WHO’S NEXT?

Well … here we are again. Again!

Though, I can’t say I’m surprised nor am I entirely disappointed. I mean, after all, I did predict this outcome at the beginning of the season – right down to the round! Yes, though my other predictions were the equivalent of intellectual dogshit, I shall be riding this success of mine as far as I can!

From now on, I demand to be addressed as the Nuffie Nostradamus! Glory be to me!

But, no matter what name I desire to be called it changes zero to the reality of the club’s situation. Essendon are once again the mess of the AFL. Now, I happen to believe that this is not nearly the worst we’ve been as an organisation. Naturally, the Supplement Saga takes the prized number one spot for Essendon-related shitstorms, but I’d say that from a list perspective, the Bombers are better placed now than we were when Brad Scott took charge.

My reasons are fairly simplistic in nature.

This club has finally taken the dive it needed to. No shortcuts or quick fixes. This is a deeply young list that is riddled with talent, that isn’t denied by anyone. Our current failures on field are a result of this, compounded heavily by the fact that the club’s senior players are a mixture of the incapable, the under-developed and the broken of soul. I’ll let you decide which category each player belongs. But no matter the losses (the oh so many losses), this team is significantly better positioned to put up a legitimate challenge in the next few years. Again, I’ll let you decide how many years that may be.

(Quietly, Joel is still a believer in his 2027 comments – god bless him!)

Brad Scott departs having overseen the largest changes in the club, arguably since the 1970’s. New CEO’s, new presidents, new assistants, new high performance team and who knows, new groundskeepers too maybe. I dunno. The point is much has changed, and Scott was there. I was certainly not a fan of Scott, but I appreciate him taking the long road and not the short. He wasn’t the right man to finish the job, but I believe he thought 100% it was the right thing to do. And I can applaud that.

So, now the Dons hunt for his successor. A man who will be our eighth senior coach since the turn of the century (I do not count the second coming of James Hird in 2015 … nothing biblical I swear). Since Scott’s sacking that fateful Tuesday morning, the question of who will take over has been deafening. Already, I feel that the conversation is getting far too nuanced and specific. For some, the job has already been filled and we’re all just waiting for that name to be spoken. For others, it’s this bloke or that bloke. Every pundit has had their say and proposed their own theories. So, let’s simplify it and let’s have a little snapshot of who may get the gig and potentially why.

James Kelly was a name that was floated almost instantly. After Michael Voss left Carlton, Kelly was immediately mentioned as a potential candidate for that horrid role at old Princes Park. And then once Scott departed the Hangar, Kelly’s name was on our list. It’s obvious why. This is a man who played at Geelong during their most dominant period of all time. A man who has also played for the Bombers in 2016 and 2017, providing support and guidance to what was left of our list through Essendon’s darkest period of all time. Since departing Essendon on-field, Kelly worked within the coaching department for three seasons, before returning to the Cats as an assistant coach under Chris Scott in 2022. Since then, he has received any number of positive reviews for his skills as a communicator and coach.

For many fans, Kelly is a low key beloved son. Though his time with the club was short, he showed every attribute a fan could want from a player. Now, whether that can be translated into something an entire club can rally behind remains to be seen … especially while Melrose Drive remains haunted by little shadowy figures and their relentless machinations.

Whether James Kelly ends up back at the Hangar or not, I see him being a head coach somewhere someday.

A former Don. A formidable resume. What else does Mark McVeigh need to do to get the job?

Mark McVeigh has easily built one of the most underrated resumes in the AFL. We all know what he did when he was wearing the red and black. 232 games and a decent chunk of goals to go with it. But since leaving the club after 2012, McVeigh has worked tirelessly to grow as a coach. His first role post-Essendon was in a development role for AFL NSW with their under-16 and under-18 teams, the first sign that McVeigh had a knack for growing talent. Then, from 2015-2022, McVeigh worked under Leon Cameron at the GWS Giants as an assistant coach, even becoming caretaker after Cameron departed the club in 2022. McVeigh’s record during that short stint was 4-9. And finally, he moved to the Sydney Swans in 2023 under John Longmire, and where he remains … for now.

McVeigh is spoken of as a seriously skilled developer of young men and has plaudits coming at him left, right and centre. I’m aware his family are all based north of the Murray, yet, I can’t help but wonder how tantalising this role at Essendon may be for a former favourite son. One way or another, I hope he returns in some capacity.

