The Essendon Football Club is currently the AFL’s version of a burning building, and Dean Solomon is the man holding the hose for the weekend. After the board sensationally axed Brad Scott on Tuesday despite him being signed on for another full season, the club is in total disarray. Solomon, a former Bombers board member who stepped into the assistant coaching role late last year, has made it crystal clear he wants no part of the full-time gig.
"I won't even consider [taking the job full-time]. I think it's really the wrong thing to do for me to entertain any thoughts around that."
Solomon is keeping his head down ahead of this weekend's clash against the West Coast Eagles, noting his last 48 hours have been absolute chaos. He’s been forced to address the rampant rumours that he and the ousted Scott had a falling out, which he flatly denies. The vacancy originally opened up when Daniel Giansiracusa packed his bags for Hawthorn, leaving a hole that Solomon filled just months ago.
Things took a turn for the weird when club legend James Hird publicly threw his hat in the ring. It’s been 11 years since Hird’s last turbulent stint in the hot seat, and his return to the conversation has sent the AFL world into a bit of a spin. Solomon, who played alongside Hird, reckons it’s nice that his former mate has the ambition to go again, even if he’s staying completely out of the recruitment process.
But not everyone is as thrilled about the prospect of a Hird homecoming. Big-name coaches like Adam Simpson and Ken Hinkley have effectively slammed the door on Essendon, citing the feeling that the fix is already in. Simpson, who knows all too well how these processes can go sideways, compared it to his own experience missing out on the Brisbane job when Leigh Matthews was on the selection panel.
"What are they doing? It will be a one-man process at the moment. I can't see anyone going for this job," Simpson told Fox Footy’s AFL360 program. He’s clearly not keen to waste time interviewing for a role that feels like a foregone conclusion. It’s a messy look for the Bombers, especially when candidates are openly questioning the transparency of the hunt.
There is still talk that John Longmire, the former Sydney Swans coach, might be the club’s white knight. Longmire is a hot commodity with vacancies also popping up at Carlton and across the Tasman in Tasmania. Unlike Simpson and Hinkley, he hasn’t ruled himself out, keeping the door slightly ajar while the board scrambles to regain some credibility.
Essendon president Andrew Welsh is facing plenty of heat over the suggestion that he’s only looking for a 'club person' to lead the team. Solomon, however, is trying to dampen that narrative, insisting that you don't need a history with the Bombers to be successful at the club. He points out that plenty of coaches have found glory at clubs where they didn't play their footy.
Ultimately, the Bombers are looking at a long road to recovery. With the playing group in limbo and the coaching search looking more like a soap opera than a professional hunt, the fans are the ones left holding the bag. They've endured years of instability, and this latest chapter is just another chaotic twist in a club that desperately needs some calm.