Essendon has wasted no time making changes in preparation for the 2018 season after making a number of personnel changes to its coaching panel on Tuesday.
After two years at the club, Guy McKenna will vacate his position as midfield coach which will be filled by Hayden Skipworth.
McKenna will leave the game entirely after taking up a position with Cricket Victoria as Coaching and Talent ID Specialist.
General Manager of Football Rob Kerr thanked McKenna for his time at the club.
“I would like to thank Guy for his service to the Club, as well as bringing his football knowledge and strong work ethic to the table, he has added to the spirit and morale of the Club with his enthusiastic and positive nature," McKenna told essendonfc.com.au.
“On behalf of the entire Club, I would like to wish Guy and his family every success for the future, and he leaves with the knowledge he will always be welcome at the Essendon Football Club.”
The Bombers have extensively restructured their midfield department "in order to align more effectively with the distinction between the roles of our strategy coaches and our performance coaches," Kerr added.
As part of that, former player James Kelly has taken up a role as Performance coach.
"James has a rich knowledge of the game, having an AFL career that spanned over 15 years and multiple premierships," Kerr said.
“In his two years at Essendon he has worked closely with the younger players, he’s played a crucial role in helping develop their game and mentor them on what it takes to extract the most out of their careers.
“He is a strong leader on and off the field, and is a great addition to the coaching staff.”
Performance coach Dan Jordan has been named as the VFL Head Coach for 2018 while Paul Corrigan transitions from the VFL side into a role as forward line coach.