James Hird speaks after meeting with Essendon as club's bold request denied - Footy Classified

A very good evening and welcome to Footy Classified.We're starting to get to the pointy end of the AFL season and we've got big news on Tasmania, big news out of Bomberland and to get into it, let's have a look at this panel and it's a star -studded panel headed up by Kel Toomey.

Good to be here, Brownie.Looking forward to it again.

Yeah, you look great too, Kel.

What about you, Rory?Nah, nice to be back.Good to be alongside Herdy after a big day.

And James Heward, as always.

Good to be here, Brownie.Looking forward to the show.

We are not going to start with you and the Bombers tonight, but we are going to start with Kel Toomey and the Tasmanian Football Club.

Yeah, we can say tonight, Brownie, Tasmania is pursuing former Essendon coach Brad Scott to be its inaugural football boss.So whilst all the focus is on their head coaching role and the interviews that are taking place as part of that, and we'll get to that shortly, they're also working through how they land their first football boss.So the Devils are interested in Brad Scott as they look to bring in an experienced person in the role.Scott and Devils CEO Brendan Gale recently caught up and it's understood there is interest in Luring to be a part of this startup club.

With Brad Scott, he's experienced in football, he's done multiple roles at the AFL, twice a coach.Is this a role suited to Brad and why do they want Brad specifically over a current football manager?

Well they've tried for current football managers and the reality is that these experienced guys they aren't going to get until at least the end of the season.There's been discussions at various points over the last year or so.The Devils had planned originally to have their football boss locked in by mid -year and then that football boss would play a part in the coaching search.Now that, as we reported a couple of months ago, flipped.They've clearly carried through for their coaching role in and of itself.But now they're looking in seeing if Brad Scott would be interested in it.

I don't know whether Brad Scott is ready to jump back into club land straight away.It's seven weeks after he was sacked by Essendon.He of course is, as you say, hurdy at the AFL between jobs at North Melbourne and Essendon.But Tassie wants their football boss also to be based in Hobart as of the start of next year.So relocation is a deciding factor for us.

It's an incredibly attractive role though, when you think about the coach and the footy boss.To actually set up a football club in the heartland of football, to me it's an incredibly attractive job.

Yeah, and they've got so many opportunities.formulate these list rules when he was at the AFL in 2022.that have to re -sign them.

So you think Heston are nervous because he's there and knows the rules but surely any football manager who goes there would have an intimate knowledge of what those rules are.

Yeah you should do but this is a guy that was a huge part in actually writing them as well.If you made them you'd have a pretty good idea.

I'm not saying you would but let's say you went down as a footy manager you'd probably get yourself across the rules.

He's a strong character, Brad Scott.Obviously they need a strong character down there.

to handle a strong coach.

as a coach he's expressed the most interest and I think speaking to guys at Port he suits the demographic of what that team will be really nicely like he knows how to develop a young side he's got great relationships he's got a great connection to Tasmania for me it seems like the perfect fit.

Let's move to the Essendon Football Club now and there's been an unusual request around their assistance package.

Yeah so we revealed on this show about six weeks ago guys that the Bombers were in towntalks with the AFL around an assistance package.Like I said then, I still expect something to go Essendon's way and they've only gotten worse since then.Do you really think they'll get an assistance package out of the AFL?Yeah I do.I'm not exactly sure what it is yet but I think the worse they've gotten makes their chances of getting an assistance package much greater.

Do you think Essendon Football Club deserve an assistance package?

I was negative towards the West Coast Eagles getting it last year.

I'll say no.There's no chance they deserve one.And it comes down to your development.We've spoken about this multiple times.If your development has been poor...

I do agree with you.I think that if the mistakes are made, you bury yourself in it.But if it's there, they should definitely apply for it.Because clubs in similar positions, the West Coast Eagles is as big a club, if not a bigger club than the Astro Football Club and has power and wealth.If they got it, I think it's only fair.

to T -RodThey have the priority access to get him, but it doesn't stop Tasmania from making a bid on him.And when Tasmania has so many picks at the top of the draft, that's why they put that one through.The AFL won't tick that off.But I do think, Brownie, that they're going to get something at the end of this year.

Yeah, Brownie, as I said on Sunday, I'm not going to give comment on the process, now I'm in the process, or respond to comments.So I'd prefer just to leave it.I think it's not fair to Essendon or to myself to keep talking about it while the process is going on.I'm not going to comment any further.And I suppose if I get the job, I'll comment, and if I get kicked out of the process, I'll comment then.

