KEVIN Sheedy yesterday said he might be replaced as Essendon coach at season's end for the simple reason that his club may want a younger man in the job.

"It could be a situation," the 59-year-old coaching veteran speculated. "They might want to look at different things and different aspects of where footy's going and you've got to take that on board. I've been here 27 years; it's a pretty good effort to be allowed to coach (that long).

"They could — I don't know. I have no idea. But you've got to take up all options on behalf of the club; they've got to do the right things by the fans."

On the eve of a match that will hand him the AFL record for games played and coached, pushing him past Jock McHale's 878 matches, a convivial Sheedy mused that wise and old coaches were hot property in other sports.

"Guus (Hiddink) is 61 and got the job and everybody loved him. They never worried about him being born in the '40s … Some people are lucky."

Did Sheedy feel frustrated that he had not been re-signed and had to face questioning about his future?

"No, I'll be honest. This club they've got their reasons and their foresight — they want to think clearly through whether they should appoint maybe another younger coach. They've got to work all that stuff out," he said.

Four changes to his team — to cover the injured James Hird and Alwyn Davey and the suspended Dustin Fletcher and Mark McVeigh — will be forced, but the coach forecast there could be as many as six.

Paddy Ryder, who looked destined for a stint on the sidelines after injuring an Achilles in Friday night's game, appears to have recovered and trained strongly yesterday. Nathan Lovett-Murray would play his first senior game since round one, Scott Camporeale will be recalled to play his 250th match, Matthew Lloyd comes back from suspension and Brent Stanton is expected back from injury.

Sheedy said he had considered resting Adam Ramanauskas, who had his first senior outing in more than two years on Friday night, but said he was feeling fresh enough and will play against the Bulldogs.

As Essendon's board considers whether it will offer Sheedy another contract, the club's football team has an especially difficult final two months of home-and-away competition, including meetings with Collingwood, Adelaide, Hawthorn and two trips to Perth to face Fremantle and West Coast.

"A draw like that this year might set you up for next year. That's the way I see it," Sheedy said.

"And we'll pick players to play that we think can win this year and keep developing into the next two or three years, no matter what happens at the end of the season."

Asked whether he would concede that he might not be Essendon's coach next year, Sheedy replied — "I'm not even thinking about it."

Did the Bombers need to play finals for him to retain his job?

"I have no idea. All I'll do is do my best — that's all I ever try to do," Sheedy said.

"I'll go out and work my butt off in the next eight or nine weeks and I want to enjoy my footy and enjoy building a team up again … I want to coach, so whether it's Essendon, that's life, isn't it?"