THERE are a lot of things Essendon still needs before returning to success. More significant board upheaval isn't one of them.
Another key forward would be top of the list, a powerful midfielder who goes forward and controls matches like all the premiership teams have remains a need and Zach Reid staying fit would fix some problems too. Developing the mentality to lift to expectations and play out a season with consistency – withstanding injury, form and the natural dips that come with being in an even competition – would also go a long way.
But changing presidents should not be on the agenda after two years of stability.
The Essendon annual general meeting this year sees president Dave Barham eyeing re-election as he comes to the end of his latest three-year term on the club's board.
Barham is contesting for one of two vacant board positions, alongside four others: Melissa Verner Green (who is also standing for re-election), Essendon premiership players Dean Solomon and Paul Weston and Bombers member Luke Maxfield.
Since taking the reins at the end of 2022, Barham worked through a rocky beginning to land Brad Scott as coach, Craig Vozzo appointed as the Bombers' new chief executive officer and a host of new directors joining the club. Former Bombers player Andrew Welsh, currently the vice-president, is viewed as Barham's natural successor and has been hands-on in the football area. It is clear he is being groomed to be the next president of the club, post-Barham.
Barham's Bombers have not made the finals in the past two years but under Scott and Vozzo have made it clear the longer-term strategy is in place. The club's 20-year drought without a finals win is a legacy inherited by Scott but has become his problem to fix – and one that the Bombers looked set to stare down this year before blinking and falling away late in the season.
Silver bullets and sugar hits have been ignored in favour of a draft-focused, patient build. The club has seen Melbourne take eight years from the start of its build to break through for a premiership in 2021, with Brisbane taking the same amount of time since the start of its rise before reaching the summit in 2024. Essendon is not at ground zero in its quest but still has a way to go.
Culturally Scott has been strong, enacting change after at first getting his bearings of the club – there have been 20 players leave the Bombers in his two seasons in charge.
Barham has equally overseen a period of change at the club but without the bloodshed of the past. Stability and foundations are football buzzwords but for a club that has been rocked back and forth with different controversies, scandals and countless coaches and leadership change over the past two decades, steadiness can itself be a step forward.
Nominations for the board challenge closed on November 13, with the voting opening on Tuesday this week and running through to December 17.
Solomon has been vocal in supporting the current board and Barham's presidency but is hoping to add his expertise to the mix: from his 24 years in the industry, from the business world and also in pushing to connect the supporter base with where the club sees itself placed.
Weston has called into question the culture and character of the club, saying he has not seen any change at Essendon. But the scoreboard is often the final piece to move.