Brad Scott has had to swallow a lot of bitter pills since taking the Essendon job, but nothing quite like the 63-point drubbing his side received from Port Adelaide at Adelaide Oval, losing 20.13 (133) to 10.10 (70). It was the second heavy loss in as many weeks for the Bombers. Worse, it gave the coach licence to say something he probably didn't want to say this early in the season: his players aren't giving everything.
Look, when a coach starts talking about selfishness, you know the frustration has boiled over. Scott said the club wants to build a culture based on team first, and added: "we can't have selfishness and players who think about themselves". That's not the usual coach-speak after a loss. That's a shot across the bow.
The Bombers were smashed inside 50, taking just 7 marks compared to Port's 25, and Scott noted: "it's going to be really hard to defend for long periods of the game when you only take seven marks inside 50". You can chalk some of that up to opponents being better. But 7 marks? That's not just a skill gap. That speaks to effort and intent.
Scott lamented the side's inability to hold onto the ball and said all his players needed to be more accountable in defence. When asked if some players lacked desire to defend, he replied: "I think it's part of it, yeah. Because it would be ridiculous of me to say that's not the case".
Here's the thing about rebuilds: they're only tolerable if people believe in the direction. Scott himself acknowledged the burden on supporters, saying: "I'm never going to tell Essendon fans to be patient. Because I reckon 25 years between finals wins is long enough to hear the same message". That's refreshingly honest. The club's drought is almost as long as some players have been alive.
Yet Scott isn't abandoning ship. He said fans should watch the character of younger players "who will make them proud one day". The message is clear: there's pain now, but there's also hope. Except hope only works if the group is pulling in the same direction, and right now, Scott's accusation of selfishness suggests some aren't.
The bigger picture is more troubling than one poor game, though. Essendon hasn't shown the consistency required to convince anyone the corner is turning. Two losses by a combined 125 points isn't a blip. It's a pattern. And for supporters who've endured a quarter-century without a finals appearance, the absence of visible progress stings more than the scorelines themselves.
Scott needs his players to understand that playing for Essendon right now isn't about individual glory or comfortable paydays. It's about shouldering the burden of getting the club out of the hole. Some, it seems, haven't grasped that yet.