Mark McVeigh has been appointed Essendon coach, winning the race for the top job at the Hangar ahead of club great James Hird.
McVeigh, who has signed a three-year deal, beat out other candidates for the Bombers position in Jaymie Graham and Murray Davis.
He was the only candidate to make a final presentation to the board.
โWeโre not looking backwards, weโre building the next great era of this football club. Thatโs not built on promises. Itโs built on our standards, our actions and the work we put in every single day,โ McVeigh said in a statement.
โThereโs genuine talent on this list, particularly in the emerging group, but talent alone doesnโt get you where you want to go. Our job is high standards, real connection, and total clarity on how we want to play and what it means to pull on the red and black. What excites me is what this group can become together. Our job as coaches is to build an environment that gives them every chance to get there.
โI want us to be brave. Aggressive with the ball, relentless without it, and a defensive system our players trust. When people watch Essendon play, there should be no confusion about what we stand for.
โPre-season will be demanding. Weโre establishing our standards from day one, physically, mentally, technically. Thereโll be a real emphasis on competing hard and building our game model together, so every player knows exactly whatโs expected of them before a ball is bounced.
โI canโt wait to get started.โ
Dons president Andrew Welsh said the boardโs decision to appoint McVeigh was unanimous.
โWe are building the next successful era for Essendon, with a view to playing finals, winning finals and competing for premierships. Mark is the best coach to take us forward to achieve that,โ Welsh said.
โMark was clearly the best candidate for what this role demands. Heโs developed emerging talent throughout his coaching career, and he connects with younger players in a way that matters for a list at our stage. His game plan is built for the modern game, quick ball movement, adaptable structures, and itโs suited to where this competition is heading.
โHeโs coached at multiple high-performing clubs and played and coached under high-performing coaches, so he knows exactly what it takes to build a winning environment. Everything he presented to us aligned with the strategy this board has already set. We weighed every candidate against what this role actually demands, and Mark was the clear standout.โ
McVeigh played 232 matches at Essendon after being chosen with pick No.9 in the 1998 national draft. After retiring in 2012 he moved back to NSW where he became an assistant coach at the Giants, and served as the clubโs interim coach after Leon Cameron stood down in 2022.
He coached 13 matches for four wins with his former teammates James Hird and Dean Solomon in the coachesโ box alongside him. He then moved to the Sydney Swans, where he coached as an assistant under John Longmire and Dean Cox.
More to come.
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