Coach Men's Coaches 2026 - Solomon becomes backline coach, McLean joins as development coach

[eth-dog]

Essendon 2026 AFL coaching structure ​

Senior Coach – Brad Scott
Assistant Coach (Midfield) – Ben Jacobs
Assistant Coach (Stoppages) – Brent Stanton

Brent Stanton

Age

39

Ht

183cm

Wt

82kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

16.1

4star

K

10.7

4star

HB

5.4

4star

M

5.4

5star

T

2.9

4star

CL

0.9

3star

No current season stats available

D

16.8

4star

K

11.2

4star

HB

5.6

4star

M

6.2

5star

T

2.2

4star

CL

0.6

3star

Assistant Coach (Defence) – Dean Solomon

Dean Solomon

Age

45

Ht

189cm

Wt

102kg

Pos.

M/F

Career

Season

Last 5

D

14.8

4star

K

9.4

4star

HB

5.5

4star

M

3.9

4star

T

3.7

5star

No current season stats available

D

17.6

5star

K

13.4

5star

HB

4.2

4star

M

6.2

5star

T

2.8

5star

Assistant Coach (Forwards) – Cam Roberts
Coaching Innovation & Game Strategy Manager – David Rath
Development Coach/VFL Senior Coach – Cameron Joyce
Development Coach/VFL Assistant Coach – Michael Hurley

18

Michael Hurley

Age

35

Ht

193cm

Wt

94kg

Pos.

Def

Career

Season

Last 5

D

18.3

5star

K

12.1

4star

HB

6.2

4star

M

6.4

5star

T

0.9

3star

MG

389.3

5star

D

16.5

4star

K

11.8

5star

HB

4.7

3star

M

6.3

5star

T

0.3

1star

MG

301.2

4star

D

15.0

4star

K

7.6

3star

HB

7.4

5star

M

5.0

5star

T

2.0

4star

Development Coach/VFL Assistant Coach - Ricky Dyson
Development Coach/VFL Assistant Coach – Toby McLean

16

Toby Mclean

Age

29

Ht

181cm

Wt

83kg

Pos.

M/F

Career

Season

Last 5

D

19.7

5star

K

9.0

3star

HB

10.7

5star

M

3.6

4star

T

4.0

5star

CL

2.4

4star

D

15.5

4star

K

6.5

3star

HB

9.0

4star

M

1.3

1star

T

3.5

4star

CL

2.0

4star

D

16.8

4star

K

8.2

4star

HB

8.6

5star

M

5.0

5star

T

1.8

4star

CL

0.8

3star

Ruck - Goldy

 

[Phone]

hopefully we can get Kevin Sheedy in to fill out the coaching group

 

[nipst@r]

 

[Zach Package]

Were other leading candidates sought out and interviewed for the role?

This late in the piece? Who is available?

 

[nipst@r]

Hard to sack a board member if he is no good as an assisstant.

We are a bizarre club. Crap but bizarre. I like welsh less with every announcement.

 

[nipst@r]

This late in the piece? Who is available?

Not like poor governance and lack of process has ever bitten us in the arse.

 

[eth-dog]

Somebody please do a welfare check on eth-dog

Just when I thought we couldn't get stupider

 

[Zach Package]

Not like poor governance and lack of process has ever bitten us in the arse.

Poor governance is a given, about time we leaned into it I’d say.

I could be far madder, he’s actually a well credentialed assistant so it is entirely possible that we scoped out who was available and determined he was the better option.

It’s boring but also completely plausible.

 

[eth-dog]

Poor governance is a given, about time we leaned into it I’d say.

I could be far madder, he’s actually a well credentialed assistant so it is entirely possible that we scoped out who was available and determined he was the better option.

It’s boring but also completely plausible.

He was the defensive assistant at Gold Coast for a decade and sucked.

 

[Bjchan13]

 

[TheGreatBarryB]

Hard to sack a board member if he is no good as an assisstant.

We are a bizarre club. Crap but bizarre. I like welsh less with every announcement.

He’s stepped down off the board to take the coaching role

 

[Old man fletch]

Were other leading candidates sought out and interviewed for the role?

