Melbourne coaching race down to five as highly rated assistant withdraws

Highly rated assistant Hayden Skipworth has removed himself as a candidate for the Melbourne coaching job.

The Demons had the Collingwood assistant on a shortlist of six candidates led by Nathan Buckley, who presented for the job at the MCG on Monday.

A competition source with knowledge of the situation, who wanted to remain anonymous, said Skipworth removed himself from the process as he wanted to continue his development in certain areas under Magpies coach Craig McRae, to whom he is a senior assistant. He is also focusing on his fourth finals campaign at the Magpies as they prepare for the preliminary final next week.

Buckley remains a strong favourite for the Melbourne job, although he remains on the Tasmania Devils radar, with the new club considering the former Magpie coach as their first coach.

Their interest in the 53-year-old, who coached Collingwood in 218 matches between 2012 and 2021, remains strong, although Buckley may prefer to jump straight into the chair at Melbourne if he wins the job.

He made it clear on Fox Footy’s On the Couch last week he was still determining whether the Demons and him were a good fit.

Other candidates for the Demons job are respected Cats assistants James Kelly and Steven King, Essendon’s Daniel Giansiracusa and the Bulldogs’ Brendon Lade.

The Demons hope to announce their new coach by preliminary final weekend as they need the coach to be part of key decisions on their list ahead of the trade period.

Melbourne sacked premiership coach Simon Goodwin with three rounds remaining after missing finals for the second consecutive season, and began interviews this week in the same week Paul Guerra officially began as CEO.

The Devils are on a different timeline to the Demons in their search for a senior coach, having appointed Jeromey Webberley as their VFL coach on Monday as they prepare to enter the competition in 2026 on their way to building a list for entry into the AFL in 2028.

They have appointed Todd Patterson as head of list management and strategy, with Derek Hine head of recruiting. Scott Clayton is the Devils’ future talent consultant, with the club’s list concessions to be announced after the AFL Commission meets on the Monday before this year’s grand final.

The Devils have been seeking candidates for a development role and remain interested in potentially appointing a senior coach, with Buckley in the frame to be involved in the build towards their first game.

The tumultuous time in Tasmanian politics has led to delays and uncertainty around the building of a stadium at Macquarie Point, which is necessary to confirm their entry. However, the club is forging ahead with hopes high the necessary legislation to guarantee the stadium will go through parliament by November.

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