Brad Scott has officially entered the Essendon coaching race, and will be interviewed for the top job on Thursday.
Sources with knowledge of the interviewing process told The Age that Scott has expressed his interest, and now appears to be in a battle with Adem Yze and James Hird for the role.
Scott, 46, is a former North Melbourne coach, who recently has played a key role in the AFL’s football operations department.
Former North Melbourne coach Brad Scott. Inset: Essendon president David Barham.Credit:Paul Jeffers
The Bombers had sounded Scott out for the role, but he had wanted to wait until after the grand final before confirming his interest.
He will meet with the coaching sub-committee, led by Carlton premiership coach Robert Walls, football-department chief Josh Mahoney and four-time Hawthorn premiership player Jordan Lewis, with sources indicating the job is his to lose. An appointment could be made as early as Friday.
Yze, the former Melbourne player and now Demons assistant coach, has impressed in his two interviews, while Hird has also met with the club in a bid to reclaim the job he relinquished in 2015. Dean Solomon, also a former premiership Bomber, has also been interviewed. He and Hird shaped as a package deal, with one to have been the assistant to the other.
Club president David Barham did not wish to comment when contacted by The Age on Wednesday, but has made it clear he wants an experienced head in charge. That doesn’t necessarily mean a former senior coach – but Scott fits the bill. Barham wants the role settled by the end of the month, for the pivotal trade period begins on Monday.
Another candidate, St Kilda assistant Brendon Lade, has moved to take up a similar position under Luke Beveridge at the Western Bulldogs.
The winning candidate will join a club in need of unity, after an ugly season capped by the sacking of coach Ben Rutten.
Scott is seen as a figure who can harness the club’s power and financial muscle, in the hope of replicating the success his twin brother Chris has enjoyed with Geelong, where he is now a two-time premiership coach.
The Bombers are also undergoing a major club review, which has also featured former Western Bulldogs coach Brendan McCartney.
Scott has spent the past three seasons at the AFL, having left the Kangaroos midway through the 2019 season, after losing the support of then-president Ben Buckley. During his tenure, he led the Kangaroos into two preliminary finals.
He ranks third for most VFL/AFL games coached (211) without making a grand final, but the Kangaroos were not flush for resources in his time at Arden St.
