Solomon: “I don't have the capacity” to entertain full-time Essendon gig

Essendon caretaker coach Dean Solomon says he won’t be pursuing the job in a full-time capacity… during the 2026 season anyway.

The premiership Bomber and former Gold Coast interim coach has stepped up to fill the void following Brad Scott’s sacking earlier this week.

Solomon says he is not about to throw his hat in the ring for the full-time gig while he undertakes his caretaker spell.

His comments come after club legend James Hird stated his desire to coach the beleaguered Bombers.

“I won't even consider that,” Solomon told reporters.

“While I'm doing this job I think it’s really the wrong thing to do for me to entertain any thoughts around that.

“I’ve got to knuckle down. My last 48 hours has been chaos.

“I actually don't have the capacity to take that type of thought on at the moment.

“That’s where I’ll sit with it for the rest of the season.”

Solomon was also quizzed on the spectre of Hird, his 2000 premiership skipper.

“I love the fact that he feels he’s in a position to want to coach again,” Solomon added.

“On a personal level I’m glad that’s the case. Whether that happens or not, I’ve got no… I’m not part of any of those discussions.”

He also commented on the perception that you have to be of a Bombers persuasion to successfully coach the club.

“You don’t have to be an Essendon person to coach Essendon,” Solomon said further.

“There’s so many examples of people who played at the club who coached the club, there’s people who haven’t played at the club…

“There’s a lot of success stories. You don’t have to be an Essendon person to coach this club.”

Solomon added: “I’m here to represent our players and our staff and ensure that we hit the finishing line with momentum.

“It’s a challenging time for them, especially our young group. I’ve been tasked with the role to navigate.

“That’s something I’m very grateful for but I’m doing it with all the other coaches and staff. We’re going to do this together and drive strongly to the line.

“It’s critically important that we do finish the season with momentum.”

SEN’s Sam Edmund was reading between the lines regarding Solomon's words which came after a Solomon-sanctioned all-club breakfast at The Hangar.

“On the surface maybe the path for James to become the senior coach of Essendon for the third time has been made clearer by those comments, or a little smoother anyway,” he said on SEN’s Whateley.

“They’re just parking it, it’s not a no forever, but it’s a no for now and they’ve got a job to do first and foremost.

“It came after the big open breakfast they had at The Hangar this morning. He started to bring the club back together again, Dean Solomon, with that all of club email to get all staff, 150-odd people today, for a coffee and a couple of muffins.”

Solomon’s first assignment will be a trip to Perth to take on West Coast at Optus Stadium on Sunday night.