Essendon Football Club is pleased to announce the appointment of Rohan McHugh as Assistant Coach of the Club’s AFLW program.

McHugh joins the Bombers after four seasons with the West Coast Eagles AFLW team, where he held a range of senior coaching and development roles, including serving as Interim Head Coach late in the 2023 season.
 
In addition to his AFLW responsibilities, McHugh will also join Essendon’s pathways team as a Pathways Coach, leading the Club’s women’s Next Generation Academy (NGA) program.
 
Throughout his time at West Coast, McHugh coached across various lines and played a key role in player development, delivering elite performance plans across the list and preparing NGA talent for the AFLW draft.
 
Essendon General Manager of AFLW Aysha Ward said McHugh’s appointment was an important step for the Club’s women’s football program.
 
“Rohan’s coaching experience across offence, defence and development gives us great flexibility within our AFLW program,” Ward said.
 
“His experience at the level over a number of years, along with his education background is a real strength and we know he will have an immediate impact on our list.
 
“Having Rohan lead our women’s NGA program creates strong alignment between our pathways and AFLW team, which is critical for long-term success.” 
 
Essendon also extends a warm welcome to Rohan’s wife Steph and son Fletcher as they relocate from Perth to Melbourne.