Essendon will not renew AFLW coach Natalie Wood's contract

Essendon has told AFLW senior coach Natalie Wood that her contract will not be renewed. The decision came with one round of the women's season left, after a year that has produced just one win for the club.

The club and Wood waited until after Sunday's loss to Hawthorn before telling players, coaches and staff. Hawthorn beat Essendon 3.7 (25) to 3.2 (20). Essendon's AFLW record stood at 1-8 when Wood spoke earlier this month about being out of contract. At that time she said she was not worried about it for the time being.

Wood joined Essendon in March 2022, ahead of the club's first season in the AFLW. She was the club's inaugural coach, and she became the first woman to coach 50 AFLW games. Her teams reached the finals in 2023 and 2024, which is the high point of the club's women's side so far.

Essendon chief executive Tim Roberts said the club had fallen short on the field. He said the club believed a coaching change was the right step. The club says it will start a search for a new AFLW coach.

Wood has urged the club to look hard at its AFLW program. Essendon will review that program after a season with one win, a point the club has accepted.

Wood will still coach the final game of the season. Essendon plays Collingwood at Windy Hill next Sunday, 1 November. It is a chance for the players to finish the year with the coach who guided them through it.

For the Bombers, the next job is finding a coach who can turn a hard season around. The club has a long winter of planning ahead, and the new appointment will be the first big test of that plan.