Essendon’s best-and-fairest winner Brendon Goddard wants the crisis-stricken AFL club to think big next year, saying they should aim for the premiership.

Goddard won his first club best-and-fairest award on Wednesday night, a year after he used the AFL’s new free agency provision to cross from St Kilda.

The Crichton Medallist said in his acceptance speech that team success, not any individual honour, was why he joined the Bombers.

“I believe this team can not only challenge for top four, but we’ve got to start talking about premierships,” he said.

“We’ve got to start talking about grand finals.”

But before the Bombers can start thinking seriously about their goals for next season, they must appoint an interim coach.

Club chairman Paul Little said at the best and fairest count that they hope to confirm the stand-in coach next week.

The AFL hit Essendon in late August with a range of severe penalties as part of the club’s supplements scandal, including the suspension of coach James Hird for 12 months.

Essendon were also thrown out of the top eight.

Hird attended Wednesday’s function with his wife Tania and was cheered whenever his name was mentioned during the evening, but he did not speak publicly.

Goddard said the supplements crisis had not made him think twice about joining the Bombers.

“A question I was asked a lot, particularly in the latter part of this year, is ‘do you have any regrets?’,” he said.

“I can honestly look the person in the eye and say I don’t have one regret coming to this footy club.

“I didn’t come here for individual awards, I came here because I believe this team can achieve greatness.

“I came here to be successful and I came here to win premierships.”

There were boos when Little announced Essendon were yet to confirm the interim coach, but that quickly turned to chants from the audience of “Bomber, Bomber”.

Senior assistant coach Mark “Bomber” Thompson said this week he would consider taking on the role.

Little also said the club could not consider 2014 a gap year and urged the team to challenge for the top four.

Goddard became emotional in his acceptance speech as he thanked his family and particularly his brother Beau, who is serving a long jail sentence.

“He won’t find out until tomorrow,” Goddard said of his award.

“He’s a guy who taught me a lot and I’m only standing here because of him.”