Former Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley has stated he will not throw his hat into the ring for the vacant Essendon job, if he gets the impression that it is James Hird’s job to lose.
Hird put his hand up to be in the mix for the role on Tuesday, following the sacking of Brad Scott.
The Essendon legend urged the club to go through a proper process and said he is happy to be a part of that. If he emerges as the best coach following that, he would take the job.
ORIGIN LIVE: State of Origin I: Blues hint at late team change as Maroons plan for Cleary revealed
READ MORE: ‘Been through a bit:’ Aussie giantkiller dedicates seismic win to parents
READ MORE: Radical change to fix cricket’s most frustrating issue
Ken Hinkley coaching Port Adelaide in 2025. Getty
It has proven to be a widely popular statement among Essendon alumni and fans, who largely want the club champion to get his second shot at the helm.
Hird coached Essendon between 2011 and 2015, but was one of the key figures penalised for the supplements saga debacle that derailed the club at the time.
He sat out the 2014 season and then resigned following 2015, in the wake of the mounting scrutiny.
However, the likes of Kevin Sheedy, Tim Watson and Matthew Lloyd have all said they would support Hird putting himself through the coaching process, despite the damage done to the club in the 2010s.
Essendon president Andrew Welsh refused to rule Hird out of the mix on Tuesday, adding that the club would embrace past legends like him returning, if that’s how the process played out.
Given the groundswell of support moving in the direction of the former Dons coach, others may feel tentative about entering the race.
Hinkley, who coached Port Adelaide to multiple preliminary finals before departing at the end of 2025, said the Bombers had to evaluate the Hird situation before engaging other candidates.
James Hird reveals he will put his hat in the ring for the Essendon coaching job. Footy Classified
“I think it’s really clear, Essendon now have to decide before anything else, before they ask any other person, they have to decide whether James Hird is going to be their coach,” Hinkley told SEN on Wednesday.
“If they decide that, that’s what they should go with and they should do that. But I can’t imagine anyone entering the race for the Essendon coaching job, with James now looking like he’s one out, one back in the pole position with all the things that have gone on in the past.
“It looks like this is somewhat James Hird’s job and Essendon have got to decide if that is actually the way Essendon want to rebuild their club, they’ve got every right to do that, but they need to clear the air with that first.”
Hinkley said he “absolutely” won’t be contemplating the job until the Bombers have made that internal verdict on Hird.
“I don’t think anyone would be prepared to be in the race too deep, unless you’re in some ways involved with Essendon, I suppose, in their history,” he said.
“So I think that would be really important to me. I watched everything last night, I watched Brad, I watched James, and it looked to me like it’s James Hird then someone else.
Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley on match day. AFL Photos via Getty Images
“It’s not James Hird ‘or’ someone else. It’s James Hird ‘then’ someone else and that’s the way Essendon are setting it up. Welsh is setting it up that way by the look of it from what I can see and understand.
“I think they have every right to do what they want to do and that’s their call. I’m not going to sit here and try and judge the right or the wrong way.”
Hird has stated he wants Essendon to go through a thorough process to find their next coach, but will be putting his hand up to be among the candidates.
However, he has been largely out of the AFL coaching system since departing the Bombers in 2015.
He spent the 2022 season working part-time with GWS and since 2025 has worked as director of coaching for Port Melbourne in the VFL.
Hird joins the GWS Giants on a part-time basis as a leadership advisor GWS Giants
Hinkley said it would be difficult to immediately step straight back into one of the 18 head coaching jobs, having been on the outer for a decade.
“It’ll be challenging. I don’t think it’s impossible, but it would be challenging. And James himself said last night he’s been doing some stuff at Port Melbourne,” the ex Power coach said.
“So he’s kept his mind in footy, clearly. He’s kept his mind in Essendon, there’s no doubt about that.
“The art of coaching is not one person. The art of coaching is as a team and a collective of people and getting the very, very best people.
“If that’s your starting point, the coach can be successful whether he’s been in it for five minutes or whether he hasn’t been in it for 10 years or he’s been in it like me for the last 13 years and like a John Longmire or Adam Simpson.”
Former Essendon star and assistant coach Dean Solomon will take the job for the remainder of the 2026 season.
His first challenge is heading to Perth to take on West Coast on Sunday.