McVeigh to meet with Essendon board ahead of expected endorsement as coach

Mark McVeigh is set to meet with the Essendon Football Club board on Monday as the club prepares to announce its new senior coach. The 45-year-old, currently serving as an assistant coach with the Sydney Swans, will deliver a final presentation to the board before his expected endorsement for the role. Two unnamed industry sources confirmed that McVeigh is widely regarded as the favorite to secure the position. McVeigh's journey within the game began at Essendon, where he played 232 matches after being selected with pick No.9 in the 1998 national draft. Following his retirement in 2012, he returned to New South Wales and joined the Greater Western Sydney Giants as an assistant coach when Leon Cameron stepped down in 2022. During this time, he worked alongside former teammates James Hird and Dean Solomon in the coaches' box. In 2023, he transitioned to the Sydney Swans, where he served as an assistant under John Longmire and Dean Cox. The coaching vacancy at Essendon has attracted several notable names, including James Hird, Jaymie Graham, and Murray Davis. However, McVeigh is the only candidate to have made a formal presentation to the board. Graham, who was considered a contender, traveled back to Perth with the Fremantle team after their match against Carlton on Saturday. McVeigh's connection to the club runs deep, he was a teammate of club president Andrew Welsh and director Ted Richards during his playing days. Hird, an Essendon legend and close friend of McVeigh, expressed his desire to return to the club in late May. On Channel 9’s Footy Classified, he stated his interest in coaching the Bombers again after leaving the club in 2015. His departure followed the fallout from the drugs scandal, which led to the suspension of 34 players by the Court of Arbitration for Sport in 2016. Hird emphasized his willingness to undergo a thorough selection process to replace Brad Scott, who was dismissed with 18 months left on his contract. Despite the interest from other candidates, some high-profile figures opted out of the process. Ken Hinkley, who will take charge of the Tassie Devils, and Nathan Buckley chose not to apply. Nevertheless, the Bombers managed to narrow the field to four finalists. The selection panel included club president Andrew Welsh, CEO Tim Roberts, vice-president Anthony Di Pietro, board member Ted Richards, and people and culture manager Caroline Monzon. The shortlisted candidates also faced additional scrutiny through interviews conducted by football analyst John Wardrop and former Melbourne Victory coach Kevin Muscat. Interim coach Dean Solomon, who took over after Brad Scott’s dismissal, decided not to pursue the senior coaching role. His tenure as interim coach failed to significantly improve the team’s performance. Since Scott’s departure, several key members of the football department, David Rath, Travis Varcoe, Dan McPherson, Ben Jacobs, Ben Robbins, and Cam Roberts, have left the club. Roberts, McPherson, and Rath remained with the club until the end of the home-and-away season.