They were as thorough and professional looking for alternatives as the AFL were when looking into whether Dank was above board when he was at Geelong

 

[jdstorm]

So in short Essendons factions used Merrett to overthrow the board and he had no issue with it because he thought he was leaving. Now Barham and the breath of competency is gone. A board seat has opened up for one of Sheedy or Dodo and solly is going to be getting things ready for a return from exile.

What a shit club

 

[Zach Package]

He was the defensive assistant at Gold Coast for a decade and sucked.

Well credentialed as an assistant just means you’ve been around the block and worked under a couple of different people and different schools.

Doing an apprenticeship under Mark Harvey should be enough for everyone, Harves could develop a ham sandwich into a gun defender. Did it for fun in his time at Essendon and again at Freo.

 

[eth-dog]

Well credentialed as an assistant just means you’ve been around the block and worked under a couple of different people and different schools.

Doing an apprenticeship under Mark Harvey should be enough for everyone, Harves could develop a ham sandwich into a gun defender. Did it for fun in his time at Essendon and again at Freo.

He spent a year at Freo and a decade at GC whilst they were a basket case. How is that well credentialed?

 

[crackers65]

This late in the piece? Who is available?

How the hell does pass any form of governance, I don’t care who else was available. Dean may very well be the best man for the job but what was the process for his appointment? Dean ran for the board on a platform of transparency,
but this looks like jobs for the boys in typical Essendon fashion.

 

[Zach Package]

He spent a year at Freo and a decade at GC whilst they were a basket case. How is that well credentialed?

It’s well credentialed because he’s been under a variety of different senior coaches and different perspectives. That’s plenty for a career assistant that doesn’t have senior coaching aspirations.

It’s very well credentialed for filling a seat at the end of October when the options are the complete and utter dregs of the field. How do you realistically run a process to this when everyone else worth interviewing is already locked into a role and if you do run a process you’re hiring into mid November? He’s there, he’s clearly committed and it’s quick and easy.

For once I don’t really begrudge them doing this. And I am normally first in line and carrying the biggest stick.

 

[BuffDog]

Im not saying Solomon will make a bad assistant but gee we are run more like a cult than a professional organisation

 

[justlookingaround]

Zach likes it

View attachment 2463604

Great appointment. Might toughrn up those soft campaigners down back.

Club used to do a thing in the preseason, think it was under Truck, where the players would go spend time with a past player who wore their same number so ZM probably got to know Solly pretty well.

 

[katana]

It’s well credentialed because he’s been under a variety of different senior coaches and different perspectives.

and if none of the coaches or teams were any good? is that still good credentials?

 

[Lore]

He is qualified at least. He was one of our interviewees for the coaching round that appointed Scott as senior coach, and I’m sure that’s not the only senior job he’s been considered for. More qualified than any of the other assistants currently on the panel… Jacobs, Stanton. Equal in standing to Gia, and we are(/were?) trying to get Hinkley in a FIFO role. More qualified than the elephant on his throne too. I suppose it's one way to get the swagger back into the playing group… sometimes you gotta do it yourself?

But yeah. There’s an undeniable stench of old boys about it. I hope he has more success than Mark Harvey.

 

[thepokey]

Solly might be well credentialed (is he? he's been passed over a few times by clubs) ... but I don't know, internal promotions for one of our old boys right after another old boy becomes president ... really reeks of "jobs for the boys" again which I thought we were just maturing from. Nervous.

 

[Old Campaigner]

Didn’t GCS sack him for being shit?

 

[Lore]

Didn’t GCS sack him for being shit?

'Threatened': AFL greats question Gold Coast coach's sacking

A highly-rated assistant coach was a victim of AFL job cuts on Monday - but a former teammate says there's more to the story.

au.sports.yahoo.com

Leaving aside the identity of the “afl greats”, the journo says he was officially made redundant due to Covid soft cap cuts, and that he was runner up to Longmuir for the Freo job.

 

[BomberFan355]

He was the defensive assistant at Gold Coast for a decade and sucked.

What did Gia ever do then, based on the success of whatever line he was looking after? Caracella?

 

[Bunk Moreland]

Stinks to high heaven