A “disappointed” James Hird has congratulated his “great friend” Mark McVeigh on winning the Essendon coaching job.
McVeigh is set to present to the Bombers board, including the pair’s ex-teammate turned president Andrew Welsh, one final time on Monday before being unveiled this week.
Hird, meanwhile, has vowed to move on and even consider joining one of the clubs he says has contacted him about a role.
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McVeigh won out in a race notably featuring Hird as well as Fremantle assistant Jaymie Graham and Adelaide coaching director Murray Davis.
“Firstly congratulations to Mark, a great friend of mine and very proud of him that he’s going to be named the coach,” Hird said on Sunday night.
“So good on him.
“From a personal point of view, though, it’s very disappointed. I’m disappointed. I put my heart and soul into the effort but obviously fell short and that’s the way it goes.”
Hird said as of Sunday night he had not yet been contacted by Essendon about the outcome, instead indicating he had learned via the media reports.
“But maybe that’s coming,” he said of a call from his ex-club.
The prospect of Hird and McVeigh teaming up together at the Bombers had been mentioned in some circles — but, Hird said, “not with me”.
Indeed, the Port Melbourne VFL coaching director said it is “time to move on, do other things”.
“But as I said congratulations to Mark. He’s been a coach for about 15 years after leaving as a player,” Hird said on Footy Furnace.
Hird, in contrast, has spent only a few months in the AFL system — coincidentally as an assistant working under McVeigh during the latter’s time as GWS caretaker — since leaving Essendon in late 2015.
Hird launched his campaign for the Essendon job openly declaring he only had a desire to lead his former club back up the ladder.
But he has now claimed to have fielded multiple calls from other clubs and said he still has a desire to coach and claimed he had fielded multiple calls from other clubs..
“I think so,” Hird said.
“Obviously down at Port Melbourne at the moment and we’ve got a finals series to play.
“We’ll see what plays out at the end of the year with some other clubs that have been contacting me and see what happens.”
More to come…
