Less than 24 hours after Essendon champion Matthew Lloyd questioned why the Bombers would be moving already to extend the contract of coach Brad Scott, the club has confirmed it's done exactly that.
Nine's Tom Morris reported on Footy Classified on Monday night that Scott, already contracted to Essendon until the end of 2026, was set to extend his deal with the Bombers until the completion of the 2027 season.
Essendon confirmed the extension in a club statement on Tuesday afternoon.
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"I wouldn't have extended him now. There's no need for it. Why?" Lloyd said on Footy Classified.
"So he's got all of this year, and then you could potentially do it at the end of the year.
"But I would have had a look at Brad and the performance of the team across another 22 weeks. We still know he's contracted for the year after.
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"Unless they believe they are going to have a poor year this year and they believe Brad's going to come under a lot of scrutiny, I don't understand why you'd do it now."
Morris said Essendon had given Scott "the keys to this joint" and told him: "You shape it however you want to shape it".
He also pointed out that Scott, a former long-time coach at North Melbourne, had pulled a long list of ex-Kangaroos staffers over to the Bombers.
Essendon president David Barham said Scott had made a positive impact on the club since being appointed in September 2022.
"The extension of Brad's contract for another year reflects the club's confidence in his leadership and serves as a statement of stability and alignment — both of which are critical for the Essendon Football Club's future success," Barham said in the club statement.
"Brad has proven to be an impressive leader in his first two years at the club.
"He has selflessly overseen a reset of our list, with 20 list changes in just two years.
"His club-first mentality has impressed everyone, and he has accepted the challenge of rebuilding the Bombers — purposefully and respectfully — into a team that can compete at the highest level."
Scott was announced as Essendon coach following the sacking of Ben Rutten.
The Bombers haven't played finals footy since 2021 and haven't won a final in more than two decades.
They will open their premiership campaign in a clash with Hawthorn at the MCG on Friday night.
