Why Kevin Sheedy is backing a James Hird return to Essendon as coach

Essendon great Kevin Sheedy is confident James Hird will not waste his third chance to coach the club as the Bombers face calls to clarify whether Hird has won the top job.

Four-time premiership coach Sheedy, who broke ranks as Bombers’ board director four years ago and publicly confirmed he backed Hird when Brad Scott won the job, said Hird was a man who could galvanize the struggling Bombers.

Kevin Sheedy and James Hird were a formidable duo as coach and captain of the Bombers at the turn of the century.Getty Images

They are on the hunt for a new coach after firing Scott on Tuesday.

Sheedy claims “you have to love Essendon to coach Essendon” and insists he still loves Hird, a two-time premiership player and former captain, despite his tumultuous departure amid the reinforcements saga in 2015.

“I think so, and if he succeeds I think he will do everything to make sure he gets it right this time,” Sheedy told SEN on Wednesday.

“But he might not understand that, there might be people at Essendon who would never want him to coach Essendon. I don’t know who they are but I think ultimately people and the fans probably understand.”

“I don’t know what the feeling is in the city but he wouldn’t blow it if he had the chance. We all know how long and how difficult it is to find a coach who can win you a premiership because I think Melbourne had about 13 or 14 years after Norm Smith and Richmond had about six or seven years in 10 years.”

Bombers chairman Andrew Welsh and chief executive Tim Roberts have begun forming a coaching sub-committee, while former Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley – a likely candidate – said he would not express potential interest until the Bombers clarified their stance on Hird.

Hinkley said it looked like Hird’s job would be lost and other candidates would not be given real consideration.

“It seems like this is kind of James Hird’s job… they need to clear the air with this one first,” he said.

“In some ways I don’t think anyone would be prepared to go into a very deep run unless you’re interested in Essendon’s history. [clarification] It would be important to me.

“It looks like James Hird and then someone else. They have every right to do that and it’s their decision.”

Hird, 53, said he wanted the job but called on the Bombers to conduct a professional process.

“The most important thing for me as an Essendonian, and what I would like to see the football club do, is that they go through the most comprehensive process possible to find the best person to be the manager of Essendon Football Club,” Hird said. Footy HiddenHe is a regular panelist.

“If the club came to me [and said]: ‘Would you be part of this process?’, I would definitely say yes. This is something I would love to be a part of; comparing my products with other trainers [to find] “He is the best man for the job.”

Hird’s first tenure as manager began in 2011, with club great Mark Thompson becoming his senior assistant, but the supplement scandal that broke in 2013 almost destroyed his tenure. He was suspended by the AFL in 2014 but returned for the 2015 season, but parted ways with the club that season. Overall, he won 41 of 85 matches as a coach.

The collapse of that period also led to mental health issues, but he returned to coaching as an assistant at Greater Western Sydney in 2022 and is now director of coaching at VFL club Port Melbourne. He also appears as a panelist on Nine’s. Footy Hidden.

Sheedy, who leaves the board in 2024, said it did not matter that Hird had not been a senior coach for more than a decade.

“Well, I had never coached before I took the job at Essendon,” Sheedy said.

“It all depends on what you want to do and how you think about things. I never had an interview with the AFL to take the job at the Giants. They just said, ‘You’re doing it, go talk to your wife and see if you can convince her to go to Sydney’. I didn’t have a single interview.”

“So interviews can be important, but they’re not the be-all and end-all. “And I think you’ve got to keep your toe in the water at Port Melbourne, even if you haven’t coached for five or eight years.

“His job, of course, will be to gather the best people around him. You have to find the best people to help you.”

Sheedy said his stunning 253-game haul would help Hird if he returns to the club.

“I’ll help him when he gets the job. If he gets it,” he said.

Sheedy said he feared the club would regress under Scott, with one win in the last 24 games causing attendances and general support to drop. But he thinks Hird will stabilize the club.