Essendon exodus grows as club whacked for ‘dobbing’ on legend
Essendon’s off-field exodus has continued, with assistant coach Cam Roberts set to depart the club at the end of the 2026 season.
The last-placed Bombers have confirmed that Roberts, who previously served as head of development before becoming forward line coach, has resigned.
Essendon sacked Brad Scott early in the season, leading to huge staff turnover. Getty
It has been a year of significant turnover for Essendon, following the sacking of coach Brad Scott, who is yet to be formally replaced on a permanent basis.
Assistant coach Ben Jacobs and head of psychology Ben Robbins walked once Scott was moved on, leaving the club shorthanded for the rest of the season.
Football department general manager Dan McPherson will also finish up at the end of the season, meaning the Bombers now have numerous key roles to fill.
The most important of those is clearly head coach, with James Hird, Mark McVeigh, Murray Davis and Jaymie Graham the shortlisted candidates, while interim coach Dean Solomon is yet to decide whether he will apply for the job.
The turmoil off the field has mirrored the on-field performance, with Essendon currently sitting 18th on the ladder with two wins for the season.
All the drama surrounding the Bombers led AFL legend and four-time premiership coach Leigh Matthews to declare he would have “no confidence” joining the Dons as coach, saying: “if I was a coach, I wouldn’t be going to Essendon”.
“If you desperately want a job, you just go for it, right? But, anyone who has choices ain’t going to Essendon,” he told 3AW on Saturday.
“A coach is only as good as what’s around him in players and staff, and support from the top. For me, from the outside, I don’t know the Essendon people that well, but I would have no confidence to coach under that regime.”
Essendon was reportedly unhappy with Matthews’ shot at the club, given his position on Brisbane’s board, and raised their concerns with the AFL and the Lions.
According to The Age, the Bombers ultimately received no apology from either party, and Bombers champion Tim Watson has urged the club to move on quickly.
“Leigh is very considered and has powerful conversations from time to time, and he’s very direct in what he has to say,” Watson told SEN on Tuesday.
“He’s not somebody that goes out there looking for clickbait, he’s not a hot-taker.
“There’s enough evidence around to suggest that what he’s saying is not completely untrue either. I don’t know whether I would have gone to that degree had I been Essendon. I think there’s a lot going on at the club at the moment.
“They’re staring down the wooden spoon, they haven’t got a coach. I would have thought you’ve got much bigger things to worry about than dobbing someone in about what they’ve said.”
Essendon will conclude their season facing Geelong, Sydney and Port Adelaide.
