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AFL News: James Hird set to return as coach amid reports ‘his job is his if he wants it’

AFL News: James Hird set to return as coach amid reports ‘his job is his if he wants it’

Essendon legend James Hird is reportedly considering a return to top-level coaching at VFL club Port Melbourne, where his son Tom plays. Hird held an assistant coaching role at the GWS Giants in 2022, but would be gutted to miss out on the top job at Essendon just before then.

There were to make sure he would be completely lost in the gamebut the 51-year-old is reportedly considering a return to coaching in the VFL. “I can tell you tonight that the job is his if he wants it,” senior reporter Sam Landsberger told Fox Footy’s Midweek Tackle on Thursday night, revealing that Hird will meet with Port Melbourne officials.

James Hird.James Hird.

James Hird held an assistant coaching role at GWS Giants in 2022. Image: Getty

“The main consideration for James is whether he wants to coach his son Tom. Would that be uncomfortable? How would Tom feel? And also his business interests. But the family are in love with Port Melbourne Football Club … They couldn’t be happier with the way they’ve taken his son in and what they’ve done for him.”

Tom Hird was at Essendon for three seasons before he was sacked, and he never made it to AFL level. He has been with Port Melbourne for the past two years. “I think it would be a great move, both for the league and for James Hird, who is too good a person and too good a football mind not to be involved in football in some way,” Glenn McFarlane said.

Tom Hird, pictured here playing for Port Melbourne in the VFL.Tom Hird, pictured here playing for Port Melbourne in the VFL.

Tom Hird (centre) during a match for Port Melbourne in the VFL. (Photo by Josh Chadwick/AFL Photos/via Getty Images)

Lansberger also said Hird could be a wildcard to take the vacant West Coast job. “My understanding is that if the main candidates are pulling out of the West Coast race in Dean Cox and Josh Carr, if they were to call James Hird, he would be open to that,” Lansberger said. “Right now, it’s unlikely they’ll make the call, but I think he would pick up the phone if they did call.”

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Cox and Carr currently work as assistants in Sydney and Port Adelaide and have disqualified himself from competing in the West Coast course in recent days. And Port Adelaide head coach Ken Hinkley also denied the link to the Eagles role on Thursday.

“We’ve got a big job. We’ve got five games left in our season and hopefully more to play,” Hinkley said of the Power on Thursday. “One thing is really clear, I’m coaching Port Adelaide and I love coaching Port Adelaide and I’ve got a contract to continue coaching Port Adelaide.”

Eagles interim coach Jarrad Schofield is among the contenders to take on the full-time role. Ash Hansen, Jaymie Graham, Nathan Buckley, Brett Montgomery, Daniel Giansiracusa, Scott Burns and Andrew McQualter are among many others who could also be in the running.

According to Jay Clark of the Herald Sun, Carlton assistant coach Ash Hansen “really seems like an incredibly strong candidate”. He told Fox Footy: “West Coast have yet to make contact with him – or any of the other candidates. I think West Coast have got their act together. I think they’re trying to work out what they want from their coach… so they’ve taken their time.

“I think it will be interesting from this weekend onwards and whether those calls will start. From a timeline perspective, that pre-final bye is a big moment where West Coast and Don Pyke could be in front of some of those candidates.”