Bombers narrow down shortlist, ex-Socceroos hard man to help choose their next coach

Updated July 28, 2026 — 3:34pm,first published 2:02pm

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In today’s AFL Briefing, your wrap of footy news:

James Hird is among the candidates to advance to the next round of the Essendon coaching search.

Collingwood spiritual leader Brayden Maynard is set for surgery on his leg.

Essendon have settled on four candidates, including club legend James Hird, to move into the second phase of the selection process to fill their vacant senior coaching position.

Hird, Fremantle assistant Jaymie Graham, Sydney assistant and former Bomber Mark McVeigh and Adelaide director of coaching Murray Davis have already met with club president Andrew Welsh, CEO Tim Roberts and board member Ted Richards as part of the initial coffee chat.

Two competition sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed the four candidates will now move to the next phase of the process, which AFL Media reports will include interviews by Melbourne Victory great and former coach Kevin Muscat, and long-time opposition analyst at Collingwood and Hawthorn John Wardrop.

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That pair has been invited to be part of the process to complement the current selection panel of Welsh, Roberts, Richards, club vice president and ex-Victory chairman Anthony Di Pietro and the Essendon’s general manager of people and culture, Caroline Monzon.

The Bombers were keen to include coaching experts in the selection process as they sort through the candidates.

Muscat coached the Victory in the A-League from 2013 to 2019 and has also had stints coaching in Belgium, Japan and China. Wardrop was a key figure during Mick Malthouse’s time as West Coast coach and then in his early years at Collingwood. He then joined Hawthorn, where he worked as opposition analyst during their premiership run, before returning to the Eagles to work alongside Adam Simpson as they won the 2018 flag.

Hird declared his desire to be included in the process as a candidate immediately after Brad Scott was sacked. Hird supporters have campaigned for him to get the role however Welsh has been adamant a proper process would occur to select the best coach for Essendon.

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Hird, a premiership captain at the Bombers, has been director of coaching at Port Melbourne for two seasons and had a short stint as an assistant at GWS since he finished up as Essendon coach in 2015 following the fallout from the drugs saga that occurred when he was coach. Hird is one of Essendon’s greatest ever players, winning two flags, a Brownlow Medal, a Norm Smith Medal and five club best and fairests.

McVeigh, Hird’s friend and former teammate at Essendon, is an assistant coach at Sydney after a long stint with the Giants. He was interim coach for 13 matches at the Giants in 2022 and played 232 matches for the Bombers. It was during McVeigh’s time as Giants interim coach that Hird and another of their former Essendon teammates, current Bombers caretaker coach Dean Solomon, served as two of his assistants.

Davis was an assistant coach at the Brisbane Lions for 13 years, helping to transform them from cellar dwellers to a premiership winning powerhouse under Chris Fagan. He joined Adelaide as director of coaching in 2025 where has supported Matthew Nicks as the Crows have taken the step up to top-four and premiership contention. Before that, he coached the NT Thunder to a NEAFL premiership in 2011.

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Graham played for West Coast before joining St Kilda in 2012 as a development coach. He then worked at West Coast until 2021 as they reached two grand finals and won a flag.

He coached West Perth in the WAFL and even stepped in for one game for one win as Eagles coach when Adam Simpson was unavailable.

Graham then joined Fremantle in 2022 and helped the ladder leaders become a premiership contender. He made a strong impression when he pitched for the vacant Collingwood job in 2021 and is also expected to be in the final group of candidates for the Carlton job.

Solomon is expected to declare whether he wants to be part of the process soon. Essendon have won one game under Solomon and sit 17th on the ladder with two wins for the season.

- Peter Ryan

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Finals blow for Magpies as star defender is sent for surgery

Jon Pierik

Collingwood’s bid to play finals this season has taken a major hit with star defender Brayden Maynard sent for surgery.

Maynard will have a procedure on the tendon above his left knee and will miss up to a month, meaning he could be touch and go even if the eighth-placed Magpies, currently 10 points clear of 10th-placed St Kilda, take part in the new wildcard round.

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Coach Craig McRae confirmed after training on Tuesday that Maynard will have surgery, and the Magpies later announced that the defender will have surgery on the pes anserinus – the conjoined tendons of three muscles in his thigh.

“It’s quite unique – it’s sort of crossing between a hamstring and knee injury … I’ll let the medical team announce it,” McRae said.

McRae said there was no structural damage to the knee. The hard-nosed Maynard, arguably the spiritual heartbeat of the team, had a knee-on-knee issue in last Thursday’s win over the Crows – finishing the game on the bench.

His absence means the Magpies are without two of their prime defenders, given skipper Darcy Moore will not play again this season.

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Collingwood have won six matches straight but are dealing with soreness and illness heading into Thursday night’s blockbuster against Geelong at the MCG.

Jordan De Goey (virus) missed training, while ruckman Darcy Cameron and rebounding half-back Josh Daicos were barely sighted. However, Lachie Schultz trained well and is pushing for a return.

A key focus of this week’s clash will be the expected tagging role shutdown specialist Oisin Mullin has on Nick Daicos. The Magpies were thumped by 54 points when the teams last met in round nine, Daicos having 29 disposals but not his typical influence in Scott Pendlebury’s record-equalling 432nd game.

McRae and Daicos, the Brownlow Medal favourite, met on Tuesday afternoon to discuss plans.

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“The great thing with Nick, and what we have done over a number of years now, is he’s not a target that stands still. If you’re a target that stands still, then you can take things away,” McRae said.

“It’s hard to take everything away from Nick because he can play everywhere, and we’ll work our way through what that looks like.”

McRae said Daicos’ teammates had become better at aiding the playmaker when opponents attempted to stymie him.

“His running capability is like nothing I have seen, and so that’s a challenge for the opposition,” McRae said.

The ninth-placed Cats are also dealing with injury issues for a contest with plenty riding on the result. A win could elevate the winner into the top six, however briefly, while the loser will remain firmly mired in the battle for the wildcard round.

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The Magpies and 2023 Norm Smith medallist Bobby Hill continue to work towards a financial parting of ways, with Hill expected to be paid his salary for this season, but not the remaining four years.

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More:

AFL 2026

Essendon Bombers

James Hird

AFL injury ward

Collingwood Magpies

Geelong Cats

Melbourne Victory

Peter Ryan is a sports reporter with The Age.Connect via X or email.

Jon Pierik is a sports journalist at The Age. He covers AFL and has won awards for his cricket and basketball writing.Connect via X or email.

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