Having Essendon legend James Hird back on the AFL landscape is great to see.
He has well and truly “done his time” for the part he played in the Bombers’ catastrophic supplement saga, and as the footy world shows time and time again, despite being a brutal industry, it is a forgiving one as well.
Hird now finds himself assisting former teammate Mark McVeigh, who has taken the coaching reins at GWS in a caretaker capacity following Leon Cameron’s abrupt departure after more than eight seasons in the job.
Adding to the Essendon flavour in the Giants’ new-look coaches’ box is the presence of Dean Solomon, also a premiership Bomber.
But of course, seeing Hird behind the glass again with a headset on has sparked plenty of speculation about his future prospects.
Some are suggesting he’s a chance to replace Cameron on a full-time basis from next year in the Giants’ hot seat.
There’s even a portion of Essendon fans who would like to see Hird return to Tullamarine for a third stint as Bombers coach.
The most notable figure leading that subtle charge is former Essendon captain Mark Thompson, who actually coached the Bombers in 2014 while Hird was suspended for 12 months.
“He could coach Essendon again if it came up, but you can’t say (current Essendon coach) Ben Rutten’s not going to be there for another 10 years,” Thompson told the Herald Sun last month.
“If it did come up, ‘Hirdy’ would have to be the best man for it, you wouldn’t just give it to him because he’s James Hird.
“But obviously he’s had some experience now, he’s learnt a mountain of lessons, he’ll never put the club in that position again because it’s not healthy for any part of the club, and I think he probably learnt enough about coaching to be able to do it again.”
That would be a terrible idea and would further perpetuate the quick-fix mentality that the club has flirted with too many times since Kevin Sheedy’s departure at the end of the 2007 season.
Essendon have given rookie coaches a chance, in Matthew Knights and Ben Rutten, but the former’s reign ended in unceremonious fashion, and it remains to be seen how Rutten’s tenure will play out.
But bringing in the likes of Hird, Thompson and John Worsfold to fix what has become a grossly underperforming club ultimately failed in all cases for a variety of different reasons.
Worsfold was the right man to employ to stabilise Essendon during its nightmarish 2016 season when 17 listed players were wiped out by WADA bans, but he was well past his prime as a tactical gameday coach and hung around a couple of seasons too long.
And the Bombers have gone back to the well again with Sheedy by putting him on the board.
Let’s make it abundantly clear: Sheedy is one of the greatest figures in Essendon’s 150-year history and rightfully holds his place as a Legend of the Australian Football Hall of Fame.
But Essendon are still yet to win a final since he vacated his post as senior coach, and the Bombers’ inability to cut apron strings with him is beginning to look unhealthy.
It makes the Bombers look like a club that cannot move on, when it simply must.
And look where they find themselves at the halfway point of the 2022 season – in 16th position with a 2-9 record, 18 years after they last won a final.
Therefore, Essendon cannot afford to go back to the past again and entertain re-hiring Hird as coach.
As with the Sheedy example, the Bombers also have to move on from the most damaging period in their history and put every reminder of the drugs saga behind them, especially with players from that time still on the list.
It would be fair to say that with board members from that period still serving, notably CEO Xavier Campbell and president Paul Brasher, that Essendon can’t fully embrace the next chapter and finally enjoy some clean air as they belatedly plot a course to a record-breaking 17th VFL/AFL premiership.
Besides, Hird has only just dipped his toe back in the coaching waters after seven years away from the game. It would be a big leap to suggest that he could take on any senior coaching role in 2023, let alone the Essendon gig.
Look at Carlton coach Michael Voss and St Kilda coach Brett Ratten. Both men remained entrenched in the AFL system before getting another chance as a senior coach nine years and eight years after being sacked from their first jobs respectively.
Hird was a magician out on the field, but he isn’t a miracle worker.
He reportedly wants to coach again which is great to hear. He showed signs in his disrupted first stint as Bombers coach that he has what it takes, most notably the 2013 season.
But what’s the rush? Didn’t he learn from his last stint as senior coach that diving in head first without adequate preparation is fraught with danger?
Only after a solid block of being an assistant coach should he contemplate returning to the big chair.
And while the results haven’t gone Rutten’s way this year, he showed in 2021 that he too has ability, guiding his side to the finals in his first full year in charge after they were widely tipped to be a bottom-four outfit before that season began.
Yes, this is a unique year where a club has already parted ways with their coach before the midway point, and one of the competition’s greatest ever coaches in Alastair Clarkson is waiting in the wings.
A dramatic domino effect could unwittingly cost Rutten his job, which would be unlucky for him. But injuries to numerous key players, forcing him to routinely play extremely young teams, have conspired against him.
And while the team’s effort levels have been unacceptable in quite a few matches this year, Rutten probably deserves the chance to see out the third year of his contract in 2023 and try and rediscover the spark that saw the Bombers make an unlikely finals appearance last year.
It would certainly be a wiser option than rolling the dice with Hird again.
