![\"Andrew](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/ddb439a35602544b713c38672523d9b13febc6cda49bcf2dcf93af2f2438157f.png\")
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Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n AAA<\/p>\n Essendon have been urged by a member of the panel that selected Chris Fagan for the Brisbane Lions not to fall into the trap of thinking James Hird will be the messiah for the stricken club.<\/p>\n Former Hawthorn coach Peter Schwab was on the five-person panel which chose Fagan for the Lions position in 2016, replacing the sacked favourite son Justin Leppitsch. There has been a wave of popular support for Hird<\/a>, who declared his desire to coach the club again the day that the removal of Brad Scott from the position became public.<\/p>\n Bombers legend Simon Madden has also urged the club to treat Hird \u2013 the former captain, two-time premiership player, five-time best-and-fairest winner, Brownlow medallist, Norm Smith medallist, five-time All-Australian and part of the Essendon\u2019s team of the century \u2013 as an equal and take an unemotional approach in considering his application for the coaching job.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s your criteria?\u201d said Schwab, who was also a list manager with the Lions and a former head of the AFL\u2019s umpiring department. \u201cWhat sort of coach do they need or want? Not the personality but the qualities and strengths of what they believe to be a successful coach and measure it against that.<\/p>\n \u201cIf James ticks all that criteria and is the best person they interview and is available then they can rightfully say he\u2019s the best candidate.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat boxes will James tick? He\u2019s not a successful coach, he\u2019s not really been involved in coaching at the highest level for a long period of time.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is not saying he\u2019s not highly capable or intelligent. I\u2019m going, \u2018He hasn\u2019t been successful when he\u2019s done it before, he hasn\u2019t been in the system for a while\u2019. To me, they\u2019d be things I\u2019d be thinking about if I was on the panel.\u201d<\/p>\n Hird coached the Bombers for 84 games between 2011 and 2015 (missing the 2014 season due to suspension for the drugs scandal) for 41 wins, a draw, and 42 losses, making an elimination final in 2011.<\/p>\n Madden said the Bombers\u2019 selection committee needed to address this issue when assessing Hird.<\/p>\n \u201cI know he knows his footy,\u201d Madden said. \u201cA question the group of people interviewing have to say is, \u2018Has he been involved in enough modern footy?\u2019 That\u2019s a question that has to be asked.<\/p>\n \u201cTake emotion out of it and let\u2019s actually do the proper process and ask all the right questions.\u201d<\/p>\n The Bombers\u2019 five-person selection panel of Welsh, Roberts, former Sydney premiership defender and Dons director Ted Richards, vice president Anthony Di Pietro and people and culture boss Caroline Monzon is entirely different from the subcommittee that chose Scott.<\/p>\n Related Article A director as recently as four years ago, before leaving in solidarity with ousted coach Ben Rutten, Madden said he is neither pro nor anti-Hird, unlike his former coach Sheedy, who has strongly backed Hird<\/a> to return to the helm.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t say, \u2018We have to give James the job\u2019 or \u2018We can\u2019t give James the job\u2019,\u201d Madden said. \u201cA whole lot of people have jumped up and down and gone you\u2019ve got to give him the job.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat I want is a proper process that he is compared to all the other people who are going for the job. There\u2019s not more or less emotion involved with him. He puts forward what he wants to do, and it\u2019s treated the same as everybody else.\u201d<\/p>\n Hird\u2019s participation has cast doubt among potential candidates, including former Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley, over the integrity of the Bombers\u2019 search. Hinkley and experienced Hawthorn development coach Daniel Giansiracusa are not in the race to coach the Dons, while Geelong assistant James Kelly is prioritising Carlton\u2019s vacant position<\/a>.<\/p>\n Madden said Roberts had reassured him the Dons were running a proper process.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve spoken to Tim Roberts, and he\u2019s said that\u2019s exactly what we\u2019re doing,\u201d Madden said.<\/p>\n \u201cWhether people believe it or not, that\u2019s actually what they\u2019re doing. I saw him face to face when he said that, and I actually believe it to be true.\u201d<\/p>\n Keep up to date with the best AFL coverage in the country. Sign up for the Real Footy newsletter<\/a>.<\/p>\n Save<\/p>\n You have reached your maximum number of saved items.<\/p>\n![\"Fan](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1784407453_382_f8dbab86076cd2cef007345015492f06ae23ae38.jpeg\")
Fan support: Members of the crowd were in support of James Hird.Getty Images<\/p>\n![\"James](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/25f3e7c59efefb19b991b8340e10aed25f97054b.jpeg\")
James Hird is director of coaching for VFL club Port Melbourne.Getty Images<\/p>\n![\"Matthew](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1784407454_411_3f9ccaa61f2941406d0e5d85a39e8fcf7c6e2377.jpeg\")
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