Hird wants Thompson to stay at Bombers

James Hird has returned to work at Essendon, adding his voice to the club chorus wanting caretaker coach Mark Thompson to stay on for the 2015 AFL season.

Hird’s 12-month league-imposed ban for his role in the Bombers’ controversial supplements program ended on Monday.

But he is not actively working with the team, as Thompson will only step down as head coach when Essendon’s current campaign ends.

“I caught up with him today. It was all good,” Thompson told Fox Footy.

“I’m not sure what he did at the club, but he’ll probably have a chat tomorrow with the staff and the players.”

Seventh-placed Essendon are almost certain to play in the finals for the first time in three years, having been banned from last year’s playoff action.

What happens next for two-time premiership mentor Thompson is anyone’s guess.

“No,” a tight-lipped Thompson said on Monday when asked if he had made up his mind about the future, having a week earlier noted he did not “want to just walk out and leave this team”.

The 50-year-old, who guided Geelong to flags in 2007 and 2009, has attracted widespread praise for keeping the Bombers on track in another season of duress.

Thompson is yet to be contracted for 2015, although chairman Paul Little has publicly declared he wants him to work alongside Hird.

“We’d all like Bomber to stay on. Particularly, I’d like him to stay on,” Hird said of Thompson, who worked as his mentor while serving as a senior assistant coach in 2011-13.

“He is obviously a great coach, he’s been terrific for the players this year and for the whole club.

“We’ve had a few chats and we’ll sit down over time.

“It’s not just his decision or my decision, it’s also the club’s decision.

“But everyone at Essendon would love him to stay.”

Thompson last week suggested he was keen to stay at Essendon, but doubted there were any suitable positions available.

Bombers chief executive Xavier Campbell, speaking on Monday when he gave Hird a tour of the club’s facilities at Tullamarine that they moved into last year, was hopeful of retaining Thompson.

“We’ve made no secret that we will sit down with Bomber at the end of the year,” Campbell said.

“We’ve been very transparent with that, we’re open to what that looks like.”

Hird said he was excited to be back at work, more so than emotional to be making a homecoming at the club he played 253 games for.

“It won’t be hard, I’m concentrating on 2015 and there is a lot of work to do,” he said.

The club’s doping saga is now before the courts.

Essendon has challenged the legality of the joint AFL-ASADA investigation carried out by the anti-doping body.