When new Essendon coach Mark McVeigh was flanked by president Andrew Welsh and CEO Tim Roberts at his introductory press conference on Wednesday, there was a clear theme emanating from the day: unity.
Unity is the thing Essendon has strived for, and failed to find, for the last two decades as it has cycled through players, coaches and administrators in a bid to end an infamous finals drought.
Welsh hopes that by hiring McVeigh he is able to kill two birds with one stone.
The process to find its next coach acted as a litmus test for Essendon to actually show it had changed as a club after years of saying it with no actions to follow.
When Brad Scott was ousted midway through the season and James Hird launched his candidacy on national TV in the same week, the consensus was that Hird’s return to the Bombers coaches box was a fait accompli.
The lack of belief or trust in Essendon as a sporting organisation left candidates pulling out, believing the club’s trumpeted ‘process’ was actually a sham designed to deliver Hird the role.
It proved to be anything but, as Hird himself revealed after being beaten by McVeigh, leaving both he and Essendon at a potentially pivotal crossroads.
This rejected bid to be Essendon’s coach is completely different to Hird’s last rejection, when he finished second behind Brad Scott.
James Hird (centre) was left on the outside looking in when Brad Scott (left) won Essendon’s coaching race in 2022. (Getty Images: James Wiltshire)
There was something symbolic in Hird, one of Essendon’s favourite sons, being beaten out by Scott, a nemesis of his from the Brisbane Lions heyday.
Scott winning the coaching race was reminiscent another occasion where he’d famously got one over Hird, overpowering the under-cooked then-Essendon skipper on the wing during a key period in the 2001 grand final.
Scott, having arrived from the AFL and being selected by an independent panel, appeared a choice that was an aggressive attempt to get away from the fabric of Essendon.
Scott’s regime brought a lot of change, and while his decisions may eventually age well, they left Essendon’s diehards feeling more disillusioned with every loss that followed.
Andrew Welsh (left) and Mark McVeigh (right) are keen for Hird to return to the club in an official capacity. (Getty Images: Quinn Rooney)
Hird wasn’t exactly forbidden from returning to Essendon while Scott was in charge, but he also wasn’t welcomed with open arms.
This time around is different as both McVeigh and Welsh prepare to launch full-court presses to get Hird back through the doors, just not as the coach.
While the knock on Hird’s coaching bid was his lack of experience in a recent AFL coaches box, what cannot be disputed is his knowledge of the game.
If Hird is able to get past the itch of being the coach, he could prove to be an incredible asset as either a football boss, or as a developmental coach. The opportunities are endless, given Essendon has basically wiped out its entire football department.
James Hird (left), Dean Solomon (centre) and Mark McVeigh (right) have the opportunity to link up under one roof again. (Getty Images: Daniel Pockett)
Having held the belief that McVeigh would have come with him had he been successful, as he also pledged to do in 2022, Hird now has the chance to repay the favour.
Welsh has hinted at Essendon bolstering its football department with key appointments in the coming months as it looks to surround McVeigh with a strong staff. It could do worse than bringing Hird back into the fold.
It is notable that Hird, while not receiving the job he wanted, mentioned he has experienced healing during the process in the form of mending fences with individuals he had fallen out with over the club’s supplements scandal.
Hird is smart enough to know what his decision from this point on has the potential to do to his beloved club.
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As Essendon desperately seeks unity, Hird’s return would guarantee it, and he knows that. It is hard to see him turning his back on Essendon to try and coach elsewhere, even if that means he never gets to coach again.
At the front of Hird’s mind will be two scenarios: winning Essendon’s next premiership, but not as the coach, or winning a premiership elsewhere as the coach. He must figure out which of those will make him happiest.
The benefits of the McVeigh hire are two-fold for Essendon.
He has spent significant time in the coaches’ boxes of two teams that have enjoyed deep September runs, albeit without winning the whole lot.
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McVeigh’s history of working with both the Allies and the Swans Academy was a major selling point given Essendon’s list demographic.
Critics suggesting McVeigh’s hire was simply a case of jobs for mates were disrespectful to both his decade of coaching reps as well as Welsh’s ability to be a professional.
Contrary to all the hysteria about Essendon only hiring “Essendon people”, McVeigh is the first Essendon person to be hired as the club’s senior coach since Hird’s departure in 2015.
The coaches that have followed Hird — John Worsfold, Ben Rutten and Scott — have all enjoyed success at other clubs like McVeigh has, but lacked an ability to truly connect with the club and its fans.
That is McVeigh’s superpower. He connects, and he connects with all generations.
It was not by accident that the club filmed McVeigh being greeted at The Hangar by Ken Fraser, the captain of Essendon’s 1965 premiership side.
It was also not by accident that both McVeigh and Welsh continually referenced the goal for Essendon to be “one club”, making a pointed note to invest in the club’s AFLW program.
McVeigh even appeared on a podcast with some of Essendon’s biggest content creators from outside the club, a stark difference from Scott, who gave off the vibe of an untouchable CEO fans could never really connect with, rather than your friendly local head coach.
Matthew Lloyd (centre) has indicated he would potentially join McVeigh (left) and Welsh (right) back at Essendon. (Getty Images: Mark Dadswell)
It is no surprise that McVeigh’s arrival has already seemingly caused a change in tune from both Hird and fellow Essendon icon, Matthew Lloyd.
Since his retirement at the end of 2009, Lloyd has mostly stayed away from the club while becoming one of the AFL’s most prominent media figures.
Lloyd is uncompromising when it comes to his views on Essendon, annoying segments of the club’s fanbase who wonder why he has not stepped in to help fix the problems he keeps highlighting.
As McVeigh’s appointment grew closer, Lloyd curiously changed his tune and said he would like to go back to club land.
It would be no surprise to see him in an official role at Essendon in the coming years as McVeigh builds out his staff.
All of this brings us back to Hird and Essendon’s seemingly never-ending quest to find unity.
The basic pitch from Hird’s supporters is that he is the only one who can truly bring unity back to what has been a broken club.
The pitch just missed one thing.
Who says Hird can only bring unity as Essendon’s coach?
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