Essendon premiership player Tim Watson does not believe his club qualifies for an AFL assistance package following reports the Bombers have begun negotiations with the league.
The Bombers are pushing for some assistance that could include an extra end-of-first-round pick.
The club laments in last place on the AFL ladder, and recently sacked Brad Scott following a poor win-loss record, claiming 29 victories from 80 games, but only one win in the past 25 starts.
"No, no, no," Watson said on SEN. "I have to be consistent I have said this about other clubs.
"Where you find yourself is because of your own poor administration and your own poor handling of your footy club.
"That's what you pay the penalty for. I'm not for clubs getting assistance under this guise. You make your bed and you lie in it in life.
"You finish down the bottom of the ladder – where Essendon will, that's your advantage. You get the first pick; you get the first look at the best talent.
"That's the way the system was designed. We keep wanting to modify things to help clubs, we try to artificially bulk up clubs to help them. That whole thinking has to stop."
West Coast (2025), North Melbourne (2023) and Gold Coast (2019) all received assistance packages from the AFL during their respective tumultuous periods.
The Suns failed to leave the bottom rungs of the ladder and was awarded the wooden spoon, when they received a handout.
The AFL granted the expansion club Pick 1 and the first pick of the second round, as well as a mid-first-round pick of the 2020 Draft and the first pick of the second round in 2021.
At that stage, they'd won 13 games in three seasons (2017, 2018 and 2019).
The Kangaroos received one end-of-first-round selection in 2023, two end-of-first-round picks in 2024 and additional rookie list spots. At that stage, North Melbourne had won 12 games in four seasons.
The Eagles were granted an end-of-first round selection in 2025 and four additional rookie list spots up until the end of 2028. They won 11 games in four years.
