Former Essendon player Matthew Lloyd believes that Mark McVeigh, the newly appointed AFL coach, would be eager to include James Hird in his coaching staff. McVeigh, alongside Essendon president Andrew Welsh, is set to address the media on Tuesday, following the announcement of his appointment.
On Sunday evening, Hird disclosed that McVeigh had secured the coaching position. The prospect of Hird returning to Essendon for a second tenure as head coach has sparked considerable debate.
Selection Process and Challenges
In a statement made on Monday, Welsh indicated that McVeigh was the “All I will say is, Mark would love to have James Hird as part of his staff,” choice, surpassing Hird, Fremantle’s Jaymie Graham, and Murray Davis from Adelaide in the selection process.
The Bombers are currently facing significant challenges, having finished at the bottom of the ladder this season with their worst win-loss record ever. Speculation surrounds a potential board challenge, and former captain Zach Merrett is reportedly inclined to pursue a trade to Hawthorn once more, after a previous attempt was blocked by the club.
Potential Coaching Staff Dynamics
Lloyd, who shared the field with Hird, McVeigh, and Welsh during his playing days at Essendon, anticipates that McVeigh will likely reach out to his former teammate.
“He [Hird] may say ‘you are kidding, there’s no way I’m coming, after being overlooked’. But Mark would certainly be open to it.” Lloyd shared with the Nine Network. “Where is the best development coach out there, in the land? Go after them, because I don’t think they have that,”
Hird served as an assistant to McVeigh when he was the interim senior coach at GWS in 2022. McVeigh has been working as an assistant coach at Sydney since 2023.
Lloyd also stated that he wouldn’t be returning to the club as part of McVeigh’s coaching team, acknowledging that the new coach is aware of his unavailability for the upcoming season.
He urged Essendon to provide robust support for McVeigh and to invest significantly in their coaching staff. Lloyd recalled the unfortunate slogan the club adopted during the 2013 season, a year marked by severe repercussions from the drug scandal.
The legacy of that incident continues to haunt Essendon, contributing to their current struggles. Hird faced a suspension due to his involvement in the scandal and later resigned as coach in 2015.
There has been increasing advocacy for Hird’s return as coach, yet support for him within the club is far from unanimous.
“There used to be a slogan, ‘whatever it takes’ – that’s where they need to be now. They can’t afford to have this one go wrong.” Lloyd remarked. “There used to be a slogan, ‘whatever it takes’ – that’s where they need to be now. They can’t afford to have this one go wrong.”
