James Hird speaks with Essendon about senior coach role, Tasmania Devils interviews, Nathan Buckley, Bombers assistance package, latest news

James Hird has officially entered the Essendon coaching search, while three ex-coaches are set to interview for the Tasmania job.

Plus an umpiring great says the league will adjust the rules over recent set shot controversies. Read on in AFL Daily.

Watch every match of every round of the AFL Premiership Season LIVE and ad-break free during play on FOX FOOTY, available on Kayo Sports | New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1.

BIG DEVILS STEP IN HIRING PROCESS AS THREE EX-COACHES TO INTERVIEW

The Tasmania Devils have begun interviewing candidates for their vacant senior coach position, with Collingwood great Nathan Buckley reportedly in the chair this week.

The former Magpies coach and current Geelong assistant has long been touted as a top chance to land Tasmania’s inaugural gig, and according to AFL Media’s Cal Twomey on Wednesday, Buckley is “presenting to the Devils this week”.

Alongside Buckley in the running are fellow respected and experienced names Ken Hinkley and John Longmire, with Twomey’s report adding the pair are “also set to interview”.

The panel charged with hand-picking the Devils’ first coach comprises CEO Brendon Gale, president Grant O’Brien, football director Alastair Lynch, and people and culture boss Lauren Jauncey.

Buckley, working closely with Chris Scott at Kardinia Park, has been the most vocal of the trio about his desire to return to head-coaching, while Hinkley last Saturday confirmed on Fox Footy that he “misses coaching”.

Longmire has been coy on multiple occasions when probed on his coaching intentions on Fox Footy’s AFL 360, but Twomey reports the Swans premiership mentor “is understood to be keen to return to the coaching fold”.

Carlton and Essendon, also after new coaches, have also been linked to Longmire, who remained at Sydney in a director of club performance role following his resignation as coach.

HIRD LOCKED INTO ESSENDON SEARCH

Essendon has spoken with James Hird who will be part of their search for their next senior coach.

The two-time Bombers boss confirmed on Wednesday he had spoken with former teammate turned club president Andrew Welsh.

Hird has been outspoken about his interest in returning to Essendon but until now the Bombers had not appeared as keen on hiring him, with Welsh believed to prefer interim coach Dean Solomon.

“Andrew Welsh and I had a chat on Friday, just letting me know that the process was about to start and that I’d be part of that process,” Hird said on Nine.

“It was good to finally have some contact from the club and have a chat about what the next steps are in this process that we’re all looking forward to.

“The job interview was for one role, and that was what was pretty clear.”

The Bombers’ selection panel includes Welsh, chief executive Tim Roberts, board members Anthony Di Pietro and Ted Richards, and people and culture executive general manager Caroline Monzon.

RAZOR EXPECTS RULE CHANGE OVER SET SHOT CONTROVERSY

Umpiring great Ray ‘Razor’ Chamberlain says the AFL “effectively apologised” to officials after confusion surrounding Logan Morris’ overturned goal in the aftermath of Nick Watson’s reversed set shot controversy.

And Chamberlain is expecting more relaxed set-shot rule changes to be enforced for 2027.

Both Watson and Morris had their set shot goals on the siren overturned for running off their line, with the league admitting the latter’s case from the weekend was an error.

Chamberlain says umpire Andrew Stevens ruled the Morris instance correctly based on the stricter set shot adjudication in accordance with the stand rule.

“We can go back to when stand was introduced. It highlighted to me that when a fundamental change to the laws of the game was brought in, there was a failure to go: ‘If this, then that’. What does this mean with the existing rules?,” Chamberlain said on Fox Footy’s AFL 360.

“So, what we will see in 2027 is a change to the way the laws are written in relation to this. It will catch up the example, in particular of Logan Morris, and that will be best practice.

“On Thursday night, that wasn’t best practice and wasn’t what had been conveyed to the umpires.

“In my discussions this week and to the credit of the AFL and AFL umpiring department, they concede they left their umpires hanging.

“What Andrew Stevens did is exactly as he had been instructed to do since stand has been introduced… and what I would have done had I been in that set of circumstances.”

The AFL’s statement on the Morris set shot noted a player who “lines up perpendicular to their line of kick, they must either kick over the player on the mark.”

