Natalie Wood, Essendon’s first AFLW senior coach, will not be offered a new contract beyond 2026, Essendon Football Club announced on Sunday 25 October.
The decision follows a season in which the Bombers have won one game, ABC News reported. Their latest loss came on Sunday 25 October, when Hawthorn beat them by five points, 3.7 (25) to 3.2 (20), according to the ABC.
Wood was told of the decision on Tuesday 20 October, afl.com.au reported. The club and the coach agreed to wait until after the Hawthorn game to tell players and staff, according to the club.
Chief executive Tim Roberts gave the club’s reasons in its statement.
“This season has been challenging, and we have fallen short of what we wanted on field. We believe a change is the right step for the next phase of our program.”
The club will begin its search for a new AFLW senior coach and will review the whole program, it said. As at 26 October, no successor had been named.
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Five Seasons at the Club
Wood’s record at Essendon starts with the team itself. She was appointed in March 2022 as the club’s first AFLW senior coach, and at the time she was one of only two female senior coaches in the competition, according to the club.
She went on to become the first woman to coach 50 AFLW games. Essendon reached the finals under her in 2023 and 2024, and she has coached the side for five seasons, the club said.
Wood spoke about building the program in the club’s statement.
“It has been a privilege to be Essendon’s inaugural AFLW Senior Coach.”
“Building an AFLW program from the ground up takes an enormous collective effort. I’m proud to have led that work and supported our players to grow as footballers and people,” she said.
How the News Was Handled
The way the club delivered the news has drawn criticism. Roberts and AFLW general manager Aysha Ward told the players, and Wood then fronted the mandatory post-match media conference alone, afl.com.au reported.
Kate McCarthy, an AFLW All-Australian, raised the point on afl.com.au’s program The Wrap.
“I thought it was almost a little bit disrespectful to make Natalie Wood be the one to front the questions,” McCarthy said.
She went further. “I think that it’s a lack of leadership from Essendon. And I think it was really tough on Natalie Wood.”
Her co-host, Joel Peterson, agreed, and compared the handling with the men’s game.
“This wouldn’t happen in men’s footy. This categorically would not happen in this way in men’s footy,” Peterson said, according to afl.com.au.
The same outlet pointed to an earlier example at the same club. When Essendon sacked its men’s coach, Brad Scott, in May 2026, Roberts held a media conference alongside club president Andrew Welsh, afl.com.au reported.
One More Game at Windy Hill
Wood still has one match left in charge. Her last game as coach is against Collingwood at Windy Hill on Sunday 1 November, according to the club.
The result against Hawthorn on 25 October left Essendon with a single win for the season, the ABC reported. The Collingwood game is the last chance for Wood’s side to add to it.
After that, the club turns to its search for her replacement and its review of the program. Wood’s five seasons at Essendon will end with that game.
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Sources: Essendon Football Club, “Wood to finish tenure as AFLW Senior Coach”, 25 October 2026 (https://www.essendonfc.com.au/news/2156870/wood-to-finish-tenure-as-aflw-senior-coach); ABC News, “Essendon sacks AFLW coach following one-win season, Blues keep top four hopes alive”, 26 October 2026 (https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-10-26/essendon-aflw-coach-sacked/107307646); afl.com.au, “Essendon Bombers criticised for ‘disrespectful’ handling of coach Natalie Wood sacking”, 26 October 2026 (https://www.afl.com.au/aflw/news/1636262/essendon-bombers-criticised-for-disrespectful-handling-of-coach-natalie-wood-sacking)
Photo: Totallynotarandomalt69, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Essendon’s AFLW players training at Windy Hill in July 2026. Wood’s last game as coach is at the ground on Sunday 1 November.