McVeigh Returns to Essendon as Senior Coach After Worst Season in Club History
Essendon has named Mark McVeigh as its senior AFL coach, effective immediately, on Monday August 24, 2026 — a day after the club capped its worst season in history with a 10-point loss to Port Adelaide ABC News.
McVeigh, 45, played 232 games for the Bombers and has signed a three-year contract to return after nearly 14 years away Essendon FC. The board's decision was unanimous, according to club president Andrew Welsh ABC News.
He won the role ahead of three candidates: Essendon legend James Hird, Jaymie Graham, and Murray Davis ABC News. The club described its selection process as "extensive" and "deliberate," and called McVeigh the "standout candidate" Essendon FC.
McVeigh's coaching resume is solid. He served as an assistant at the Greater Western Sydney Giants and stepped in as caretaker senior coach there during the 2022 season ABC News. Most recently he worked as an assistant at the Sydney Swans, where he was reportedly in the box seat for the Essendon job before facing the board on Monday ahead of the announcement Herald Sun.
The road to this appointment has been bruising for the Bombers. Brad Scott was sacked as senior coach on May 25, 2026, with Dean Solomon taking over on an interim basis for the remainder of the season ABC News. Solomon rounded out the campaign with Sunday's 10-point defeat to Port Adelaide, a result that sealed the club's worst season on record ABC News.
For Essendon fans, the appointment carries a clear thread: McVeigh knows the place. He spent over a decade as a player at Tullamarine and returns at a moment when the club needs stability more than anything else. The three-year deal gives him a runway to shape the list and the game plan from the ground up.
The task ahead is steep. A club does not record its worst-ever season by accident, and the list McVeigh inherits will need honest assessment and likely turnover. But the unanimous board backing and McVeigh's prior senior coaching experience — even in a caretaker capacity at GWS — suggest Essendon has chosen someone who has been in the hot seat before, not just someone with a famous name.
Pre-season will tell a lot. For now, the Bombers have their man.