However, Chamberlain says “it’s never been conveyed that way prior” and players usually “had to get back with your brace leg to the line of kick,” adding that the rule doesn’t need to be umpired within an inch.

“We’re not interested in blades of grass. It’s a gateway, it’s got to be a metre either side, arms can go out, that’s where you’ve got to be,” he added.

“I think players, whether they come from a traditional approach or around the corner, they can handle a metre either side of the line.

“That’s what we will see. And I know, from coaching this evening, the AFL umpiring department have essentially apologised to their field umpires.

“What is really clear, is that if it not a hell yeah, it’s an absolute no. So take confidence in that.

“Sam Mitchell articulated it brilliantly. If they’re cheating — they’re gaining an advantage on distance or they’re opened the angle — no, we can’t have that.”

BOMBERS ‘BORDERING ON CONFIDENT’… BUT BLUES COULD THWART ASSISTANCE PACKAGE BID

Essendon is “bordering on confident” of getting an assistance package from the AFL after the club’s pitch to senior league officials, according to veteran journalist Caroline Wilson.

But Carlton’s shock surge under interim coach Josh Fraser has complicated the Bombers’ bid, despite the 18th-placed club’s 1-14 record, including one win from its last 28 games.

AFL footy bosses, including Greg Swann, Tom Harley and Justin Reid, hosted Essendon president Andrew Welsh, CEO Tim Roberts and list manager Matt Rosa, who “put forward a fairly meaningful and compelling bid”.

“Looked at their results over the last few years, looked at their results over the longer term,” Wilson said on Channel 7’s Agenda Setters.

“I think Essendon are, I would say, bordering on confident they will receive an end-of-first-round pick and maybe some rookie spots as well.

“The AFL were noncommittal.”

Much like during West Coast’s pitch for an assistance package last year, it’s believed the AFL put to Essendon “in no uncertain terms” that the club “could’ve done things differently and had a much better list.”

But Carlton’s resurgence under caretaker boss Fraser, who’s guided the club to a perfect 6-0 run, was the main reason talks have been put on hold.

“The only reason the AFL haven’t given them an answer is because they looked at the Carlton example and two months ago Carlton would almost say that they were desperate and looked like they were going nowhere,” Wilson added.

“The AFL is going to wait and see how the rest of the year plays out for Essendon, but if I called it now, I’d say they’ll get extra.”

The Bombers have gone 0-3 under caretaker coach Dean Solomon following the removal of Brad Scott last month.

BEVO’S FEARS OVER ‘PARANOID’ CONTACT CHANGES

— By Tyler Lewis, NCA NewsWire

Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge fears “the game will fall apart and disappear” under potential restrictions to contact at the junior level.

Under current rules, junior footballers under 13 can wrap tackle but are prohibited from bringing their opponents to the ground.

However, the recent spike in concussion cases across all levels is prompting calls to lift that age beyond 14.

Beveridge is hesitant about a grassroots change, saying a “paranoid” reaction to concussion could impact the game’s preservation.

“I spoke to someone the other day, one of the leagues brought in a rule that at under-10 level if anyone slung an opposition player to the ground they would be sent off … there were 10 players sent off,” he said.

“We’ve got to be really careful because the game will fall apart and disappear … that just can’t happen.

“Kids have got to play a game that they enjoy otherwise they’re going to walk away from it, it won’t be the same game.

“We’ve got to be careful with how paranoid we get with the civil liability side of concussion … if we get too paranoid about it, we’re going to lose the game.

“We’ve got to make sure we nurture and foster the right things and I am not sure what the measures and middle ground is on that.

“Hopefully. someone makes the right call, but at junior level it’s going to be risky if they start being too restrictive about it.”

The AFL is on the back foot regarding concussion and is set to implement new restrictions on contact training next pre-season.

Beveridge says contact training is an integral part of every club’s program but suspects the limitations won’t impact the Bulldogs’ approach.

“No one wants to dance around the seriousness of concussion and I don’t think you’re ever going to be able to eliminate the risk, but mitigating it is important,” he said.

“I think every team, every club has their own instruction that we go about our training in a certain way to do our best to mitigate the circumstances where you lose someone to a head knock.

“But you do need to train, you know, because the players need to familiarise themselves with it, they need to rehearse it.“We play match practice pretty early in the pre-season. I’ve had a look at some of the categories (and) I can’t imagine we’d need to change too much – we should be OK.“