St Kilda Saints star Max King has knee surgery; Essendon Bombers chief executive Craig Vozzo to step down, Andrew McGrath replaces Zach Merrett as club captain

Wales were promoted to the chairmanship in September and were subsequently stuck at the start of an ugly spell in which captain Zach Merrett tried to quit the Bombers in frustration but was unable to opt for new club Hawthorn as a deal could not be agreed.

Merrett has since given up the captaincy and was replaced by Andrew McGrath. Essendon also announced on Wednesday the termination of CEO Craig Vozzo.

Highly successful businessman Welsh was happy to respond to Sheedy’s inquiry on Wednesday night and reiterated his determination to make Essendon a destination club.

“Every single one of the former Essendon players you mentioned [have] “They have their own individual reasons as to why these moves are being made for a variety of reasons, whether it’s for him personally or for us as a club,” Welsh said.

“We don’t just want to have a big, shiny club, Sheeds. We want to make sure we have an environment where players don’t want to leave.”

“We [want] It’s an environment where other clubs don’t even think about coming and talking to our players.

“This is the environment you created for me when I came to this club.”

Welsh highlighted the arrival of expansion club Tasmania Devils, which will join the AFL in 2028, as a looming problem for Essendon.

“We’re doing a lot of work behind the scenes around some of our players [who] They’re coming to Tassie [expansion] period right now,” Welsh said.

“They’re going to be highly sought-after properties, so we’re making sure we have a strategy to keep them and not get picked off.”

Welsh said Merrett’s attitude after returning to Essendon for pre-season training was “absolutely first class”.

“We’ve all seen Zach and the way he plays football on the field. He’s a total professional and wants to win,” Welsh said in response to a member question.

“The truth is we didn’t have a roster that could deliver the wins he wanted to see.

“But the way he has returned to the club has been absolutely first class, his selfless decision to captain… and his desire to help young players succeed is a real area of ​​growth we have seen from Zach in recent months.

“We keep checking on him. He’s training, he’s looking like a new player and that’s very exciting for us.”

“He’s not going to be a 30-year-old with only a few years left. He still has five, six, seven years in elite football.”

King’s injury curse continues

Russell Bennett

Injury-plagued St Kilda spearhead Max King has undergone further knee surgery, disrupting his preparations for the 2026 season.

King, who is locked up for big money at the Saints until the end of 2032, has not played any games for the club this year and has played just 12 and 11 games in 2024 and 2023 respectively.

In an injury update on the club’s website on Wednesday, the Saints announced that King “has undergone minor surgery on his knee but is expected to return to full training at the end of January.”

The 25-year-old star will not be able to play for the rest of 2025 after the surgery he had in June. This was his third surgery in as many months after suffering a knee injury in an intra-club match in February. He had an arthroscope before a mishap meant he needed another surgery in April.

His last senior appearance was in round 16 in 2024 and he has played in just 83 games (for 159 goals) since being selected with the 4th pick in the 2018 national draft. His twin, Ben, has scored 255 goals in 120 games since being selected sixth overall by the Suns in the same draft.

Max King has a long history of knee injuries. He tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee the year he was drafted. He suffered a season-ending posterior cruciate ligament tear in his left knee last June.

The Saints also provided updates on Carlton’s recruitment of Jack Silvagni and Tom De Koning on Wednesday.

“Tom De Koning [calf] The club stated that he had been integrated into training before Christmas and is expected to resume full training after the break, while Jack Silvagni continues to make positive progress through his current groin rehabilitation programme.

Vozzo resigns as CEO, McGrath appoints new Essendon captain

Michael Gleeson, Russell Bennett

There is a change at the top at Essendon both on and off the pitch; On the same day that CEO Craig Vozzo resigned, it was announced that Andrew McGrath would replace Zach Merrett as captain.

The imprint confirms Vozzo has resigned after three years as CEO to return to South Australia to be with his family, while McGrath has been announced as the Bombers’ 42nd captain, replacing Zach Merrett following his unsuccessful trade with Hawthorn.

