Essendon legend James Hird is “very disappointed” at missing out on the head coaching role as the club prepares to offer it to another former Bombers player.
According to The Age, Mark McVeigh has been asked to give a final presentation to the board on Monday and he looks set to win the race to the top job.
Mark McVeigh speaks to Swans players. AFL Photos
He will beat out Hird as well as Jaymie Graham and Murray Davis. While the decision has not been confirmed, McVeigh is the only one of the four who has been asked to meet with the board one more time, The Age reports.
The 45-year-old played 232 AFL games for Essendon after being taken with pick No.9 in 1998 draft. He worked with the GWS Giants post-playing career and is now an assistant under Dean Cox at the Swans.
Hird had been heavily backed to return to the job he left in disgrace more than a decade ago.
He learned of the McVeigh news as he was filming Nine’s Footy Furnace alongside Jimmy Bartel on Sunday night.
“Congratulations to Mark. A great friend of mine and I’m very proud of him that he’s going to be named the coach, so good on him,” Hird said.
“From a personal point of view though, it’s very disappointing.
“I’m very disappointed, I put my heart and soul into the effort, but obviously fell short and that’s the way it goes.”
Hird is working with VFL team Port Melbourne and has them sitting sixth on the ladder and about to embark on a finals campaign.
He says his dream of being a head coach in the AFL remains alive, despite missing out on the job he coveted. Hird previously lost out to Brad Scott for the Bombers job in 2022.
“I think it’s time to move on to other things. We’ll see what plays out at the end of the year with other clubs that have contacted me, see what happens,” he said.
“I’ve failed twice… let’s see what happens. Hopefully we can go all the way in the VFL and then we’ll see what happens after that.”
James Hird in his current role as director of coaching at Port Melbourne. Getty Images
McVeigh will inherit the worst team in the competition. The Bombers have won just two games this season and have claimed the wooden spoon.
They sacked Scott as head coach earlier this year and have not won a finals game since 2004.
The club looks set to lose gun midfielder Zach Merrett during the trade period, although there is some good young talent on the list for McVeigh to work with.
“Hopefully he can start the big rebuild. They are coming from a long way back,” Bartel said on Nine’s Today.
McVeigh, meanwhile, has a big job on his hands at the Swans who have finished second on the AFL ladder.
They are engulfed in scandal and have stood down five players following a Melbourne hotel room incident last week.
They have a week off before hosting a qualifying final.