Essendon are close to finalising the criteria for their next coach, which appears likely to be one of just two candidates, according to Channel 7’s Tom Morris.
Since sacking Brad Scott last month, the club have been very quiet on their plans for their next senior coach.
Former coach and club great James Hird immediately put his hand up for the role, while assistant Dean Solomon has been appointed interim until the end of the season.
Know the news with the 7NEWS app: Download today
Morris believes those two are the clear frontrunners with the club hierarchy keen on appointing an “Essendon person” or someone who understands the club.
“The people I’ve spoken to in the last 48 hours tell me that they are progressing pretty well behind the scenes to create a process and develop criteria to be the next coach,” Morris said on The Agenda Setters.
“My understanding is Andrew Welsh is speaking to lots of Essendon people within the club. They’ll develop the criteria and then they’ll go and do a panel after that and then appoint a coach.
“But things are starting to move behind the scenes.
“I’m not sure whether it says you have to be an Essendon person, but my belief is that is the highly likely scenario, that it is an Essendon person being a senior coach.
“At this early point, it’s hard to see anyone else aside from Dean Solomon or James Hird getting this job.”
Morris is of the firm belief that the candidate will need to “understand the Essendon Football Club” and its history.
“This is not club X appointing coach X to coach club X. This is Essendon appointing someone who understands Essendon to coach Essendon,” he added.
If Hird was to get the job then it would be 11 years after he was originally sacked by the club at the end of the 2015 season.
Many have cast doubt on his ability to return to the hot seat after a decade out of the AFL, aside from a brief role at the Giants.
Hird is currently the director of coaching at VFL club Port Melbourne.
Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell said Hird would need a good group of support staff if he was to return.
“Well, the game changes quickly. So I think the people around you would be absolutely vital and you would have to take it pretty slowly on the tactics and the strategies of the on-field,” he said.
“But that’s a small part of the head coach’s job now. We have a lot of people around us, a lot of support with other coaches.
“And your relationship building and your culture building would be a significant part of the job.
“And particularly at Essendon where they’re obviously looking for change. I think getting hold of those things first and the game style and all those things, that’s going to evolve over time.
“And you’ve got time to speed yourself up for what needs to happen with the modern game over time.”