McGrath was expected to fill that role, but in a surprising move, the Bombers announced that Brayden Fiorini will step into the leadership group, despite having yet to play a game for the Reds following his offseason move from the Suns.

The full leadership group also includes Kyle Langford, Mason Redman, Sam Durham, Jye Caldwell and the injured Nic Martin, who will miss the entire 2026 season with an ACL injury.

Vozzo, meanwhile, will finish his role as CEO immediately and return to Adelaide to be with his children and wider family.

His contract was coming up for renewal and two sources with knowledge of his decision said he had been considering a return to Adelaide for six months.

Former Essendon manager Justin Rodski, who served as chief commercial and customer officer before moving to Melbourne Storm as CEO in 2021, is expected to be among the list of candidates approached by the Bombers following Vozzo’s departure.

In a statement released by the club on Wednesday, Vozzo said he was confident in the direction the Bombers were heading and that choosing to leave was one of the toughest decisions he had ever made as “he will always be a Bomber”.

“It has been a great honor and privilege to serve the club as CEO, an opportunity for which I am incredibly grateful,” Vozzo said.

“I have been living in South Australia away from home, family and friends for over 15 years.

“My first three-year contract was coming to an end and it gave me the opportunity to think about my future.

“Following the end of our AFLW season and men’s draft, I returned to South Australia for a few weeks to be around my family and closest friends and have some quiet time for reflection.

“That was when it really empowered me that it was the right time in my life to step back from the CEO role and prioritize my family more ahead of my career.

Loading

“This has been one of the hardest decisions I have ever had to make because I love this football club and everything it represents to so many people… But it is now time for me to return home to South Australia and begin the next chapter of my life.”

The club wants Vozzo to remain at least part-time in an advisory role in football.

Chief operating officer Nick Ryan will take over as acting chief executive while the club searches for a permanent replacement for Vozzo.

Vozzo arrived at Essendon as head of football on the West Coast and as CEO was tasked with focusing on fixing the football department as his priority.

Vozzo spent three years as Bombers CEO, taking on the role following the ill-fated appointment of Andrew Thorburn, who lasted just one day on the job. Before Thorburn, the club’s CEO was Xavier Campbell.

Loading

A lawyer by profession, Vozzo’s football career began in player management before spending close to a decade on the West Coast, much of that time as head of football.

He took the job shortly after the arrival of veteran coach Brad Scott and chairman David Barham; Barham also resigned earlier this year and was replaced by Andrew Welsh.

Welsh recognized Vozzo’s acumen in reshaping the club’s AFL and AFLW programs and leading it through a challenging period.

“His deep understanding of football has been instrumental in reshaping our football programs, which have undergone significant transformation under his leadership,” Welsh said.

“The foundations he has helped build across our AFL and AFLW programmes, business operations and facilities put us in a strong position.

“Craig has worked incredibly hard to lead this club and we recognize his unique expertise in football operations. We are actively exploring options to retain him at Essendon in an advisory capacity, particularly in our roster management and recruitment areas where his knowledge and experience will continue to be invaluable.

“I would like to personally thank Craig for his service to our club. He has navigated some challenging times with integrity and professionalism and has left us in a stronger position than when he arrived.”

In a separate announcement announcing McGrath’s appointment as captain, Essendon’s chief executive of football Daniel McPherson said the 2016 No. 1 selection “has received great approval from the playing group and coaching staff”.

Loading

“This is a well-deserved achievement and a fitting honor for someone who has so often set an example of exactly what an Essendon man should be,” McPherson said.

“We are excited for Andy and know he will take on this responsibility with the level of character and dedication we have come to see from him.”

Merrett will not have any future leadership titles but McPherson said he was “proud” of his time as captain.

“While he will not be in an official role this season, he remains an integral individual that our players will look up to and learn from,” McPherson said.

“We look forward to lending our support to Andy and the group as they lead our club to bigger and better things.”

Keep up to date with the best AFL coverage in the country. Sign up for the Real Footy newsletter.