3 days ago
Former Hawthorn figure floated to join Essendon after Bombers announce immediate departure
Mathew Inness and Andrew Russell have been floated as potential candidates to become Essendon's next high performance boss after the Bombers announced the departure of Sean Murphy on Friday. Murphy has led the Bombers' high performance team since the start of 2020, but the club have announced his contract won't be renewed past this season.
Essendon have been ravaged by injuries this year, with 11 first-choice players missing on Thursday night in their 48-point loss to GWS. Murphy's job had become virtually untenable, and the Bombers made the decision to part ways with him five weeks before the end of the AFL regular season.
After 'discussions between Murphy and the club', it was agreed the fitness boss would not continue beyond this year. 'We want to thank Sean for his commitment to this role over the past six seasons at the Essendon Football Club,' football boss Daniel McPherson said in a statement on Friday.
'These jobs are all-encompassing and on behalf of the Essendon Football Club, I want to thank Sean for the professionalism and integrity that he has carried himself with, particularly throughout what has been a really challenging season in 2025. Our high performance and medical team is critical to the success of our football program, and we're committed to undertaking all necessary work required to help us improve in this area. This decision enables us to take a fresh approach and reshape the team as we prepare for a crucial off-season ahead of the 2026 AFL campaign.'
Essendon equal unwanted record due to injuries
On Thursday night, Essendon equalled the record for having the most debutants in a single season in the AFL era. Forward Liam McMahon became the 13th Bombers player to debut this season when kicked two goals against the Giants.
Sitting 14th with a 6-11 record and no chance to make the finals, coach Brad Scott has spoken about wanting Essendon to be "a no-excuse football club." He said on Thursday night: "We'd like to have better availability, but we field 23 fit players every week and we give opportunity to guys who deserve it. There's challenges within that but what we can demand is effort, intent and the way that we compete and that largely tonight was very good against a very good opposition."
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Nic Martin will miss most of the 2026 season after rupturing his ACL against Richmond last Saturday, while there are long-term concerns around the health of Zach Reid (hamstring) and Nik Cox (concussion). Nate Caddy, Ben Hobbs and Will Setterfield all joined a long list of sidelined players this week.
Former Hawthorn and Carlton figure could land at Essendon
Murphy said in a statement: 'I'd like to thank the Essendon Football Club for the opportunity to lead the High Performance program over the past six seasons. It's been a privilege to work alongside such dedicated and professional staff, and I want to acknowledge their commitment throughout my time at the Club. I am proud of the support shown within our High Performance team to each other and the playing group in what has been a challenging season – it is a testament to the character of this team."
Speaking on SEN radio on Friday, leading reporter Tom Morris said Inness and Russell are names being discussed by the Bombers to take over Murphy's role. Russell previously worked with Carlton and Hawthorn in their high performance team, while Inness currently holds the same role at the West Coast Eagles.
