One of several assistant coaches believed to be in the mix for the vacant Melbourne job has reportedly opted against pursuing the role, with Collingwood's Hayden Skipworth said to have declined an interview opportunity.
The Demons are midway through their search for Simon Goodwin's successor, with Skipworth among several names linked to the process.
Geelong assistants Steven King and James Kelly, former Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley, and Western Bulldogs coach Brendon Lade have also been mentioned as favourable candidates.
According to 7 News' Mitch Cleary, the race for the Demons' top job has narrowed as Skipworth has turned down Melbourne's advances for an interview.
Skipworth has shown an interest in a future that involves senior coaching, having gone through a process at West Coast last year that resulted in Andrew McQualter taking the reins of the Perth powerhouse.
Collingwood assistant coach Hayden Skipworth has opted not to pursue the Melbourne coaching job - informing the Demons he won’t be interviewing.
Was runner-up for the WCE job last year & seen as a future senior coach given high regard at Pies. His time will come @7NewsMelbourne
— Mitch Cleary (@cleary_mitch) September 9, 2025
Melbourne are aiming to appoint an experienced coach, with an announcement ideally made before the end of the month.
Speaking via the club's media arm, president Brad Green said a thorough process is taking place to find "the best coach" available.
“I won't give you any names but what I can say is… a senior experienced coach is definitely the outcome that we want," Green said.
“We've said to most of the coaches that were prospective coaches, that we're looking for eight plus years' experience and that doesn't matter if you've been a senior coach, coached a VFL team [or] been an AFL coach.
“We're looking for the best coach to come and coach our football club.”
While the Demons' season is over, the club will be keen to make an appointment ahead of the off-season player movement windows, with free agency beginning on Friday, October 3.
