Essendon have narrowed their search for the club’s next coach.
Though no interviews have taken place yet, Channel 7’s The Agenda Setters understands there are six candidates certain to receive a phone call to be part of the process.
James Hird is among them.
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The remaining five are current assistant coaches:
- Hayden Skipworth (Collingwood)
- James Kelly (Geelong)
- Corey Enright (St Kilda)
- Jaymie Graham (Fremantle)
- Mark McVeigh (Sydney)
Hird is the outlier in terms of his current role, working outside the AFL with standalone VFL club Port Melbourne.
McVeigh would still need to weigh up whether he wants to proceed given he and his family are settled in Sydney after long stints with GWS previously and now the Swans.
McVeigh and Bombers president Andrew Welsh remain close from their playing days, but other key figures at Essendon have great professional admiration for him too.
Skipworth played at the Bendigo Bombers and currently looks after Collingwood’s strategy.
Kelly represented Essendon at the tail end of his playing career and start of his coaching career before his Cats homecoming.
It’s believed Kelly has not yet been spoken to, but the club has reached out to his manager Tom Petroro from TGI Sports.
Graham ran close for the Collingwood gig in 2021, which eventually went to Craig McRae ahead of Adam Kingsley.
Essendon CEO Tim Roberts is doing the bulk of the work contacting management groups and formulating a shortlist.
The club is waiting on an answer from interim Dean Solomon, which is expected to come before the end of July, on whether he wishes to partake in the process.
Solomon is contracted for 2027 and has said he will remain at Tullamarine regardless.
Ken Hinkley has publicly stated he won’t be part of the Essendon process until the Hird question is answered. In addition, he’s one of Tasmania’s three key targets.
Hinkley has remained close to Solomon since they spent time at the Suns together 15 years ago under Guy McKenna.
Essendon tried to lure Hinkley into a senior football department role last year, which he declined, and there is a chance they’d try to do so again if he misses out on the Devils gig.
It’s understood Sydney premiership coach John Longmire’s focus on the Tasmania job means he’s a long shot to coach Essendon.
If he fails with the Devils’ process, there remains scope for him to swoop in late at the Bombers, though this scenario remains unlikely.
There remains a chance the Bombers will add more names to this list before interviews commence.
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