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Although Essendon have to deal with their court case as part of the never-ending supplements issue in the next few weeks, one aspect of this tale has been put to bed for the time being.
James Hird has been put in his place for the rest of the season.
While his suspension ends in just over a month, in time for Round 23, he will not have an active role in coaching the team this year, however long that lasts.
There’s a good chance it will extend to finals football, with the Bombers in the top eight on the back of a three-game winning streak, and with a favourable draw.
The supplement scandal derailed them this time last year, so it will be interesting to see how next month’s court case affects their on-field performance, but James Hird has been told by chairman Paul Little to concentrate on next season.
It’s definitely the right move as Mark Thompson has done a great job to get his team in a position to be part of the September action. For Hird to walk straight back in and take over as coach has the potential to be extremely disruptive.
Essendon and Paul Little have been very assertive in making this decision now, so that we don’t continue to get the same headlines. Will Hird been seen and heard? What’s Hirdy’s immediate future or will the Bomber stand down?
You would hope too that journalists wouldn’t make their regular beeline to the Hird mansion in Toorak hoping for a comment or three from the former Bomber champion or even his wife Tania.
Hird coaching Essendon this year isn’t a story anymore. Obviously the Hirds will have the media throng waiting for comments on the outcome of the verdict in court later next month, but that’s another matter.
It was a strange decision to suspend Hird for exactly 12 months, which meant he was eligible to come back for Round 23, but common sense has now prevailed and he can start preparing for 2015 and get a bit of a head start on the other 17 coaches.
Thompson can now continue to do his thing and coach his team well, knowing the gig is his for as long as Essendon’s season goes in 2014.
It might also be an excellent little rehearsal for a prospective new coaching job next year. If Thompson doesn’t stay at Essendon under Hird, and that doesn’t seem likely at this stage, there shouldn’t be a shortage of suitors keen on acquiring his services. Who wouldn’t want a premiership coach helping to guide them?
This Essendon team is now Mark Thompson’s and he has a chance to, excuse the pun, really make a mark on the rest of this season as far as the Dons are concerned. With a handy player in Jobe Watson set to return soon, they might be more than nuisance value if they can get through to September.
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