Michael Hurley will return to The Hangar in 2023 as a part of the coaching panel to develop players who are learning the ropes of the club in their first four years.
The Jack Jones Academy hosts players growing into professional athletes and ensuring they can meet AFL expectations while managing their life off the field.
The retired defender almost didn't make it back to the field and battled a life-threatening hip infection in 2021. This year, he played five VFL games and had the fairytale send-off with a final AFL game in Round 23.
During his time recovering and getting back to full health, he acted as a mentor and aided in developing the VFL side.
Hurley spoke to Essendon Mediaย following the announcement of his return and praised the opportunity to develop the younger players in a coaching and player-welfare role.
โAfter spending the last 14 years at the club as a player, I'm thrilled to start my next journey as a coach and give back to the club which has given me so much,โ Hurley said.
โThis is a new and exciting chapter for the club. With Brad coming on board as senior coach, I look forward to working with him and the other coaches to drive standards and get the most out of our playing group.
โWe have a lot of potential on our list and I am determined to create an environment that allows our developing players to become the best player and people.โ
Essendon General Manager Josh Mahoney welcomes back the defender and is excited about the growth he will experience in his new role.
โWe are thrilled to have โHurls' on board as a development coach and to work with our first-to-four-year players,โ Mahoney said.
โHe's a much-loved figure here at Essendon, experienced the highs and lows of AFL football and we look forward to having him continue his career in the red and black as a coach.
โThis appointment along with the addition of Travis Cloke are examples of our further investment into our football development programโ.
Keeping Hurley at the club will provide the players with some stability who want to boost their ladder position next year after a disappointing 2022 season.
