James Hird will make his return to the AFL scene in September this year, when he will be called upon to present the Norm Smith Medal to the best player on the ground in this season's Grand Final.
The former Essendon coach exited the Bombers in the aftermath of the club's supplements scandal two years ago, and hasn't returned to Essendon or the AFL since.
The Herald Sunย revealed the AFL wrote Hird a letter asking him to present the medal and have sent it to him, although because Hird is currently overseas with his family, he hasn't received the invitation yet.
Hird did tell the Herald Sun however he would accept the honour, and is looking forward to getting back on the biggest stage.
โIf they (have asked me), I would love to do it,โ Hird told the Herald Sun.
โIt would just be good to be out there on Grand Final day. Itโs obviously the best day in the footy calendar, so it would be a nice experience.โ
While the AFL will see this invitation as a step in the right direction for Hird's return to football, the league are simply following a tradition they've used for years.
Hird won the medal in 2000, and it's now his turn after the 1999 winner, North Melbourne's Shannon Grant, awarded last year's medal to Western Bulldog Jason Johannisen.
Andrew McLeod - who is one of just three stars to win two Norm Smith Medals - presented Cyril Rioli with his award back in 2015 after winning the medal in both 1997 and 1998, while the 1996 winner Glenn Archer handed the medal to Luke Hodge in 2014.
