Essendon’s next chapter begins as interim coach Dean Solomon and his Bombers lose to West Coast, James Hird, Essendon coaching search
The question all week was who wanted to coach Essendon?
Apparently none other than premiership captain and club legend James Hird, who last coached the club in 2015 after one of the most infamous coaching stints in the history of the game.
The 53-year-old spent Sunday afternoon under gray clouds in Port Melbourne, coaching Borough’s forwards as they scored the last three goals of the match to defeat the Tassie Devils and win by four points.
Football enthusiasts were watching from different AFL clubs; many believed that the Essendon job would belong to Hird come next year.
Other potential candidates are trying to hide.
Adam Simpson, Ken Hinkley and a host of assistant coaches appear happy to turn their lifelong ambition of being a senior coach into one of being a senior coach anywhere other than Essendon with Hird in the frame.
Hird’s good friend and premiership team-mate Dean Solomon, who took over on an interim basis after Brad Scott was sacked with 18 months left on his contract on Tuesday, has also shown little desire to become full-time manager.
He said he was too busy worrying about coaching to worry about being nominated.
That’s fair, considering he’s one of only three people to move from club director to bigger roles in the space of 12 months.
Andrew Welsh is currently club chairman, Tim Roberts is club CEO and Solomon is coach; He is the only one of this trio who has done his job before. It is also a good thing that they trust the strategic direction of the club. They decided this.
Welsh and Roberts were also part of the decision to switch to Scott and the post-Scott era began against West Coast on Sunday night; Not only was he without Scott, but his loyal assistant Ben Jacobs also left his position as midfield coach on Friday, having decided he no longer wanted to coach Essendon. Jacob’s departure, whether intentional or not, was symbolic because it gave the impression of a defeated crew fleeing an invading army.
Known as a post-game connecter, Solomon said as he warmed up that he wanted the team to follow a new game plan (most interim coaches use the word tinkerer to describe their changes, but he and his players preferred the new one). They will focus on competition, team defense and will have their players play in different roles.
After the Suns gave up an average of 68.66 points in three games on an interim basis in 2017, he began the second period as interim coach, featuring abusive defenseman Ben McKay. It was his first big move as Essendon senior coach. While recording West Coast’s first nine inside 50s, the key defender found himself in the rare position of not being near the ball for the first 10 minutes.
The Bombers were hit by a stiff wind and after 10 minutes they lost key forward Archer May to a shoulder injury, adding the promising forward to an injury list that will devastate the MASH. They escaped being goalless in the opening quarter for the first time since 1986 thanks to a crucial comeback from Archer Day-Wicks in the final 30 seconds. Kevin Sheedy retained this record.
But the Bombers then fought back midway through the second quarter, scrapping and drawing to a point and for the first time in a long time they had the wind at their backs.
But then the same old problems, caused by injuries, little depth and the lack of a defensive system that can only be improved with synergy, emerged as the Eagles scored eight consecutive goals to extend their lead to 53 points. Solomon admitted the team lost its composure.
At this point the question of the week became who would want to coach Essendon?
Hird yes.
That leaves the Bombers facing a big decision as one of the elephants in the crowded opinion room concerns whether they deserve another chance after the pain that has come to the club as a result of WADA’s decision to suspend 34 Bombers, past and present, for the 2016 season. The room is divided both inside and outside Essendon on this question.
He will deny that motivation is unfinished business. He sees himself as the man who can lead the Bombers out of the doldrums they entered in 2005 and have found themselves in before, during and since his coaching tenure. This is a huge challenge for everyone, because restructurings are not for the faint of heart. And Hird could never be described that way.
Former Swans coach John Longmire? That is unknown and until he answers either way he will remain a wildcard in this debate as the premiership coach may have the weight to overshadow Hird’s move given he has been a senior coach for 14 years and has taken his team to the finals in 12 years.
Outspoken Hawk, Luke Hodge, told Channel Seven what most people think of Hird’s future: “When you get the support from Sheedy, Michael Long I think you’ve got a fair chance. [to get the job]he said.
The great irony is that Essendon missed the chance to hire their favorite son as manager in 2009 because triple premiership coach and Bombers first-year player Damien Hardwick’s computer was not working.
Such concerns about whether someone is ready for the job now look laughable as a five-goal whiff has Hird leaning on for the job.
The board has not yet decided whether or not to run for office.
Until then, every game will be just a backdrop to the chaos that once again surrounds Essendon and its long-suffering, loyal and, most importantly, loyal supporters this week.
Welsh feels the club is being pushed around. That won’t happen anymore, he said at Tuesday’s media conference.
The interesting question is who this club wants to leave behind and how they will get through a difficult period for the club.
The answer will determine their future more than their on-field performance in the remaining 11 games of 2026.
“We’re all going to focus on what we need to do now,” Solomon said.
