BRAD Scott hopes Essendon can become a more attractive club for potential recruits, with the Bombers extending the coach’s contract.
Having already been signed with Essendon until the end of 2026, Scott added another year to his deal on Tuesday.
“The club has been yearning for stability for a long time,” Scott said on Tuesday.
“If the club think that for stability and unity, in a show of action, they want to put an extra year on my contract, then I’m open to that because I’m committed to what we’re doing here.
“Like a lot of clubs, we’re clearly going to be in the market to improve our list through all avenues.
“I don’t think clubs who don’t have stability are overly attractive.
“We’ve reset our football club over two years, and we want to show that we’ve got a stable base from which to build.”
Although Scott has dramatically “reset” the club since he took over as coach at the end of 2022, he believes Essendon can contend this year.
The Bombers’ drought without a finals victory dates back to 2004.
“We’ve had an entire club reset over the last two years, we’ve turned over 50 per cent of our list,” Scott said.
“Now we feel like we have a fresh base from which to launch, and that starts right now.”
After its Opening Round clash with Gold Coast was postponed because of ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred, Essendon’s campaign gets under way in the blockbuster clash with premiership favourite Hawthorn at the MCG on Friday night.
As expected, the Bombers will unleash exciting draftee Isaac Kako against the Hawks after an impressive summer.
Taken at pick 13 in last year’s draft, the small forward produced a stunning four-goal performance in Essendon’s AAMI Community Series win against Geelong.
Former Brisbane defender Jaxon Prior will also play his first game for the Bombers after being delisted by the reigning premier at the end of last season.
“It feels like Isaac’s been part of the fabric around here since he was 14 years of age,” Scott said of the Next Generation Academy talent.
“Playing round one, his first game of his career is a great achievement, but it’s felt for us like it’s been a long build for him.
“He stands out. He’s already a fan favourite, but he’s just shown a remarkable ability to focus on what we want him to focus on.”
