Essendon have stepped up their bid for draft assistance from the AFL, putting together a “meaningful and compelling” case.
Channel 7’s Caroline Wilson has revealed the Bombers are pleading their case, and quietly confident despite being told by the league that many of their problems were of their own making.
“Not only are they looking for a new coach, but in the last week the Essendon president (Andrew Welsh), list boss (Matt Rosa) and CEO (Tim Roberts) have been in to see AFL bosses Greg Swann and Tom Harley and their teams and put forward their case for special assistance,” Wilson told 7NEWS.
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“My understanding is the AFL’s response to date was non-committal.”
Wilson said she believed that the AFL powerbrokers pointed out to the Essendon bigwigs that the club had not made the most of some of their early draft picks in recent years.
“A similar point was made to West Coast when West Coast put forward a similar bid last year,” Wilson said.
However, West Coast ultimately received assistance last year, setting a precedent that could work in Essendon’s favour.
“So my prediction is that Essendon could receive an end-of-first round draft pick as an extra next year, along with a couple of extra rookie spots,” Wilson said.
West Coast’s special assistance package in 2025 included an end-of-first-round draft pick and additional rookie list spots.
“They do need help,” Wilson said of the Bombers.
“(They) put forward a fairly meaningful and compelling bid, looked at their results over the last few years, looked at their results over the longer term, and I think Essendon (are) bordering on confident that they will receive an end-of-first round pick and maybe some rookie spots as well.”
However, Wilson said it was “fascinating” that the Bombers were doing this before appointing a new coach.
Last week the club unveiled the selection panel for the coach. It consisted of Welsh, Anthony Di Pietro (vice president), Ted Richards (former player and chair of football governance committee), Roberts, and Caroline Monzon (people and culture manager).
But AFL great Luke Hodge noticed a glaring omission and that was Bombers champion Jobe Watson.
“He was a part of the Melbourne (coaching panel that selected Steven King),” Hodge said on Channel 7’s The Agenda Setters.
“So he’s seen what they did, who impressed him … (James) Kelly impressed him there.
“I’m just surprised they haven’t put him (on the panel) considering the whole thing with Essendon is that it has been about wanting Essendon people who understand Essendon culture to help get them back to where they want to be.
“And then they’ve left off Jobe Watson … I know he had a Brownlow taken off him (after the supplements scandal) but he was captain of the football club.”
Wilson said that maybe Watson would be conflicted when interviewing candidate James Hird, given that Hird was coaching during the scandal that led to Watson’s suspension for doping.
But Hodge said everyone was conflicted at Essendon, with Welsh and Richards former teammates of Hird’s.
“They’ve all had a relationship with James … he’s a hero of that football club,” Hodge said.
Kane Cornes said Watson would have knowledge of Hird and the way he coached which might be an “advantage” when interviewing the candidates.
