Essendon Bombers part ways with coach Brad Scott
Updated ,first published
Essendon chairman Andrew Welsh said the decision to part ways with manager Brad Scott, whose contract was running for more than a year, was driven by the club’s position in the table and the belief that change was necessary.
This imprint confirmed the news on Tuesday morning and the Bombers will hold a press conference at 12:45 p.m. Welshman and CEO Tim Roberts will be at the forefront of the media; Scott is not listed to appear and has been contacted for comment.
The Bombers won just one game on the year and fell to the bottom of the standings with Friday night’s loss to Richmond.
Welsh said Scott is a strong leader but there has been no progress.
Welsh said in a club statement: “Brad is a resilient, stoic leader who has given his all to this football club and the people within it. He arrived at Essendon with a clear set of values and has never compromised on those values, in good times and tough times.”
“We appreciate the sacrifices he made for our club and thank him for his dedication and professionalism. Brad leaves a legacy through the decisions he made in creating our list, where our club always comes first.
“Ultimately, although we know we are a young team, we are unhappy with our current position which has led to us meeting as a board to consider and decide on the future of the senior coach position.
“Given the overall development of our football team this season, we agreed that we needed a new voice to take the club forward in the 2027 AFL season. Once this decision was made, it would not be fair for Brad to continue as manager any longer and that is why we have brought this decision forward to today.”
“While the long-term decisions are clear and provide great hope for our future, we still need to show progress from week to week and we have not seen that this year. These are truly difficult decisions and we do not take them lightly, but the cumulative nature of our losses and the key performance indicators set by the Club at the beginning of the season are not going in the right direction.”
Welsh said the Bombers did not want to waste the second half of the season.
“In recent years we have transformed our player roster, overhauled our high-performance department, improved our roster and recruiting department, and today we made the difficult decision to change our senior coaching structure,” he said.
“We have been crystal clear on our football club’s strategy and direction. We are building the next successful era for Essendon, with the aim of playing in finals, winning finals and challenging for championships.”
“There is a lot to be gained from the second half of the season and we will not waste the opportunity to develop and improve our performances.
“We know recent times have been difficult for the people of Essendon and we feel that deeply. We are confident that the best days are ahead for this football club and we are excited about the future.”
Scott’s departure would make Essendon the second team after Carlton this year to sack their coach, creating a potential rivalry between the fallen superpowers.
Scott’s tenure saw a decline in results in his third and fourth seasons, not helped by a devastating run of injuries in 2025.
He had recently reminded the media, and presumably the new club hierarchy led by chairman Andrew Welsh, that club leaders and board members had adopted a long-term rebuilding strategy that would emphasize the draft.
He was contracted through the end of 2027, and the remaining amount would likely be more than $800,000.
As soon as the Bombers parted ways with Scott, the club’s great star Tim Watson floated the possibility of James Hird returning as manager. Hird coached the Bombers between 2011 and 2015 but resigned following the effects of the club’s reinforcement saga.
“There is very, very strong pressure from a lot of people for James to coach Essendon,” Watson told SEN.
“Essendonians want success, they want the right person. “A lot of people at the moment think it could be James Hird.
Watson said the Bombers should have done a “proper coach search” like they did when signing Scott.
But Hird remains popular with sponsors and powerful cliques.
“He still needs to coach. All that [off-field support] before he stood in front of the players and outlined his plan, strategy and philosophy,” Watson said.
Hird has been contacted for comment.
“I said earlier in the year: I’ve been to a few events where I’ve been on stage with James and I said: ‘You wouldn’t believe the casual Essendon fans who come to these nights and how professional James Hird is,'” Watson said.
Watson said Hird would have an “intriguing” case if he showed he would have a strong coaching group alongside him. He said Hird had the ability to develop talent, which has been a long-standing problem at the club.
Earlier this month, Hird said coaching was his clear choice out of all the jobs he’s had in his life so far.
“You would definitely be a senior AFL coach, that’s what you would be,” Hird told Nine’s Footy Hidden.
“If you love coaching, the passion for coaching and bringing a team together is the greatest thrill you can get outside of playing.”
Scott’s departure follows a saga involving former captain Zach Merrett, who sought a trade to Hawthorn at the end of last season and was blocked by Welsh and the board.
This imprint reported that Merrett was disappointed again and was weighing his options.
Defender Jordan Ridley is in a similar situation and there are concerns about his satisfaction with the club after new star forward Nate Caddy said in a post-match radio interview that he did not want to “put up with mediocrity”.
Welsh and chief executive Tim Roberts were part of the decision under David Barham to extend Scott’s contract as a board member, with the coach re-signing at the start of last season.
It is possible that Dean Solomon will be the interim coach, but this has not yet been confirmed.
Solomon and Hird have been close since their days playing together.
More to come
