Essendon sack Brad Scott after disastrous start to 2026
Essendon has sacked senior coach Brad Scott after the Bombers managed just one win from their opening 11 games of the AFL season, ending a disappointing tenure that failed to deliver a finals victory or sustained improvement at the club.
Scott had one year remaining on his contract but departs after Essendon won just one of its past 24 matches, with the club’s form collapse stretching back to the second half of the 2025 campaign. The Bombers also equalled their all-time losing streak earlier this season, piling pressure on the coach and football department.
AFL betting sites are yet to formally launch markets on who will permanently replace Scott, despite “next coach” odds previously proving popular with punters during coaching shake-ups.
But with the AFL and sports betting operators under renewed scrutiny following media figures stepping down from official league roles over integrity concerns, the absence of a market may be linked to those issues, despite no formal announcement about abandoning betting on coaching appointments.
Essendon president Andrew Welsh said the board had decided “a fresh voice” was needed to lead the club into the 2027 season.
“While long-term decisions have been clear and provide great hope for our future, we still need to show progress week to week, and we haven’t seen that this year,” Welsh said.
Former Essendon premiership player Dean Solomon is expected to be appointed interim coach, although the club is yet to formally confirm the move.
Scott was appointed at the end of 2022 following a major overhaul of the Bombers’ football department. Across four seasons he coached 80 games for 29 wins, 50 losses and one draw.
His departure means Essendon joins Carlton and Tasmania in searching for a senior AFL coach ahead of 2027.
The Bombers have declared they will run a full coaching process to find Scott’s successor, but figures inside the club will undoubtedly push for former coach James Hird to be reinstated, with Ken Hinkley, James Kelly, Nathan Buckley and Adrian Hickmott other contenders.
The sacking adds another element to the Bombers clash against West Coast in Perth on Sunday, with the clash against a fellow cellar-dweller very winnable, and a perceived spike in from possible after the coaching change.
The Bombers are 2.48 outsiders to defeat the Eagles (1.58), who are fresh off a hard-fought loss to Collingwood in Scott Pendlebury’s milestone game.
