Overview
- Essendon confirmed on Tuesday that forwards coach Cam Roberts will leave at the end of the 2026 season after seven years with the club.
- The club is holding final interviews this week for a new senior coach with a four-person shortlist of James Hird, Mark McVeigh, Jaymie Graham and Murray Davis and interim coach Dean Solomon meeting hierarchy but seen as unlikely to be appointed.
- The Roberts exit is the latest in a staff exodus that began with Brad Scott’s sacking in May and included assistant Ben Jacobs, head of psychology Ben Robbins and football boss Daniel McPherson, and it follows a season in which Essendon sit last with two wins.
- Leigh Matthews told 3AW he would have “no confidence” to coach under the current administration, prompting CEO Tim Roberts to send a transcript to the AFL and president Andrew Welsh to contact the Brisbane Lions chair, but the AFL said it will not intervene and former Bomber Tim Watson defended Matthews’ right to comment.
- The club aims to conclude the coaching appointment quickly and use the hire to drive a wider restructure of its men’s and women’s football programs while managing reputational risk and short-term pressure on players and recruitment.