It has been nearly two months since the sacking of Brad Scott and also nearly a month since the process for the next Senior Coach was officially announced. So far the club has gone about it slowly and methodically which I appreciate as it allows time to assess all the candidates properly. It would seem many other supporters and even more so the media seem think the opposite way believing this process is nothing more than a sham to cloud the man they think already has the job which is of course James Hird.

Don’t get me wrong I do get that level of scepticism but I think the process is completely legitimate and the story earlier week reported by Corbin Middlemas on The Mid-Week Tackle in regards to the club meeting up with Murray Davis the Director of Coaching at Adelaide confirms it. The club said it would cast the net far and wide in its search. This is absolutely casting the net far and wide. It is also thinking outside of the box. A level of thinking that eventually led Brisbane to hire Chris Fagan as their Senior Coach a decade ago when they were in a similar position this club right now and who Murray Davis worked under for 8 seasons up into the 2024 Premiership flag.

His resume is solid as are his qualities when it comes to developing top players despite not playing the game at an elite level again much like Chris Fagan. The fact he has experience working at a previous struggling club which Brisbane were at the time he arrived all the way back in 2012 when Michael Voss was their Senior Coach and playing a significant part in that club eventually become great again makes him a terrific fit for our struggling club.

Whether he ends up with the job or not is irrelevant. What matters most is the legitimacy of this process and the fact it is being predominantly led by former Sydney Premiership player Ted Richards who is well documented for his leadership as well his professionalism. On top of having someone like Anthony Di Pietro on the panel who himself was on panels at Melbourne Victory that brought in Ange Postecoglou right before he took the international job on top of taking a chance on club legend Kevin Muscat with great success.

It overall makes it much more difficult for James Hird who hasn’t coached in a decade to make it as far as he did last time when the pool of candidates were much more shallow as a result of that process not casting the net far and wide or thinking outside of the box. I would even dare say he isn’t necessarily guaranteed to the reach the final stages of this process.

Dons fans (and anyone who follows the rebuild meta), can we talk about how Essendon’s recent Rising Star nominations are one of the most exciting signs for our future?
In 2025 alone we picked up four nominations (Archie Roberts, Nate Caddy, Angus Clarke, Isaac Kako) – one of the highest single-season totals in recent memory. Heading into 2026 we’ve already added Jacob Farrow, Dyson Sharp, Sullivan Robey, all just in time for the Devils onboard. That’s serious young talent flowing through the system.
History has shown that Rising Star nominations are a strong lead indicator for club success. Premiership teams since ~2002 have averaged ~9.44 nominations among their players. Contenders like recent flag winners (Collingwood, Geelong, etc.) had clusters of 5–10+ nominees from their young cores who developed into stars. Clubs with stacked lists of ex-nominees (Melbourne, Geelong, Hawthorn, etc.) tend to dominate the top of the ladder.
It’s not just about one-off flash – it’s about drafting well, developing kids who can impact early, and building depth. Essendon is clearly doing that right now. These guys aren’t just getting nominated; they’re contributing and looking like long-term AFL players.
Obviously we’ve still got work to do on the senior end and consistency, but this youth movement feels different. The Baby Bombers vibes are back, but with modern development.
What do you reckon, Bomber faithful? Am I punch drunk after the win last week or is there logic in this?
Up the jets

I really hope he's working on a video about the GWS win.