Hayden Skipworth during Collingwood's clash with Carlton in round 19, 2026. Picture: AFL Photos

ESSENDON is chasing Craig McRae's right-hand man, Hayden Skipworth, to join Mark McVeigh’s coaching panel for 2027. 

The Bombers landed the biggest football department coup of the off-season to date by signing Sydney premiership coach John Longmire on Monday. 

Longmire will join McVeigh in moving from the Swans in the newly created role of general manager of performance, working closely with the first-time coach. 

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McVeigh has been busy working behind the scenes to renovate the football department in Tullamarine, which didn’t have a head of football until Monday, following the departure of Dan McPherson at the end of the season. 

Essendon signed Brent Prismall as head of development and Shane Mumford as a development coach last week.

Skipworth is Collingwood’s senior assistant and is contracted to the Magpies for 2027. 

The Bombers still have a range of roles to appoint and have been pursuing Skipworth since McVeigh was appointed at the end of last month. 

Skipworth played an important role in Collingwood’s 2023 premiership and narrowly missed out on the West Coast role in 2024 when Andrew McQualter beat him and Steven King. 

Jamie Elliott, Craig McRae and Hayden Skipworth celebrate Collingwod's win over Brisbane in the 2023 Grand Final. Picture: AFL Photos

Carlton also interviewed him for the job that went to Josh Fraser in August and he looms as a contender for the vacancy at North Melbourne.

Skipworth was a teammate of McVeigh's at Essendon in 2009 before injuries ended his playing career, but remained involved at the club as a development coach and then VFL coach.

Collingwood is also reconfiguring its coaching department this off-season and has lost young development coach Nathan Murphy to Gold Coast. 

The Magpies chased Geelong great Corey Enright but he opted to return to Kardinia Park after looking for a move away from St Kilda. 

Backline coach Jordan Roughead is being pursued by Carlton with Fraser wanting to work with him again, but he is contracted to Collingwood for 2027. 

The Magpies held Scott Selwood to his contract when Brisbane made a play for him a few years ago, while Melbourne did the same thing with Troy Chaplin last off-season.

Midfield coach Matthew Boyd is changing roles ahead of 2027 to be Collingwood’s head of development, a position which wasn't filled this year after Fraser moved to Princes Park last off-season.