How hard is it to do it while you're playing out this role in the media?Obviously when Brad Scott moved on, you had no idea when taking this role and your Sunday night role that you'd be answering these questions.It must be tough to play the James Heard media hat and obviously going for this in the eyes of everybody.Basically on air every week.

It's complicated.I wouldn't say it's hard.We're talking about footy.It's a great job to be on air and talk with you guys about football.It's something I love.But it's complicated trying to balance both.

Because if you're a paid employee of Channel 9, you owe a service to them to give the best of your ability.But also, when you go into confidential conversations, you keep those confidential.So, complicated rather than hard.

You'll enjoy being part of this process though, won't you?It's going to be a good process for you to be involved in.

Absolutely.As I said, the process has started.We'll see what happens.

Is this the only process you'll be a part of?If another club who are looking for a coach came to you and said, James, we'd like you to be part of a process, what's your answer to that?

I just don't think it's going to happen, Brownie, so I don't have that dilemma, but no, I'm all in on the Essendon job.

James, do you know when you'll hear back around the next steps?

As I said, Calum, respectfully, I don't want to respond, I don't want to put any fuel on the fire, and with this Essendon process, I want to, really, no comment.You're looking for some leaders at the Essendon Football Club?

Yeah, I was going to say, one role, or other roles, yet they're just as important as the coaching role, no disrespect to you Hurtys.some leaders and senior leaders at the footy club.For me, they lack that at the moment.I look at what Brisbane did with Luke Hodge, and even what we went through at Adelaide in 2020, we were at the bottom, at the bottom time of our footy club.But we had good leaders around that were able to help this young crop come through, and they're the leaders at the moment.You've got McGrath, Langford, Redmond, Martin, Darman, those guys need help, because they're still young fellas.

And they're still learning their craft as well.I've got a few names to throw up.One I'd love to see Essendon go really hard for is Jeremy Howe for a few reasons.For me he comes from a great footy club over the last five years.one of the best defensive sides, if not the best defensive side.So you're not just getting him in to play maybe 10, 15 games, you're buying some IP too.

Lachie Neal's one that you'd definitely have a crack at, Nick Murray from Adelaide, Nick Floston, Ollie Wines, these guys have all been leaders in their footy club and part of really good programs.

But realistically Rory, why would those players at the moment look at Essendon as a home to go to?Certainly Essendon Football Club, you were talking about some of the leaders you played with, but why would somebody like a Jeremy Howe at the moment go to Essendon?

Obviously you can make a little bit extra money than what you would be getting maybe at the footy club at Collingwood if he was to stay.Nick Murray, it might be for opportunity.But for a lot of those guys too, they're coming to the end of their career.It's about a legacy piece.Can you implement or can you help these young kids from Essendon come through and develop something and be part of something special going forward?It's not about winning a final.

It's not about winning a flag.It's about helping a next generation of kids coming through that are hungry.I hear Kako talk.I hear Nate Caddy talk.These kids want to win and be part of something.something special, but they lack the leadership around them.

It's definitely one player they're not going to get.Jed Walter re -signed officially today, revealed over the weekend that he was locking in for another three years at the Suns.They went hard for him.This is one of the biggest attacks.How hard did they go?Well, they put six million dollars or so on the table for five years.

That's 1 .2 over five years.That's a pretty strong deal for them.player who's played.It's a huge deal.So what do you think he's settled on?He's signed for three years.

I think he'll be somewhere between $900 and a million, around that mark.And that's about what he's worth.I think this is the young key forward marker.What it does do, though, Brownie, is put the focus very much on banking and what happens there.Essendon, for what it's worth, played a huge card to try and get Ben King earlier this year.Huge deal money -wise.

The biggest probably in the club's history.Wasn't interested.And now, It's looking like Hawthorne is where?As we said last week on the show, Hawthorne is looming as the favourite to get him.

Is King a James Heard fan?because this is a part that they've got to weigh up to, because if you do get Hurdy to coach, that is a big name.I'd pull on the boots again to go play under Hurdy.There's a lot of people that would love to play under you.

accept the compensation pick, which now is pick 5 or pick 6, which might be better for them than actually getting what Hawthorne have to offer.As for Merritt, I think he's commuted, locked in, and wants to go to Hawthorne and nowhere else.

But that's probably $2 million at least.Probably $2 .5 million.Where does that come from?I think they've got space.

They didn't get anyone last year, remember?They put an $18 million deal, 11 years on the table for Harley Reid last year, so they've got space.