Greater Western Sydney general manager of football Jason McCartney says Essendon champion James Hird will make a “meaningful contribution” in his part-time leadership role at Homebush.
It is Hird’s first official role in football since he resigned from the Bombers’ senior coaching position late in the 2015 season.
Giants tagger Matt de Boer was the surprise catalyst, having encountered Hird after the club relocated to Melbourne in response to the spread of COVID-19 in Sydney.
“When we were in Melbourne last season in the hub environment, James and Matt had come across each other just with their different business interests,” McCartney explained to SEN Mornings.
“Matt had approached James about chatting to some of the boys, and (Hird already had) a great relationship with our senior assistant coach in Mark McVeigh.
“So James came in and spoke to the entire group, and that was unbelievably well received. Just talking about his experiences as a player and beyond that.”
Hird was among the most esteemed figures in the game as his 17-year, 253 game playing career wound to a close.
Drafted in 1990, Hird went on to play in two premierships, win the Brownlow and Norm Smith Medals, notch up five All-Australian selections and best-and-fairests, and captain the Bombers for eight seasons.
However, his reputation was blemished by the supplements saga that unfolded under his watch in his second season as coach.
Hird was suspended for the 2014 AFL season, and eventually resigned after four seasons and 85 games in charge.
In his personal life since, the 48-year-old has received treatment in a mental health care facility and been hospitalised after he was hit by a car.
“When we talk about the playing exploits of James, he was just unbelievable,” McCartney remembered.
“But it wasn’t always easy, and like any career whether it be sport or business there’s always a lot of lows along the way. He really opened up about some of those.
“We were lucky just before Christmas with our new leadership group and some of our emerging leaders to have James involved with a leadership retreat.
“From that, it’s really just accelerated through that Christmas to New Year period.”
Hird made his name at one of Melbourne’s sporting institutions, but McCartney says he can see the Giants’ newest consultant approves of the club’s fledgling culture.
“The most impressive thing for our football club is how impressed James has been,” he explained.
“It’s been him coming to us and wanting to have an involvement, which I think is just an outstanding endorsement for our football club.”
McVeigh played 232 games for Essendon between 1999 and 2012, including nine seasons with Hird, and it was through him that the champion Bomber expressed an interest in an ongoing role.
“Mark made it known to me that James might be keen to do a bit more if we could facilitate anything,” McCartney recalled.
“For myself and (senior coach) Leon Cameron, it was ‘yeah, we’d love to chat about that’ about what it could look like, about something meaningful.
“I know he’s got a lot on away from what he’ll do with us, but his ability to make time for our program and make it meaningful… we’ll get some significant touch points with James.
“He’s really excited, and we’re certainly excited as well.”
The Giants have “mapped out a rushed timeline” for Hird’s involvement with the club throughout the season, and will balance it with his living arrangement and business responsibilities.
“When we’re in Melbourne he’ll be around on matchday,” McCartney revealed.
“I think the big thing with leadership is you need to be there as much as you can at the coalface, you can do things during the week but the main day of work is game day.
“He’ll be making himself available as much as he can for that, and for training in Melbourne, and he’ll get up to Sydney a fair bit with his own business interests as well.
“It’ll be a meaningful contribution, that’s for sure.”