AFL: Premiership-winning coach John Worsfold will join Carlton as a mentor to David Teague

Carlton coach David Teague likes the way John Worsfold “challenges the way I think” and has welcomed the premiership winner joining the Blues as a coaching mentor.

Worsfold, the former Essendon and West Coast coach, will join the Blues as a consultant for the rest of the 2021 season to help Teague through his second full year in charge of Carlton.

With just two wins from five games in 2021, despite an an off-season recruiting raid which netted Adam Saad from Essendon and Zac Williams from GWS, the pressure is building on Teague and the Blues to improve.

Worsfold will be on deck for Carlton’s clash with Brisbane on Saturday and Teague said he would take feedback more about their processes as a coaching unit more than the way they play.

“I really rate his opinion and he challenges the way I think about things,” Teague said on Thursday.

“It’s more of a mentoring role. He will come over to a couple of games … it’s more to review our processes. How we go about things, and to give me feedback on the way we do things, not on what we’re doing as much.

“He thinks differently to me and more than anything, it’s not so much what he tells me, he challenges the way I think about things.”

Worsfold, who exited Essendon at the end of last year after five years as senior coach, spent three seasons with Teague during the pair’s time at West Coast as well as in Adelaide, having begun his coaching career as an assistant coach at the Blues in 2000.

The club said the 52-year-old, who guided the Eagles to the 2006 flag, would be in “regular contact with the coaching group and attend select games during the year in a mentorship capacity”.

Carlton head of football Brad Lloyd said Worsfold’s presence could benefit the entire football department.

“Our coaches demand that our players are doing everything they can to get better. They also have that same expectation on themselves, which is driven by our senior coach,“ Lloyd said.

“We’ve been in discussions with John for some time, given his existing relationship with David, so it’s terrific to now have this finalised and is another step forward in our commitment to bringing success to the Carlton Football Club.

“David and John have maintained their connection since their initial time in Perth, and as part of David’s personal development, John will observe a couple of games this year in a mentoring capacity. We are really pleased to be able to formalise that mentorship to now benefit the entire coaching staff.”

A tough start to the season only gets tougher for Teague and the Blues with matches against Essendon the competition pace-setters Western Bulldogs and Melbourne over the next month.

Despite the slow start to the season, however, Teague maintained belief his team could find its best form fast.

“Until we go out there and do it people are going to continue to question us … so it’s up to us to keep working,” he said.

“The coaches and players are working very closely. I think we’re really clear with what we need to improve on and how we’re going to do it.

“I have a lot of belief in this group and I’m not going to change my tune off one weekend, it’s old school but each games worth four points and this week’s the same, we go out to expecting to play our way and if we play our way we know we are good enough.”

“I think we’re playing a better brand of football. Our players are feeling frustrated that we haven’t gone on to winning those next games.

“We’ve got a team and a gamestyle that can compete against the best and we’ve got to start winning and that’s that’s the next step for us.”