Former AFL coach Ken Hinkley believes not many candidates for the Essendon top job "would be prepared to be in the race too deep" amid the club's heavy links to James Hird.
The Bombers are on the hunt for a new senior coach after sacking Brad Scott, and have immediately been drawn to Hird.
Hinkley, who is also available after his stint at Port Adelaide ended last year, said Essendon needs to decide whether the favourite son is going to be its next senior coach.
"I think it's really clear, Essendon now have to decide before anything else, before they ask any other person, they have to decide whether James Hird is going to be their coach," Hinkley said on SEN.
"If they decide that, that's what they should go with, and they should do that. But I can't imagine anyone entering the race for the Essendon coaching job, with James now looking like he's one out, one back in the pole position with all the things that have gone on in the past.
"It looks like this is somewhat James Hird's job, and Essendon have got to decide if that is actually the way Essendon want to rebuild their club, they've got every right to do that, but they need to clear the air with that first."
Candidates like John Longmire, Daniel Giansiracusa, Hayden Skipworth and James Kelly are among a host of names vying for the vacancy at Tullamarine.
Hinkley has previously been linked to the Bombers in a mentoring capacity, and Scott was pressed on whether he'd get involved in the process.
"I don't think anyone would be prepared to be in the race too deep, unless you're in some ways involved with Essendon, I suppose, in their history," he said.
Kenny won't put his hat into the ring for the Essendon job until the club decides whether James Hird is in the running or not. 👀#AFL | @HyundaiAus pic.twitter.com/9XWJ8JUK7g
— Whateley (@WhateleySEN) May 27, 2026
"So I think that would be really important to me. I watched everything last night, I watched Brad, I watched James, and it looked to me like it's James Hird or then someone else.
"It's not James Hird ‘or' someone else. It's James Hird or ‘then' someone else, and that's the way Essendon are setting it up. (President) Andrew (Welsh) is setting it up that way by the look of it, from what I can see and understand.
"I think they have every right to do what they want to do, and that's their call.
"I'm not going to sit here and try and judge the right or the wrong way. It's just what you do get out of Essendon is you get some clarity at the moment about the way they think they can fix things, I think.
"That is purely around a strong Essendon backbone. And that's what it looks like. And it looks like with the people involved at the moment, that's the way they're going to sail this ship and good on them for having a course and having a direction they want to take."
