Melbourne legend Garry Lyon has declared critics that say Essendon’s coaching search is a boat race due to the spectre of James Hird are “jumping at shadows.”
But fellow AFL 360 co-host Gerard Whateley says the Bombers have to “answer the Hird question first,” leading to a debate between the two on Monday night’s program.
Intrigue is building around a potential Essendon-Hird reunion in the club’s search for a new senior coach following Brad Scott’s departure last week.
Round 13
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There’s been a groundswell of support from Essendon people to bring back Hird, who last week put his hand up for the job.
However there’s also some reservations at club board level about Hird in the fallout from the ASADA scandal a decade ago that tore the club apart.
Bombers president Andrew Welsh last week refused to rule out Hird as a coach contender in a week many — including prospective coaching candidates Ken Hinkley and Adam Simpson — suggested it’d become a compromised search.
Lyon on Fox Footy’s AFL 360 wanted to set the record straight, suggesting the Hird “hysteria” had gotten out of control due to “perception and reality” getting “blurred at times”.
“Essendon sacked its coach and said it’s going to run a process. Then James, which he’s fully entitled to, says: ‘I’ve got my hand up, I want to ne part of the process’. That is it. That is reality right now,” Lyon said on Monday night.
“Then perception takes over. That this is a boat race, that this has been put in place for a year and a half, that Kevin Sheedy is pulling the strings.
“This reality becomes heightened and heightened and heightened to a point of hysteria, where I hope Andrew Welsh is sitting back going: ‘Hey, I don’t care about this. This is what we are doing; we are running a process. Whether the media believe me, whether the supporter base believe me, whether Adam Simpson, Ken Hinkley, Troy Chaplin and Brent Montgomery (believe me), don’t apply. We might put a line through you anyway, if that’s your attitude. All we’ve said is we’ve moved on our coach and we’re going to run a process. And you’re jumping at shadows by thinking this is a done deal?’
“My understanding is it’s not. Now, that will remain to be seen. (Hird) will put his best foot forward, if given the opportunity, and they will legitimately pick who they think is the best.
“In the meantime, it is going to run rampant and that’s one of the things they’re going to have to deal with. How do we deal with hysteria? How do we deal with, either appointing him, or not appointing him? Because it comes with baggage.
“So, I’m in the corner of Essendon here: ‘Let’s deal with the reality right now. We sacked the coach and we’re committing to a process. End of story. You guys, knock yourselves out. We’re not interested’.”
Buckley on interest in Essendon job | 00:47
Whateley suggested the “two other bodies” at play are the Hird “redemptionists” and “the mood” of Essendon’s fan base and how much support it has of the ex-coach.
“Is it 80 per cent? Is it 40 per cent? What is it? What does it represent? How many people of your core are going to be disenfranchised if you go on a path other than James Hird? How much of the club will you be able to reunite and surge into the future with Hird at the forefront?,” he posed.
“But what’s not perception is Essendon has no chance of gathering the best pool of prospective coaches unless it answers the James Hird question to satisfy those on the outside. Is he going to be Essendon’s next coach?”
However Lyon argued that’s “contrary to everything,” as he and Whateley went head-to-head on the topic.
King: “The key for me is James Hird!” | 01:57
Lyon: “A strong club says: ‘That is not the question. Is James Hird going to be part of the process of us finding the next coach? Ask me that question. Yes he is or no he isn’t, one or the other. I don’t care if that’s your question, that’s irrelevant to us. So, if Adam (Simpson) doesn’t want to be involved or Ken (Hinkley) doesn’t want to be involved because they think we’ve already made a decision, then so be it. We’ll run the risk of not having you involved in the process’.”
Whateley: “I don’t doubt for a second they haven’t made their decision. But I think the first step in the process is going to have to be to run James Hird through it. Because the suspicions of those on the outside and the damage you risk doing to yourself by putting yourself in that ring. This is peculiar, this is unique, there’s never been anything like it.”
Lyon: “But you’re making the assumption they can’t run a fair process.”
Whateley: “They can run a fair process, but people won’t put themselves into it.”
Lyon: “Well, so be it. You’re not going to blink at that, are you? If you’re running it?
Whateley: Yes, I want the best possible coach for my club. The only way to get that is to answer the Hird question first: ‘Is James Hird our coach? No, alright, now we’re having a process. Come one, come all!’”
Lyon: “The answer to your question is; James Hird is part of the process, are you prepared to go against him?”
Whateley: “Definitely not.”
Lyon: “Well, get out! We don’t want you involved.”
Solomon: “It’s been a tough week” | 08:52
Whateley: “And I’ll go and join the other 52 candidates who are the best credentialed in the AFL and who are not going to participate here.”
Lyon: “So, you’re jumping at the hurdle, when the hurdle is not there.”
Whateley: “No, no, the hurdle is immense.”
Lyon: “It’s a perceptional hurdle.”
Whateley: “No, it’s not. It’s real.”
Lyon: “No!”
Whateley: “It’s real in the faction, it’s real in the supporter base. It might not be real at board level, but that doesn’t matter.”
Lyon: “You can’t win the race if you don’t jump out of the barrier. In the end, if they want to stay back in the barrier, Essendon say, stay back in the barrier.”
New coach, same old Essendon | 02:37
Whateley: “Yes, but if you beat James Hird in this process, we’ve already seen what this looks like. Kevin Sheedy undermined the coach that was chosen, before he even got to the club.”
Lyon: “I can’t talk for Kevin.”
Whateley: “This time it is four years more intense.”
Lyon: “I understand.”
Whateley: “That’s why I would want to know: ‘If I win this job against James Hird, am I disenfranchising 85 per cent of my supporter base? No, no, leave me out of that. I’m going to coach Carlton, I’m chips in on Carlton, it’s a better list’. My god, we found a club that made Carlton look functional and desirable.”
Lyon: “In the end, I think they might have to appoint him anyway. Just to get it done. You and I may or may not be here in three, four or five years. But if they don’t (appoint him), guess what? We’re going to have the same conversation.”
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