Sheedy laments Essendon’s talent drain; Star Saints forward has further surgery; more key changes for Bombers

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Welsh was elevated to the presidency in September before being at the helm for the ugly period in which then captain Zach Merrett tried to quit the Bombers in frustration, but couldn’t get to preferred new club Hawthorn when a deal couldn’t be reached.

Merrett has since given up the captaincy with Andrew McGrath named as his replacement. Essendon also announced on Wednesday that chief executive Craig Vozzo was finishing up.

Andrew Welsh said Zach Merrett’s attitude after returning to Essendon for pre-season training was “absolutely first class”.

Highly successful businessman Welsh was happy to respond to Sheedy’s probing on Wednesday night, reiterating that he’s steadfast on making Essendon a destination club.

“Each of those former Essendon players that you spoke about [have] for a variety of reasons, whether it was for them personally or us as a club … got their own individual reasons as to why those moves were made,” Welsh said.

“We don’t just want to have a club that’s big and shiny, Sheeds. We want to make sure we’ve got an environment where players don’t even think about leaving.

“We [want] an environment where other clubs don’t even think about coming in and trying to talk to our players.

“When I came to this club that was the environment that you created for myself.”

Welsh highlighted the arrival of expansion club Tasmania Devils, who will join the AFL in 2028, as a looming problem for Essendon.

“We’re doing a lot of work in the background around some of our players [who] are coming into the Tassie [expansion] period at the moment,” Welsh said.

“They’ve going to be pretty hot property, so we’re making sure that we’ve got a strategy in place to retain them and not get picked off.”

Welsh said Merrett’s attitude after returning to Essendon for pre-season training was “absolutely first class”.

“We’ve all seen Zach and how he goes about his football on field. He’s an absolute professional and wants to win,” Welsh said in response to a member question.

“And the reality is we haven’t had the list that’s been able to provide the wins that he wanted to see.

“But the way he’s come back to the club has been absolutely first class – his selfless decision around the captaincy … and wanting to help younger guys coming through is a real growth area we’ve seen in Zach in recent months.

“We are continuing to check on him. He’s training the house down, he looks like a new player which is very exciting for us.

“He’s not going to be a 30-year-old with only a couple of years in him. He’s got five, six, seven years still in him of elite football.”

King’s injury curse continues

Russell Bennett

Injury-cursed St Kilda spearhead Max King has had more knee surgery, disrupting his preparations for the 2026 season.

King, who is locked in at the Saints on big money until the end of 2032, didn’t play a game for the club this year and played just 12 and 11 matches respectively in 2024 and 2023.

In an injury update on the club’s website on Wednesday, the Saints announced that King had “undergone a minor procedure on his knee, however is expected to be back in full training end of January”.

The 25-year-old star was ruled out for the remainder of 2025 after surgery in June – his third operation in a matter of months after injuring his knee in an intra-club game in February. He had an arthroscope then, before a setback meant he required more surgery in April.

His most recent senior appearance was in round 16, 2024, and he has only played 83 games (for 159 goals) since being drafted with pick No.4 in the 2018 national draft. His twin, Ben, has kicked 255 goals from 120 games since being selected by the Suns at No.6 in that same draft.

Max King has a long history of knee injuries. He ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in his draft year. He suffered a season-ending posterior cruciate ligament tear in his left knee last June.

The Saints also provided updates on Carlton recruits Jack Silvagni and Tom De Koning on Wednesday.

“Tom De Koning [calf] has integrated into training pre-Christmas and is expected to resume full training following the break, while Jack Silvagni continues to make positive progress through his existing groin rehabilitation program,” the club said.

Vozzo steps down as CEO, McGrath named new Essendon captain

Michael Gleeson, Russell Bennett

There is change at the top at Essendon, both on field and off, with Andrew McGrath unveiled as Zach Merrett’s replacement as skipper on the same day CEO Craig Vozzo stepped down from his role.

This masthead confirmed that Vozzo had stepped down after three years as CEO to return to South Australia to be with his family, while McGrath was announced as the Bombers’ 42nd skipper – replacing Zach Merrett after his failed trade to Hawthorn.

As expected, Andrew McGrath is the new Essendon captain.

