Essendon great James Hird is unsure whether he'll meet with the club over a potential role after he missed out on the senior coaching gig, which was won by Mark McVeigh.

Hird was texted on Tuesday by Bombers officials, but was less than impressed when learning someone leaked the information, with the meeting reported on rival network Channel Seven minutes before his slot on Footy Classified.

"I received a text about 6:35 pm this evening saying, 'Can you catch up for a meeting later in the week?' And then heard it on TV," Hird said.

"So it's a little bit disappointing that it gets leaked out before I get the chance to think about but that's the industry we are in."

"Honestly, I'm just disappointed that a private potential meeting gets out in a public place before I even have a chance to think about what I want to do or if I'm interested.

"Because when you are thinking about your future, your career, what you're going to do, you'd like to do that behind closed doors, and you should be entitled to that without the public pressure of it coming out.

"I was upset. I was genuinely upset the club had leaked it.

"Mark McVeigh and I are great friends. We've talked a couple of times since he got the job. But the text messages about having a catch-up came tonight."

Do you feel this was a setup?

"I haven't put two and two together and come to that conclusion. I'll let others do that," Hird said.

"I'm just disappointed it gets out. If I was going to catch up, it would be privately between me and the club.

"We'll see (if I take that meeting)."

McVeigh confirmed his desire to welcome Hird back into the Bombers, saying it was a "realistic chance" he'd join them in some capacity.

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"Ultimately it will come down to James,” McVeigh said last month.

“He's really enjoying his role at Port Melbourne, and he has said he's got some interest from other clubs, which is fantastic, and he may choose to do that."

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