Josh Mahoney Biography

Josh Mahoney is appointed as general manager of football operations by the AFL, two weeks after leaving his post at Essendon.

Mahoney will oversee a portfolio including football operations and competition management for all competitions, including the AFL, AFLW, VFL and VFLW, strategic football projects, and the AFL and AFLW competition committees.

Essendon has called on external names to feature in its coaching search, with Carlton premiership coach Robert Walls and Hawthorn flag winner Jordan Lewis named on the club's coaching sub-committee.

It will be headed by football boss Josh Mahoney, in a show of faith in the former Melbourne football head after what has been a fortnight of turmoil and turnover at the club.

Essendon appoints Josh Mahoney as its new head of football, effectively poaching him from Melbourne.

"I've been really impressed with the conversations I've had and the desire that (president) Paul (Brasher), Xavier (Campbell), Ben (Rutten) and others have about driving the football program forward," Mahoney said.

"I look forward to supporting Ben in his first year as senior coach, and there is a strong and collective ambition to get better in all aspects of the program and that is something that personally really motivates me."

Bernie Vince returns to Melbourne in a part-time leadership and ambassadorial role for 2019.

"He'll work with our first-year players and be an ambassador for our Next Generation Academy," Melbourne football manager Josh Mahoney said.

"We are really excited by what he can pass onto our first-year players and the transition they can make into AFL footballers."