Gerard Whateley says Essendon has “made itself look actively foolish” by sacking Brad Scott after publicly endorsing him multiple times, adding it lacked a “fundamental understanding” of its rebuild.
It comes as Essendon legend Kevin Sheedy has once again thrown his support behind James Hird to be the Bombers’ coach.
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Scott, after three and a half seasons in charge of trying to lead Essendon back to the finals, was dismissed on Tuesday morning halfway through a torrid season at Tullamarine.
The Bombers are 1-10 this year, with Scott having coached them to 23 losses from their past 24 games.
The 50-year-old mustered a 135-155-1 record in his time at the Hangar.
His firing in the early hours on Tuesday came as a shock, however, with Essendon clearly in the toughest phase of its rebuild, and after publicly backing Scott as senior coach.
“I think it flies in the face of the messaging from Essendon this year,” Dees great Garry Lyon told Fox Footy’s AFL 360.
“Six weeks ago, he was their next premiership coach. They’ve suffered six losses … and today, he’s sacked.
“We’ve been around long enough, now – boards are with you until they’re not.”
Whateley said there were two “fatal flaws” in Essendon’s game that contributed most notably to Scott’s demise.
“The lack of defensive integrity in the game plan — that hasn’t been taught, hasn’t been absorbed, and hasn’t been executed.
“And then the lack of the forward handball game, which is really stark for Essendon right now.”
The Bombers were a consistently dreadful defensive team under Scott’s tutelage, ranking in the bottom-four for points against in every year he was in charge, including dead-last thus far in ‘26.
Offensively, they’re third-last for ball movement and third-last for scoring.
“If you’re not top-six in defence, you’re not winning premierships. They’ve been nowhere near it; they haven’t looked like it,” Lyon added.
“Footy evolves, and they’re not playing modern footy. Richmond played modern footy (last Friday). That’s what shocked me – that Essendon couldn’t.
“They’re not embracing the way that the modern game’s played.”
Whateley was scathing of the new leadership’s decision-making in correspondence with where the club’s list sits.
“This club has made itself look actively foolish in the way that it has conducted itself,” he said.
“It’s very hard to survive the change of the president and the chief executive when you’re not their chosen guy, and so once those positions shift, the ground moves under you.”
Whateley said Essendon lacked “fundamental understanding” of ‘the rebuild’.
“It was like Essendon set off down the path without fully understanding where it led,” he said.
“Every piece of study around a rebuild said this would be the darkest year – they gave him the bridge to get through the darkest period, and then they still sacked him during the darkest period.
“This tells you about the flinch, it tells you about the change in the administration, and it tells you about the lack of fundamental understanding of what it takes to build the long-term path.
“If you truly pick this path of full-blown rebuild, this is what it looks like. Brad understood it, and put his own coaching tenure at risk by executing it, and then part of Essendon understood it, and part of Essendon didn’t.”
Just last Monday, Scott told AFL 360: “The fortunate thing for us is our president was on the board when this strategy was put together, and our CEO was on the board when this strategy was put together — so they are all in on it. I am tasked with the responsibility of leading it; I intend to see it through.”
It was just six weeks ago to the day that president Andrew Welsh claimed Scott would be Essendon’s next premiership coach, before CEO Tim Roberts a week ago relayed the message of “alignment”.
“Essendon has just become the worst cliché in footy, and that leads you to question everything that they are trying to do,” Whateley said.
“And it makes you wonder where they’re going to end up.”
Now, Essendon turns its attention to sourcing its next senior coach, and James Hird’s name has been all the rage in the hours since Scott’s exit became official.
Midweek Tackle’s Glenn McFarlane said “the groundswell is underway”, revealing that Essendon premiership coach Sheedy was once again endorsing Hird to be the club’s mentor.
“And not only (has he urged him to apply), he wants him to get the job. So, James Hird (is) very much in the frame, at the moment,” McFarlane told Fox Footy on Tuesday night.
“Sheedy told me today that he wants James Hird back to put the ‘Essendon’ back into a footy club that’s probably lost its identity a bit.
“Certainly, Sheedy is pushing very hard for Hird to return.”
In McFarlane’s article, which can be read here, Sheedy is quoted as saying: “James Hird should be coaching in the AFL now, he’s been wasted.”
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