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August 25, 2026 \u2014 8:12pm<\/p>\n
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Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n AAA<\/p>\n Despite Essendon president Andrew Welsh\u2019s insistence that Mark McVeigh\u2019s Bombers heritage had little bearing on his appointment as coach, his unveiling could not have felt more like a homecoming.<\/p>\n Just days after the club secured just their second wooden spoon in 93 years<\/a>, there was a buoyant mood at \u201cthe Hangar\u201d for McVeigh\u2019s coronation in front of the Bombers\u2019 entire men\u2019s and women\u2019s lists. They gave him a rousing ovation as he entered the stage.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a great day for the Essendon Football Club,\u201d Welsh opened. \u201cMark, congratulations! We\u2019re rapt to have you back in the red and black.\u201d<\/p>\n Coaching announcements are significant moments for a football club, marking the start of what they hope is a new and more prosperous era, but the reaction to McVeigh\u2019s selection, or rather James Hird\u2019s non-selection, has been mixed among the Essendon constituents.<\/p>\n For elements of the supporter base, all yearning for a return to the days of glory and fame, Hird is still revered as the club\u2019s most recent premiership captain and the face of their last golden era despite his role in the drugs saga that crippled the club in the 2010s.<\/p>\n Related Article McVeigh is no Hird but, given his 232-game career as a heart-and-soul Bomber, has the record to cut through among the more nostalgic of the red-and-black faithful.<\/p>\n What McVeigh lacked on his playing resume compared to Hird, he more than made up for with his coaching CV.<\/p>\n Like Josh Fraser, appointed at Carlton with contrastingly minimal fanfare a week earlier, McVeigh has completed an extensive apprenticeship.<\/p>\n As Hird ventured into the business world and dipped his toes in the coaching waters at AFL expansion club GWS and Port Melbourne in the VFL, McVeigh immersed himself in just about every aspect of coaching at the Giants and Sydney.<\/p>\n Leaving home daily at 4am for the 90-minute commute to Sydney, McVeigh has served as an interim, been a long-time assistant and also coached juniors, the latter significant as he takes the helm of one of the youngest lists in the league.<\/p>\n \u201cOur members, our fans, and our club wanted us to set out with a very rigorous process to undertake to find what is the best coach for our football club,\u201d Welsh said. \u201cThat went all the way back to looking at what a success profile looked like for the best candidate as a coach.<\/p>\n \u201cUnderstanding the Essendon Football Club, or being an Essendon person, was something that wasn\u2019t held in as high regard internally with the panel that it was externally with some of the commentary going around.\u201d<\/p>\n There is no time for McVeigh to get his feet under the table. The Bombers are an issues-rich club.<\/p>\n Related Article He will meet with Zach Merrett, who watched the announcement with his teammates, \u201cat an appropriate time\u201d to discuss the former captain\u2019s future.<\/p>\n Welsh was adamant 12 months ago Merrett would remain a Bomber in 2026. McVeigh adopted a more conciliatory tone about 2027. He was non-committal when asked if he would attempt to persuade Merrett to stay should his heart still be set on leaving.<\/p>\n \u201cYou must respect your champions, I\u2019m big on that,\u201d McVeigh said.<\/p>\n \u201cI think it\u2019s really important we understand the players\u2019 feelings. It\u2019s not just about the club\u2019s feelings. It\u2019s about his feelings and where he\u2019s at. I respect him. I want him to be here, but I\u2019ll listen to him as well.\u201d<\/p>\n Related Article He was unequivocal about his great mate Dean Solomon, laughing off reports of tension between the pair. Solomon was among the throng watching on.<\/p>\n \u201cI absolutely want Dean Solomon as part of the group,\u201d McVeigh said.<\/p>\n But the spectre of Hird still hovers. Welsh and McVeigh know how deeply Hird is loved, not just by the rank and file but the high net worth supporters. Both Welsh and McVeigh called for unity.<\/p>\n \u201cI want to call out the Essendon armada, the thousands of supporters, members, and coteries,\u201d McVeigh said. \u201cI don\u2019t ask for your patience. I ask for your realignment to our club. This is a significant day for our football club, and I can\u2019t wait to start.\u201d<\/p>\n Pointedly, Hird was yet to return Welsh\u2019s calls before the announcement but, according to McVeigh, was warm in his congratulations of the new coach.<\/p>\n Despite Hird\u2019s affection for McVeigh, only wins will silence those who want the former golden boy to get his crack at redemption.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t fear those people. I actually embrace how they feel, and I understand it,\u201d McVeigh said. \u201cTo be fair, he\u2019s been a constant in my life since I was 17 years of age. And we spoke this morning, and the way he spoke to me of how proud [he is] of this moment for me \u2013 it hasn\u2019t broken us.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re still together, but I understand, and I embrace the feelings of people that love James Hird because I do, too.\u201d<\/p>\n Keep up to date with the best AFL coverage in the country. Sign up for the Real Footy newsletter<\/a>.<\/p>\n Save<\/p>\n You have reached your maximum number of saved items.<\/p>\n![\"Mark](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1cce240229d8686cdbfaac6ba31d56f0b25a8cd3.jpeg\")
Mark McVeigh is Essendon\u2019s new coach.The Age<\/p>\n![\"Mark](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/7087ae6e94dda1a639b27abd7c3d3bbc8cd80fc2.jpeg\")
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