James Hird says proposed Essendon role meeting never happened

james hird has confirmed that no meeting or formal offer took place over a possible return to Essendon. After missing out on the senior coaching position, he indicated that a comeback to the Bombers is now unlikely, although he did not rule it out definitively.

James Hird says proposed Essendon role meeting never happened

Hird said on Nine’s Footy Classified that he had not met with Essendon about another role and had received no formal offer from the club. When asked whether that effectively ended the possibility of returning to Tullamarine, he first said he was unsure before adding that “that probably is it, yes”. Nine’s report

The update followed reports that Essendon had contacted Hird about a potential meeting after appointing his friend and former teammate Mark McVeigh as senior coach. The proposed discussion was understood to concern an alternative role, despite Hird previously saying he was interested only in returning as the senior coach. Fox Sports’ report

Hird also said details of the possible private meeting had been leaked shortly after he received a text about it, leaving him upset. The meeting ultimately did not proceed. Available reporting does not establish why it was cancelled.

How the Essendon coaching process reached this point

Hird had been linked with an Essendon return after the club parted ways with Brad Scott in May. He was included on the shortlist for the senior coaching vacancy, but McVeigh was appointed after a drawn-out process that concluded the previous month, according to 7NEWS.

McVeigh has since begun reshaping the club’s coaching panel for 2027. Essendon is interested in Western Bulldogs midfield coach Brendon Lade, while former interim coach Dean Solomon has been offered a position to remain at the club. AFL.com.au reports that McVeigh was hired on 24 August and started working from The Hangar this week.

That staffing process does not include a confirmed position for Hird. His reported contact with McVeigh has remained personal: Hird said they had spoken several times since the appointment because they are friends and discuss football and player opinions, rather than because a club role had been offered.

Hird’s current coaching position

Hird has been director of coaching at VFL club Port Melbourne since 2025. The club’s season ended the previous week with a 14.12 (96) to 6.13 (49) finals loss to Geelong, according to Nine.

His most recent AFL club role was as an assistant coach at GWS, which ended in early 2023. He left Essendon in 2015 after a senior coaching tenure affected by the supplements saga. Fox Sports says it remains unclear whether he would consider joining another AFL club.

For now, the verified position is that Hird has had no meeting and no formal offer from Essendon, and he believes a return to the Bombers is probably over.