A fresh Essendon coaching shortlist has been revealed as John Longmire addresses speculation over his footy future. Plus Michael Voss has a Charlie Curnow-sized warning for Fremantle.
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BOMBERS NARROW SHORTLIST AS LONGMIRE SAYS ‘I’VE GOT A FEW THINGS TO CONSIDER’
Essendon is keen to interview at least six candidates for its vacant coaching role – but Swans premiership coach John Longmire is remaining tight-lipped on whether he’ll speak to the Bombers … or any club for that matter.
The Bombers, Blues and Devils are all on the hunt for full-time senior coaches. Tasmania is keen to appoint its inaugural boss ideally before the end AFL season, while Carlton is a few weeks ahead of Essendon in its coaching search considering Michael Voss’ Blues departure occurred a fortnight before the Bombers sacked Brad Scott. The Bombers, however, have reached out to an array of possible candidates in recent weeks to gauge their interest in the gig.
Club legend James Hird, who’s consistently declared his desire to return as Bombers coach, last week confirmed he’d spoken with Essendon president Andrew Welsh and would be part of the club’s process.
Speaking on Channel 7 on Wednesday night, Morris revealed a list of candidates the Bombers were “certain to speak to” as part of their coaching process.
Essendon legend James Hird. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images
As well as Hird, five current assistant coaches were named in the report: Hayden Skipworth (Collingwood), James Kelly (Geelong), Corey Enright (St Kilda), Jaymie Graham (Fremantle) and Mark McVeigh (Sydney), with the latter a former 232-game Bomber and ex-Giants caretaker coach in 2022. Morris said Enright and Graham were “wildcards” considering they’re the only two contenders without a past Essendon connection.
Morris said current Essendon caretaker Dean Solomon would also be interviewed, but “it was up to him” if he wanted to be part of the process. He added Longmire and Ken Hinkley were also on the club’s radar, but both had their eyes on the vacant Tassie gig for now.
Asked cheekily by Kath Loughnan on Wednesday night how it felt to “be so wanted” in the AFL industry, Longmire told Fox Footy’s AFL 360: “Well I don’t use my energy focusing on the public chatter too much. I don’t think that’s energy well spent.
“I’ve got a few things to consider, but one of the most important things for me is also to do my job at the moment that I’ve got really well.
“I said a few weeks ago these things get to play out over time and that’s what it tends to do. I’m not one to give public commentary on the way through that, I’ll just let it play out.”
‘WHAT CHARLIE LIKES’: VOSS’ CURNOW WARNING FOR DOCKERS
Former Carlton coach Michael Voss has warned the “assertive” nature of Fremantle’s key defenders could play into the hands of in-form Swan Charlie Curnow, unless the Dockers tweak their approach on Thursday night.
The Dockers host Sydney in a blockbuster, top-of-the-table clash at Optus Stadium, with Curnow coming into the game with 22 goals from his past five matches, including six majors last week against the Western Bulldogs.
Speaking on Fox Footy’s AFL 360 on Wednesday night, Voss said he’d been impressed with Curnow’s approach in recent times after a patchy start to the season.
Voss, who coached Curnow for four seasons at Carlton, said the key forward had the potential to expose the Dockers’ defence.
Injured Tom Papley back for the Swans | 00:49
“If you want to look at result v result, he’s kicking goals – he’ll no doubt kick 60-plus goals – and he’s (almost) leading the Coleman, so his scoring threat is very real,” Voss told AFL 360.
“What I love about his game over the last little period of time is he seems intent on not invading someone else’s space. He’s played system for most of the year, but in the last couple of weeks I think we’ve started to see that confidence build in his contested marking and he’s now starting to get those one-on-one battles.
“I think he’s learning the system, clearly, a lot more and he’s teasing the opposition a little bit more.
“How Fremantle play him will be an interesting one, because Fremantle traditionally –(Alex) Pearce and (Brennan) Cox – stand out front, be assertive … it’s sort of what Charlie likes. He likes assertive defenders to be able to play in front and then he can work his leading patterns from there, draw you into the contest then get them out the back.
“Whether they make an adjustment or not will be interesting.”