Essendon will part ways with head of high performance Sean Murphy at the end of the season, as the club moves to overhaul its fitness department amid a spiralling injury crisis.
The decision, described as a mutual agreement, comes in the wake of a 48-point loss to GWS and an unrelenting run of soft tissue injuries that has derailed the Bombers’ 2025 campaign.
Fifteen players are currently on the club’s injury list, eight of them ruled out for the year, and scrutiny over the physical conditioning program has been mounting.
“Something has gone wrong in that program”
Club legend Matthew Lloyd said the situation had become untenable. “When you’re getting so many soft tissue injuries, I think to myself, ‘What has gone wrong in that program?’” Lloyd told 3AW.
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“It might have been the leg weights or the heavy leg program, but when you’re having one after another after another, there’s something that’s gone wrong in the program, which unfortunately had guys reoccurring or getting their first soft tissue injury.”
Essendon general manager Dan McPherson confirmed the club had begun its search for Murphy’s replacement.
“This decision enables us to take a fresh approach and reshape the team as we prepare for a crucial off-season ahead of the 2026 AFL campaign,” he said.
“I want to thank Sean for the professionalism and integrity that he has carried himself with, particularly throughout what has been a really challenging season in 2025.”
Murphy, who joined the club in 2020, said he was proud of the support within the high-performance department.
“It’s been a privilege to work alongside such dedicated and professional staff,” he said. “It is a testament to the character of this team.”