Ben Jacobs joins the Dons as a rising star of the AFL coaching fraternity.

The former Roos midfielder played 90 games at Arden Street between 2011 and 2018, featuring primarily as a tagger.

He spent time as a development coach at St Kilda in 2022, his first year of coaching at the top level, and now joins the Essendon’s coaching and football department to work under his former coach Brad Scott.

His clear communication and astute knowledge of the game will be a major asset for the Dons in 2023.