Essendon has appointed Sean Murphy to the newly created role of head of strength and conditioning. 

The highly regarded Murphy arrives at the Bombers with over 13 years of experience in elite sport, most recently at Hawthorn as strength and conditioning coach.

Arriving at Hawthorn in 2012, Murphy served a strong apprenticeship under then-director of high performance Andrew Russell, a period which included the Hawks’ 2013, ’14 and ’15 premierships. He was also head of strength and conditioning at Box Hill Hawks - Hawthorn's VFL affiliate.

Prior to his stint at Hawthorn, Murphy was the high performance manager for Eastern Ranges and the strength, conditioning and rehabilitation coordinator at Cricket Tasmania for state cricket team Tasmanian Tigers. He has also previously worked at the Tasmanian Institute of Sport. 

"I’m genuinely excited. I’ve probably used the word ‘pumped’ with a few people. I’ve loved my time at Hawthorn, but I’m really excited about joining the ranks here and seeing what we can do over the next few years," Murphy said.

"At a club like this, it’s an honour to step into these surrounds and hopefully make an impact."

As part of the club’s new streamlined structure across the medical and fitness departments, David Rundle has been elevated to the role of head of medical services, with both roles reporting directly into general manager of football Dan Richardson.

Richardson said he was thrilled to welcome Murphy to the red and black family.  

“We are delighted to appoint Sean to the role of head of strength and conditioning, with Sean to also work closely with Dave (Rundle) in the newly created head of medical services position,” Richardson said. 

“Having been involved in three premierships during his time at Hawthorn, Sean knows what a successful AFL program looks like and we’re delighted to have secured someone of his calibre.

“We also congratulate Dave Rundle on his elevation to a new position too. With this new structure, we feel the club is well resourced and positioned to continue to provide our players and teams with an environment based around care and support, ultimately giving the best possible chance of maximising their potential to ensure future success for our football programs.” 

Murphy will officially commence his role in early November.