Overview
- Essendon has begun discussions with the AFL about seeking a special assistance package and is expected to lodge a formal submission later this year to seek extra draft and list help.
- The club has won one of its past 25 games, sits bottom of the ladder and recently sacked coach Brad Scott with Dean Solomon serving as interim while injuries continue to bite the playing list.
- The AFL uses a metrics-based assessment that counts wins and percentage over a rolling period but keeps final discretion on whether and how much assistance to grant.
- Recent precedents for help include West Coast, North Melbourne and Gold Coast, which received end-of-first-round or other picks, extra rookie-list spots and encouragement to trade picks for experienced players.
- Any award to Essendon would alter its draft strategy and list building this off-season and is likely to be modest, a prospect that has prompted public debate about whether the club’s decline stems from bad luck and injuries or avoidable management choices.