Former North Melbourne coach Brad Scott is tipped to land the Essendon senior coaching vacancy in what looms as a stunning successful late dash for the position.
The Bombers have looked to host a thorough process in their search to secure Ben Rutten's successor, having held interviews with an array of contenders in recent weeks.
Highly-rated Melbourne assistant Adem Yze has been seen as the favourite to land the top job at Essendon after earning a second round of discussions with the club, with the Demons great hopeful of claiming his first senior coaching gig after narrowly missing out on the recently vacant GWS position.
Premier Dons James Hird and Dean Solomon have also been in the mix for the job, while St Kilda assistant Brendon Lade was in the running but is now reported to join the Western Bulldogs as an assistant, according to SEN.
While the job had looked to be Yze's for the taking, a late run from Scott has shaken up the race, with the AFL football boss now seen as the leading man.
Scott is understood to have held off formal discussions with the Bombers until the end of the season, with the 46-year-old now set to undergo a required process at Tullamarine.
According toย Triple M'sย Tom Browne, Scott now looms likely to land the Essendon position and return to the AFL coaching landscape, with a decision potentially coming as early as this week.
โI believe, this is a prediction that Brad Scott will be announced as the Bombers coach by the end of the week,โ Browne told Triple M.
โHe has to meet with them in the coming days โฆ As soon as tomorrow, Brad will ramp up talks with the Bombers.
โGiven his 211 games experience as senior coach, his 106-105 record โ better than 50 per cent, I think itโs attractive for the Bombers,โ he said.
โItโs my view that he will be announced as the Bombers coach by the end of the week.โ
Scott amassed successive preliminary finals finishes with North Melbourne in 2014 and 2015 before seeing his side's standing decline in the following seasons, with Scott parting ways from his post midway through the 2019 season.
The Brisbane great holds the third-highest tally for games coached without reaching a V/AFL grand final, having recorded 211 games with the Roos for a return of 106 wins and 8 finals appearances.
