Essendon great James Hird has set the record straight on the meeting with Bombers president Andrew Welsh, declaring it was regarding only one role at the club: the senior coaching position.
Hird emphatically put his hand up to coach the Bombers for the second time after Brad Scott was sacked in May.
The Bombers great and Welsh discussed the prospect of him returning to the club last week.
“Andrew Welsh and I had a chat on Friday, just letting me know that the process was about to start and that I'd be part of that process,” Hird confirmed Channel Nine's Footy Furnace.
“So, yeah, it was good, good to finally have some contact from the club and have a chat about what the next steps are in this process that we're all looking forward to.”
Fellow Footy Furnace panelist and Geelong great Jimmy Bartel further pressed Hird about whether the meeting considered other roles at the club, like it had been reported.
“And is that to be water boy or physio, because there's a lot of people speaking on your behalf — was it for other roles (other than senior coach)?” Bartel asked.
Hird responded: “No, it was for one role (head coach). The job interview's for one role. And that was what was pretty clear.”
"I'm looking forward to (running for the job).”
Late last week, Essendon confirmed the five-person selection panel who will determine the next senior coach of the club.
Welsh, alongside, Anthony Di Pietro (Vice President), Ted Richards (Director and Chair of Football Governance Committee), Tim Roberts (Director and Chief Executive Officer), Caroline Monzon (Executive General Manager, People and Culture), have set parameters in who they are looking for.
“The right person to lead this club forward. Someone who demonstrates a clear and compelling vision for the future of our football club,” Roberts said.
“We have set a strategy to build a team to compete for the long term and we are well into it. Our new coach will be aligned with our strategy.
"We have spent the past month consulting with our board, executive, football staff, coaches and players on what the success profile looks like for the next AFL senior coach of the club."
Caretaker Dean Solomon is widely viewed as a genuine candidate to assume the full responsibility of the Bombers coaching role.
Hayden Skipworth and James Kelly have been flagged as potential assistant coaches who are ready for the rigours of the head position, and have previously been at the club.
Ken Hinkley and John Longmire also loom as ready-made options given their long-standing positions at Port Adelaide and Sydney.
Hird previously coached Essendon in 2011 to 2013, and returned for the 2015 season during the supplements saga.
