Bombers approach former player they traded away to join board

3 hours ago 3

Essendon have approached former player Ted Richards to join their board of directors as a replacement for Dean Solomon.

An industry source with knowledge of the discussions who preferred to remain anonymous said Richards, 42, was weighing up whether to replace premiership Bomber Solomon, who stepped down last month to join the club’s coaching panel.

Ted Richards, the former Bomber and Sydney premiership player, has been asked to join the Bombers’ board.

Richards, who has forged a career in finance, is likely to make a final decision by the end of the week.

A club spokesman did not wish to comment.

Richards played 33 games for the Bombers from 2002-05, before he was traded to Sydney, where he emerged as a key defender under coach Paul Roos. He played a further 228 games, including winning the 2012 grand final, when he held Hawthorn superstar Lance Franklin to three goals.

Solomon’s decision to quit the board in favour of the coaching department raised eyebrows across the league, but it was a move backed by captain Zach Merrett, who had unsuccessfully sought a trade to Hawthorn.

Merrett endorsed Solomon’s appointment on social media, expressing his excitement about the club’s direction. He posted the announcement to his Instagram story tagged with “#7”, suggesting the move could be a first step in healing his relationship with the club. Merrett, as Solomon did, wears No.7.

Solomon, a 2000 premiership Bomber, was a long time assistant coach at Fremantle, Gold Coast and GWS. He was also an interim senior coach at the Suns.

Bombers president Andrew Welsh last month said Solomon’s replacement needed to have a football background.

“A process is already underway to fill Dean’s vacant board position, with that person having a football background to ensure we still maintain football expertise at board level,” Welsh said.

The Bombers say Solomon is an ideal addition to their coaching crew, where he has been put in charge of defence.

“‘Solly’ needed to take a lot into consideration, including relocating from NSW, but after careful thought, he embraced the opportunity, and we were rapt that he accepted this role as an assistant coach to get back into the trenches and help fast-track the development of the team,” Welsh said.