Essendon legend James Hird makes call on coaching future

Essendon legend James Hird has categorically ruled out a return to AFL coaching, emphatically shutting down resurfaced speculation linking him to the Bombers.

Two days after Essendon’s 91-point smashing by the Western Bulldogs, former Bombers president Paul Little gave a provocative statement saying he would not rule out a push to return to the club’s board.

The report on the Seven Network claimed Little, who led the Bombers from 2013-15 after the damaging supplements regime, would seek to remove incumbent Brad Scott and install Hird as coach if he was back in charge.

In a bizarre twist, Scott was already locked in to appear on the Nine Network’s Footy Classified program with Hird - a regular panellist - on Tuesday night.

Seated next to Scott when asked if he wanted to coach again in the AFL, Hird said he didn’t.

“I’ve got a business that is taking a lot of my time, and it’s actually quite concerning when reports like that come on air,” Hird said on Footy Classified.

“I get calls all day from my investors saying, ‘what are you doing? Why are you entertaining this’, so it damages my business.

“I haven’t got ambitions.

“I’m loving what I’m doing with my son (Tom) down at Port Melbourne, and that is the extent of it.”

Hird coached Essendon from 2011-13, served an AFL suspension during the 2014 season, before exiting amid poor results and the flown-on effects of the supplements saga in 2015.

When the Bombers coaching job became vacant at the end of 2022, Kevin Sheedy, who still sat on the Essendon board, publicly supported Hird even after Scott had been chosen.

After assisting Mark McVeigh in 2022 when his former teammate was interim GWS coach, Hird then wanted to return to Essendon but conceded the “best man” got the job.

Hird has made a return to coaching at VFL level this year, acting as an assistant at Port Melbourne.

Scott has regularly spoken about the need for stability at former AFL giant Essendon, who haven’t won a finals match in 21 years, since he became coach ahead of the 2023 season.

The 49-year-old did his best to dismiss questions about the story on Tuesday, saying he didn’t “react at all”.

“The risk in any of that is that it distracts me from the task at hand,” said Scott, when asked if he had sought reassurances from the current Bombers board.

“I’ve been really overwhelmed with the level of support and follow through, really the things that I made clear that were non-negotiables when I came to the club, around things like stability and support for all levels of the football club.

“Our board, executive have delivered on those things.

“I just need to focus on my job and let all the other stuff go on in the background, not let it distract me or anyone else who’s in a position, coaching or the executive.

“The thing you learn in 30 years of the AFL industry, there’s always something going on.

“The more you get distracted by those things, you take your eye off what you really need to be focused on.”

Essendon (5-4) sit 10th ahead of their Dreamtime clash with Richmond at the MCG on Friday night.