry Hall," Foxtel commentator Dwayne Russell said.

"I don't know too many leopards that can instantly change their spots - and Barry Hall is still a leopard."

Barry Hall's anger management program appears to fail him as he was reported for the 15th time in his 13-year career and in his 250th AFL game.

In what appeared a moment of madness, just seconds before three-quarter-time Hall threw a punch at Adelaide defender Ben Rutten " an action that could result in him suspended for up to four matches, given the intent of the action, carry-over points and his record.

Rutten appeared more surprised than hurt by the blow, which was clearly caught on television.

Adelaide full-back Ben Rutten says the Crows' defence has become more consistent in recent weeks.

"Over the last two weeks the back six have really taken on more responsibility and we're making sure we're taking care of our area," Rutten said.

"It's also good to have Bocky back after a couple of weeks and he definitely played a big role for us."

"Twice this year we've held AFL sides to no goals at half time. That's as strong as it gets and I don't think it's ever been done in the history of the AFL before," Craig said.

"We've also had some games where it has leaked a fair bit. But now we haven't got any injuries, so we've been able to hold some guys together."

A pre-season spent on the sidelines won't necessarily keep several key Adelaide players including Ben Rutten and Jason Porplyzia out of the club's season opener against Collingwood - provided they're fit.