As AFL club Essendon grapples with one of the most underwhelming opening stretches in recent club history, key defender Mason Redman has publicly stood behind embattled head coach Brad Scott, insisting Scott remains the right leader to turn the club’s flagging season around.
The Bombers have claimed just one victory from their first 10 matches of the 2026 campaign, leaving the side deep in the lower reaches of the premiership ladder and putting Scott under intense public and fan pressure. With two critical matches looming against Richmond and the West Coast Eagles in the coming fortnight, another slip-up—especially against an injury-ravaged Tigers side—would amplify the already growing scrutiny on Scott, just months after Essendon president Andrew Welsh publicly anointed the coach as the man who would lead the club to its next premiership.
Speaking to reporters ahead of the annual Dreamtime at the ‘G clash, Redman made clear the playing group has not lost faith in Scott’s direction. “I think as players we’ve never wavered off the track we’re on,” Redman said. “Obviously performances haven’t necessarily been at the level we’ve wanted them to be this year, sitting at 1-9. Brad fills us with belief week in, week out and he’s the man for the job so yeah that’s how I see it.”
Redman also addressed ongoing speculation surrounding star contracted midfielder Zach Merrett, who has been linked to a second move away from the club after an unsuccessful trade request to Hawthorn last season. Rumors have swirled in recent weeks that Merrett could renew his push for an exit, but Redman said he sees no indication that the club will entertain offers for the former captain, who remains on a binding contract with the Bombers. “I haven’t seen anything of the sort, I am sure Zach will cross that bridge when he gets to it,” he said. “Of course, he’s a contracted player so I imagine we’ll be looking at keeping him.”
The defender’s vote of confidence comes after a tight but ultimately losing effort against Fremantle last Sunday, where both Redman and Scott earned praise for their intensity around the contest. Rather than blaming the club’s current system or coaching staff for the poor start, Redman said it is the playing group’s collective responsibility to lift their individual performance, especially the club’s established leaders. “It falls on us as individuals,” he explained. “Me personally, I’ve got a contest that I’ve got to be better at as a leader, the young guys have to look to us as leaders of the football club. We’ve got to be cracking in, leading the way. We’ve got guys like Sully Robey, putting his head over the ball, first-year guy, super impressive. We’ve got to get in behind that and get after it.”