McGrath was widely expected to take on the role, but in a surprising move the Bombers announced Brayden Fiorini will step into the leadership group despite not having yet played a game in the red and black following his off-season move from the Suns.

The full leadership group also includes Kyle Langford, Mason Redman, Sam Durham, Jye Caldwell and the injured Nic Martin, who’ll miss the whole 2026 campaign with an ACL injury.

Vozzo, meanwhile, will finish up as CEO immediately and return to live in Adelaide to be with his children and wider family.

His contract was coming up for renewal and two sources with knowledge of his decision said he had been weighing up a return to Adelaide for six months.

Former Essendon executive Justin Rodski, who served as the chief commercial and customer officer before his move to the Melbourne Storm as CEO in 2021, would be expected to be on a list of candidates approached by the Bombers following Vozzo’s departure.

Craig Vozzo has called time on his stint as Essendon chief executive officer.

In a club statement on Wednesday, Vozzo said that he was confident in the direction the Bombers were heading, and that choosing to leave was the among the most difficult decisions he had made as he would “always be a Bomber”.

“It’s been a great honour and privilege to serve the club as CEO, an opportunity that I’m incredibly grateful for,” Vozzo said.

“I’ve been living away from my home and my wider family and friends back in South Australia for 15-plus years now.

“My initial three-year contract was coming to an end, which gave me the opportunity to reflect on my future.

“Following the conclusion of our AFLW season and men’s draft, I returned to South Australia for a few weeks to be around family and my closest friends, to have some quiet time to deeply reflect.

“In that time, it really reinforced to me that it is the right time in my life to take a step back from the CEO role and further prioritise my family ahead of my career.

“This has been one of the most difficult decisions I’ve ever had to make, because I love this football club and everything it stands for to so many … But it is time for me to start the next chapter of my life back home in South Australia.”

The club is eager for Vozzo to stay on at least in a part-time consultancy capacity in football.

Chief operating officer Nick Ryan will step in as acting chief executive while the club searches for a permanent replacement for Vozzo.

Vozzo arrived at Essendon, having been head of football at West Coast, with a brief as CEO to concentrate on fixing the football department as his priority.

Vozzo spent three years as Bombers CEO, taking on the role after the ill-fated appointment of Andrew Thorburn, who only lasted one day in the job. Before Thorburn, the club’s CEO was Xavier Campbell.

A lawyer by trade, Vozzo’s career in football started in player management before he spent close to a decade at West Coast, most of that time as head of football.

He got the job shortly after the arrival of senior coach Brad Scott and chairman David Barham, who stepped down and was replaced by Andrew Welsh earlier this year.

Welsh paid tribute to Vozzo’s acumen in reshaping the club’s AFL and AFLW programs, and in leading it in a challenging time.

“His deep understanding of football has been pivotal in reshaping our football programs, which underwent significant transformation under his leadership,” Welsh said.

“The foundations he has helped establish across our AFL and AFLW programs, our commercial operations and our facilities put us in a strong position.

“Craig has worked incredibly hard leading this club and we recognise his unique expertise in football operations. We are actively exploring options to retain him at Essendon in a consultancy capacity, particularly in our list management and recruiting areas where his knowledge and experience would continue to be invaluable.

“I want to personally thank Craig for his service to our club. He has navigated some challenging periods with integrity and professionalism and leaves us in a stronger position than when he arrived.”

In a separate announcement announcing McGrath’s appointment as skipper, Essendon’s GM of football Daniel McPherson said the 2016 No.1 pick had “overwhelming approval from the playing group and coaching staff”.

“This is a well-deserved achievement and a fitting honour for someone who’s frequently set the example of exactly what an Essendon person should be,” McPherson said.

“We’re thrilled for Andy and we know he’ll handle the responsibility with the level of character and dedication we’ve grown accustomed to seeing from him.”

Merrett won’t have any leadership title moving forward, but McPherson said he “did himself proud” in his time as captain.

“Although he won’t be in a formal role this season, he remains an integral person for our players to look up to and learn from,” McPherson said.

“We can’t wait to throw our support behind Andy and the group as they lead our club forward to bigger and better things.”

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