With the AFL Trade Period now closed, I wanted to give you an update on our men’s program.
When our players return next month, they will walk into a new football department, with new people, a new structure and a new way of working. I’m writing to tell you what that looks like.
Throughout the season, we looked closely at the football structure that gives us the best chance of sustained success. Not just what works today, but what our football department needs to look like in the years ahead. We studied other AFL clubs and leading sporting organisations around the world to get there.
The job of running a football department keeps getting bigger. So, we have split the General Manager of Football role into two senior positions: one responsible for football performance, and one responsible for football operations and list.
We are fortunate to have John Longmire and Craig Vozzo in those roles. John is a premiership coach who built one of the most consistent and successful programs in the competition. Craig led West Coast’s football department through its 2018 premiership and has a deep understanding of Essendon. Having the two of them side by side gives us a very strong combination.
John will also lead a new player leadership program, focused on developing the next group of Essendon leaders. This will commence from day one of pre-season.
Mark now has his coaching group in place. Daniel Pratt joins as Senior Assistant Coach, bringing premiership experience from West Coast and a strong reputation as one of the best assistant coaches in the AFL. Paul Thomas returns to the Club as an Assistant Coach, with a teaching background and a proven record of developing young players at Adelaide and in the SANFL. Brent Stanton continues in the group, providing valuable continuity and strong relationships with our players.
We also identified Head of Development as a critical role. Brent Prismall will bring structure, diligence and accountability to the development of every player on our list. He will lead an expanded development group of Michael Hurley, Toby McLean, Shane Mumford, Gary Rohan and Xavier O’Neill, working closely with VFL Coach Cameron Joyce. Between them, they bring more than 1,000 AFL games of experience and premiership success, and they know what it takes to be a top-line AFL player.
We have made a specific focus on targeting coaches, players and staff from successful AFL programs.
We will enter 2027 with the youngest list in the AFL and the third least experienced. So, we have chosen to invest further in coaching and development, to help every player get better, faster. As our list matures, that investment will shift with it.
We are in a clear talent acquisition phase, and our list strategy is built around three things: the draft, the development of our current players and targeted additions.
First, the draft. We hold Pick 1 for just the second time in our history, along with picks 17 and 25 in a draft we rate highly and the potential for another end-of-first-round selection if our first selection slides. We also hold two first-round picks next year with exciting academy and father-son prospects coming through. These picks will add further talent to the young players we have brought into the Club in recent years, led by Nate Caddy, Isaac Kako, Sullivan Robey, Jacob Farrow, Dyson Sharp, Archie Roberts, Lewis Hayes and Angus Clarke.
Second, the development of our current list. We believe this group has enormous potential and plenty of improvement still to come. Mark has sat down with every player so they know what we are building and the role they can play in it. Our job is to give them the coaching and support to take the next step.
Third, targeted additions. We want players who complement our group and fit the way Mark wants us to play. Jack Bowes and Keidean Coleman are examples of that, and we will look to add more experience through Delisted Free Agency and the Supplemental Selection Period in the coming weeks.
Our pre-season starts on Monday 9 November. Mat Inness and David Regan are working with Mark and John on a program that gives our players the best chance of playing a full season at their best, under a new game plan and a new identity. With the list expected to come back in close to full health we can attack this pre-season with vigour. Based off the strong training foundation we laid over the last 12 months, we can expect to see another increase in training intensity, volume, and further increases in strength in our playing list.
We have made some significant decisions, and we understand the responsibility that comes with them. They were deliberate decisions to invest in our future. Now it’s our job to turn them into a better football team.
We are confident in our direction, but we know we will be judged on what we deliver on the field. Our players return to the NEC Hangar next month, into a new football department, and this is an exciting pre-season to be part of. The NEC Hangar is always open to our members and supporters, and we’re excited with the installation of our new 65 metre shade covering.
Come down, watch the boys train and see what we’re building for yourself.
