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Former Essendon hard man Dean Solomon has switched from the boardroom to Brad Scott’s coaching staff, a move that appears to have earned the approval of disgruntled Dons captain Zach Merrett.
The Bombers announced on Friday night that Solomon, who has previously served as an interim senior coach of Gold Coast, had stepped down from the board led by his former teammate Andrew Welsh to become an assistant coach in charge of the team’s defence.
Dean Solomon (right) during his playing days.Credit: Vince Caligiuri
Solomon was a tough, talented defender who played in the famed 2000 premiership, and is a key figure, alongside Welsh, in the club’s effort to overcome recent instability and angst, which was inflamed by Merrett’s failed attempt to defect to Hawthorn during the trade period.
“When looking to fill the vacant position within our coaching team, Brad, Vozz, Daniel, and I were considering who is out there and the best available talent across the industry,” Welsh said in a statement.
Zach Merrett posted the Dean Solomon announcement on his Instagram story.Credit: Instagram/zacharymerrett07
“When it was first raised to me about Solly joining the coaching group, it made me consider what the best use for him at the club was. He has been invaluable to us on the Board, but taking into account everyone’s views, it was clear that it was an opportunity that we couldn’t pass up, and that’s when we first approached Solly about the role.
“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.”
Merrett, who wears No.7 for the Bombers as Solomon did, 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 he wanted to leave.
Welsh said Solomon’s board replacement would have a strong 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. We expect to make an announcement on the new director in the coming weeks,” he said.
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