Essendon has sacked Brad Scott as senior coach on the back of the Bombers slumping to 11th on the AFL ladder after a dismal performance against Richmond on the weekend.
The Bombers were beaten by the lowly Tigers by 18 points on Friday night, which saw them drop to last on the AFL ladder with just a single win from 11 games.
The club confirmed on Tuesday afternoon assistant coach Dean Solomon will take over as interim coach for the remainder of the year.
He coached Gold Coast for three games in 2017 after Rodney Eade was sacked.
Scott joined Essendon ahead of the 2023 season after the club parted ways with Ben Rutten.
Despite an injury-riddled list over the past 18 months, Essendon has decided to go in a fresh direction, after just 80 games in charge.
Scott was contracted until the end of 2027 after penning a one-year extension in March last year.
After Round 17 in 2024, the Bombers were fourth on the ladder with 10 wins and a draw.
Yet it has been all downhill since, with the club winning just eight from their next 42 games under Scott.
The 50-year-old is the second AFL coach to leave his post in 2026, after Michael Voss resigned as head coach of Carlton in May.
Solomon will remain in charge for the remainder of 2026, with the club set to decide on a long-term coach at season’s end.
While Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley is as a potential target and James Hird name has also been floated.
“There is a very, very strong push from a lot of people out there to get James back at Essendon, coaching,” Essendon great Tim Watson told SEN on Tuesday morning.
Garry Lyon added: “It is a genuine groundswell (for Hird), you can’t deny the groundswell.”
“I get the feeling there’s a very, very strong push from a lot of (Essendon) people out there to get James back at Essendon coaching,” Watson replied.
“I do not know whether or not he wants to put himself through that process, he put himself through the process last time.
“I believe (Hird was) next in line. It was a choice between Brad and James Hird, James was second based upon that interview process.”
Essendon president says keeping Brad Scott would be ‘unfair’
Bombers president Andrew Welsh said he was confident Essendon’s best days are ahead of them after the sacking of Scott.
In a club statement on Tuesday morning, Welch said the club could not accept the run of recent results.
“Brad is a resilient, stoic leader who gave everything to this football club and to the people in it,” Welsh said.
“He came to Essendon with a clear set of values and he never compromised them, through good times and difficult ones.
“We appreciate the sacrifices he made for our club and thank him for his commitment and professionalism. Brad leaves a legacy with the decisions he made in building our list which were always club first.
“Ultimately, whilst we know we are a young team, we are not comfortable with our current position which led us to meet as a board to assess and make a decision on the future of the senior coach position.”
Welsh also stated the board felt it would be “unfair” for Scott to remain in charge for the remainder of the season.
“When looking at the overall progress of our football team this season, it was agreed that we needed a fresh voice to take the club forward for the 2027 AFL season,” he said.
“Once that decision was made, it would have been unfair to have Brad continue as coach any longer and that is why we have brought this decision forward to today.
“While long-term decisions have been clear and provide great hope for our future, we still need to show progress week to week, and we haven’t seen that this year.”
