Essendon coaching fancy James Hird was quick to clarify there was nothing untoward occurring when he was snapped alongside Kevin Sheedy and Paul Little last week.
Reports indicated the trio were potentially plotting Hird's return to the Bombers shortly after the club great declared his desire to return to the coaching caper.
“I wouldn't say ‘leaning'. Paul and ‘Sheeds' are very good friends of mine," Hird said on Footy Classified.
“We were invited to sit next to each other at Neale's funeral, and the ridiculous nature – the scuttlebutt – that we were ‘plotting to scheme' on our way, that was silly. We were there to respect a great man.
"We were there to respect a great man."
James Hird responds to 'ridiculous scuttlebutt' around him being seen with Paul Little and Kevin Sheedy on the way to Neale Daniher's funeral. #9FootyClassified | Watch on 9 & 9Now 🖥️ pic.twitter.com/3CmKFcf1oa
— Footy on Nine (@FootyonNine) June 16, 2026
“I lean on both of them for a lot of decisions in my life. Definitely, when it comes to coaching and the sort of coach I would like to be, I'd lean on both of those people.”
The race for the Essendon job has an early frontrunner, with caretaker Dean Solomon tipped as the favourite due to his close relationship with president Andrew Welsh.
Hird, who wants to be part of the process, insisted it is "not a boat race", and the club will run a thorough and elaborate method to secure their next senior coach.
"I don't think it's a boat race. There'll be a legitimate process," Hird said.
"I haven't spoken to the club, but everything I'm hearing is they are going to run a process.
"You hear different stories about ‘it's Dean', 'it's John Longmire', it's myself. But from what I understand, they're going to run a proper process, they're going through (what) the criteria should be around the coach, and, as I said three weeks ago, I want to put up my hand and go through the process if that's possible.
"I might look silly in hindsight, but I'm sitting here today and I believe there'll be a comprehensive process that goes through all facets of different coaches – coaches who have been in and around (clubs), new coaches, coaches like myself and Dean Solomon – to have a red-hot crack at it, because I think that's what the fans want and what the club deserves. I think that's what the footy club will do."