Ken Hinkley has been spoken about a few times, though he’s kind of thrown cold water on himself. Much like Adam Simpson, but based on comments Simpson recently made on SEN WA, I’m not going to discuss him further. But Hinkley would be an interesting option. I mean based simply on what he did at Port Adelaide, he’s an intriguing possibility. When Hinkley got to Alberton Oval in 2013, the joint was a bloody brothel (not literally). And in his tenure, he got the Power out of the doldrums and into competitive footy swiftly. Now, he never got them to the promise land, but he made four preliminary finals across his time and was just a bee’s dick shy of getting to the big dance more than once.

Though his name will come up, I reckon he’d be best suited for a job further behind the scenes. But hey … stranger things.

John Longmire is a big name. And I don’t shy away from saying I salivate over the possibility of obtaining his services at the club. I mean, if Essendon is looking for a coach with pedigree, proven success, experience in turning over a list and knows what a successful environment looks like, Longmire is your man! In his time at the Swans, Longmire got the club to five grand finals, winning one. All that while maintaining a changing list that from 2011-2025 missed finals just three times!

The master mentor. If John Longmire put his hand up for the job at the Hangar … who says no?

If the board at Essendon want qualified … John Longmire is what it looks like! And from what he’s said in public since the job opened up, he has been smart with his comments. No matter who coaches the Dons next, I think it’s fair to say Longmire will be one of the candidates that goes down to the wire.

Well, I might as well throw about $50 in the fuckin’ jar because it’s time to mention the H word.

What more really needs to be said about James Hird and this role? He wants it, badly! I mean the guy practically went on the campaign trail only hours after Scott’s departure – his work on Footy Classified was one of the finest examples of a pre-emptive strike as I’ve ever seen, so much so, that by the Wednesday morning he had the likes of Hinkley and Simpson practically ruling themselves out until Andrew Welsh and co ruled Hird out. Madness!

Hird is by far the most interesting candidate, for all the right and all the wrong reasons.

If we want to look at his coaching pedigree, things aren’t spectacular. Hird coached the club from 2011-2013, got suspended for 2014, only to return and eventually resign later in 2015. Since then he’s done a short stint at the Giants to help out his old pal, McVeigh when he was caretaker and then done a few different part-time coaching roles at the VFL’s Port Melbourne Borough. This does not stack up favourably to those above him. Even James Kelly’s resume is looking more polished.

But Hird’s campaign for the top job at the Bombers isn’t about his resume, nor is it focused on his qualifications. And it really never has been. Hird’s appeal is about his supposed ability to unite a fractured club, and his seemingly supernatural skills to communicate with footballers. It has surprised me zero to see so many from the media landscape come out in support of Hird’s candidacy. He is beloved in many corners of the game and the narrative of him deserving a second shot at ‘healing’ the club is strong, especially among fans – both in the stands and those who fill the clubs coffers with donations.

Now, you might have noticed a slight sting to some of my comments above. I don’t deny that I am not one who goes along with this narrative, especially the one that claims that the club can never get over the spectre of James Hird until we give him one more chance. Hird would not be my first choice, nor my second. The argument for him relies too much on emotion than anything else. Yet, despite what I’ve said I confess to having felt seduced by this emotion. Watching him speak about the Bombers on Classified that Tuesday night did have me moved. I found myself convinced with every word he said. My heart moved a little faster. But this club may need more than mere emotion.

Is James Hird ready to step back into the coaches box … and more importantly … is it the right move?

If Hird is indeed appointed head coach, I will support it all the way. And if he takes us back to the promise land, my hand will be up high conceding how wrong I was. But for now, this is how I feel and only time will tell how all the pieces land.

Now, some of you may be querying why I didn’t include Dean Solomon in this list. Well, to be honest I feel like his job interview has already begun. From now until the end of the season, Solomon has time to show the powerbrokers at the Hangar how he would run this team. What positioning would look like. What the makeup would be. How the game plan would be built. I think that by the end of the year, we’ll all have a good grip on what Solomon has to offer.

It’s been an ugly old year and it’s likely to remain ugly a little while longer. All we can do now is wait and speculate.

So … let the fun begin!

Go Planes.