Essendon assistant coach Ben Jacobs and welfare boss Ben Robbins have departed the club in the wake of Brad Scott’s sacking.
Jacobs, 34, played under Scott at North Melbourne before being delisted in 2020, beginning his coaching career at St Kilda.
He joined the Bombers alongside his former coach at the end of 2022, and was responsible for the midfield this season.
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Robbins, who played alongside Scott at Brisbane and holds a PhD in clinical psychology, joined Essendon at the end of 2023 following a four-year stint with the Saints.
The 49-year-old had previously spent five years as a leadership mentor at North Melbourne during Scott’s tenure.
Their Bombers exits were confirmed in a brief three-sentence statement on Friday.
“The Essendon Football Club confirms that assistant coach Ben Jacobs and head of psychology and wellbeing Ben Robbins have departed the club,” it read.
“The club thanks both Ben Jacobs and Ben Robbins for their service and wishes them well.
“Brent Stanton will assume responsibility for midfield and stoppages coach.”
Stanton, who was already in charge of stoppages, is in his fifth season back at Essendon after his 255-game career as a Bombers player.
He began his coaching career at Carlton and previously led Essendon’s VFL team.
The spate of changes leaves the Dons’ football department seriously shorthanded, with assistant Dean Solomon already having stepped up to the interim senior coaching role.
Former defender Michael Hurley has filled Solomon’s position leading the defence.
Scott’s relationship with Solomon was under scrutiny even before the Essendon board made the decision to cut the cord.
Solomon had stepped off the board to join the coaching staff over the off-season, a rare move that caught Scott off guard.
“It’s probably not the way that things are usually done but at the end of the day I take responsibility that I allowed it to happen and I was, in the end, supportive of it,” Scott told Channel 7’s The Agenda Setters on Tuesday night.
“I didn’t seek it out, it was suggested to me, but you have to take responsibility. If I wanted to put a flag in the ground and just said ‘under no circumstances’ I would’ve done it, and I didn’t do that.
“We get along really well. He is a high-character, high-quality person. There’s no question about that and he’s a rock-solid Essendon person.
“I was supported by some outstanding assistant coaches. I think Ben Jacobs, to mention one, is a coach of the highest quality and I’ve coached with a lot of assistant coaches, and he’s right up with the best.”
Bombers brass are yet to formalise their process to appoint Scott’s full-time successor.
But their next move hinges on whether the board is keen to bring back James Hird, with veteran coaches — and potential applicants — Ken Hinkley and Adam Simpson already concerned the club great’s interest in the role could scare off others.
