Highly touted assistant coach Blake Caracella to defect from Bombers

He made his name in red and black, went for the coaching job when Ben Rutten left, and his son is a chance to don the sash come November – but Blake Caracella has informed the club he’ll depart.

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – JANUARY 22: Blake Caracella, Assistant Coach of the Bombers is seen during the Essendon Bombers training session at the NEC Hangar on January 22, 2024 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

Essendon VFL coach and three-time premiership assistant coach Blake Caracella will rejoin Richmond next season.

The Herald Sun understands Caracella, 47, told the Bombers of his impending move back to Punt Rd on Tuesday.

He played a significant part in two of the Tigers’ three recent flags.

The former Bomber, Lions and Magpies player could fill the void of assistant coach David Teague’s recent departure from Richmond.

Caracella also spent coaching time at Collingwood and Geelong, which included the Cats’ 2011 premiership success.

Blake Caracella has told Essendon he will be moving to Richmond next season. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images.

He moved to Richmond under Damien Hardwick in 2016, and played a strong role in the Tigers’ on-field resurgence, including grand final success in 2017 and 2019.

He left the Tigers to return to Essendon in 2020 and even took over the senior coaching reins for one game in 2022 when then coach Ben Rutten was sidelined with Covid.

Caracella worked for four seasons as an Essendon assistant, firstly under Rutten and then Brad Scott, before taking on the Bombers’ VFL side this season.

The Bombers VFL side won seven of their last nine games after a difficult start, with Caracella’s son Noah, who is eligible to join Essendon as a father-son selection in November, playing in last week’s final game.