Essendon coach John Worsfold and Port Adelaide chairman David Koch. Two more examples of “going the early crow”.

Two games into the 2019 AFL season and the annual folly that is jumping to conclusions is once again on display for all to see.

Whether it be members of the fourth estate, rank and file footy fans or even club officials, we all appear hard-wired to speak in absolutes. We reoffend on an annual basis despite history and common sense telling us that doing so invariably leads to ovium in faciem, or for those non-Latin speakers, egg on one’s face.

Essendon has already been written off this year and there is a gathering mob for whom the only debate is whether to stamp John Worsfold’s papers or cook the poor chap’s goose.

Sure, it’s been a very ordinary start to the season for the Dons, but go back 12 months and the same goose-cooking, paper-stamping debate was being held for Nathan Buckley.

Collingwood started its 2018 campaign with substantial losses to Hawthorn and GWS at the MCG, leaving the coach in the crosshairs. If a decision on a coach’s future depended on newspaper headlines and/or radio talkback, Buckley wouldn’t have made it through to his side’s round three clash with Carlton.

Sensibly, AFL clubs do not take a public vote when deciding on such matters, preferring to leave it to a select, hopefully well-qualified few. In Collingwood’s case, the board didn’t buckle when it came to Buckley, and was rewarded with a grand final berth and what appears to be a very bright future for club and coach.

The cautionary tale outlined above is not meant to suggest that club and coach should never part company during the season, rather that two rounds in is far too early to even contemplate such a move.

Furthermore, the Collingwood experience may speak of wiser heads prevailing at board level, but unsurprisingly that is not always the case. In fact, in 2019, we’ve already seen one club president come down with what appears to be an extreme case of premature elation.

The early crow to which I refer comes from South Australia, but it’s not an Adelaide crow, rather it’s more a sunrise cock call.

Those familiar with the TV host’s work know that in his role as chairman of Port Adelaide, David Koch is no stranger to hubris. In 2012, his first year at the helm, he naively claimed that Port was far fitter than any club in the AFL.

Naïve because given the free flow of personnel and information between the 18 AFL clubs, it is high unlikely that a single organisation would have a legal fitness regimen that clearly outperformed the other 17.

Naïve also because the boast served no purpose other than to give opposition coaches fuel with which to fire up their players when they next met the Power.

Throw in his claim that his club would not put up with anti-social behaviour from its players in the way a certain Victorian club had … hmmm Sam Powell-Pepper, Jack Watts anyone? Add a dash of self- love over the Shanghai game, and you have a mouth that needs to be holstered.

Fast forward to season 2019, and it doesn’t take long for the aforementioned mouth to go off.

The round one victory over Melbourne was unexpected and full of merit, but did it warrant the chairman going public with a display of chest beating befitting of winning a premiership rather than just four premiership points?

The “Sunriser” spoke of 11 changes to the team that played in the final round of 2018 and of sweeping changes to coaching personnel that implied he played a major role in both.

He then went on to say that he had sleepless nights given the change of direction he had implemented at the club, but that it was all worthwhile in light of the round one win and that he was delighted that he had got it right. Really, David, after just one win? Really?

So there it is, a timely warning to fans and industry professionals alike. Every team has 20 more home and away games to negotiate, so keep your powder and make sure you don’t go off half-Koched.