By Jon Pierik
AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan says there is no reason why James Hird cannot return to senior coaching ranks - should the Essendon great decide to interview for the vacant Greater Western Sydney job.
In his first interview since returning from the US to meet with leading broadcast executives, McLachlan was quizzed about a range of issues on his fortnightly slot on 3AW with Neil Mitchell.
James Hird has been working at GWS in a part-time leadership role this season.Credit: GWS
He acknowledged the AFL could have improved how it dealt with a report into female umpires, said the new AFLW season would begin in the last weekend of August, moved to allay fears there’d be less AFL games on free-to-air TV under the next broadcast rights deal, and confirmed that a twilight timeslot was one of the two being considered for the grand final.
The Giants are in the market for a new coach, and will part ways with Leon Cameron after his final match in charge, against Carlton on Sunday.
Hird, who has been in London on business, returned to coaching this season in a part-time leadership advisory role with the Giants.
AFL boss Gillon McLachlan with commission chairman Richard Goyder after he announced he is vacating the CEO’s role.Credit: Getty Images
Sources close to the Giants say Hird, 49, is keen to help former teammate Mark McVeigh, who will be the Giants’ caretaker coach from Monday, while McLachlan said there is nothing to disqualify the Essendon playing great from seeking the top role for season 2023.
“No, absolutely not. He is doing work with the club … and, I don’t know if James wants to coach again, he has wanted to come back to football to an extent, but there is absolutely no reason [why not],” McLachlan said on 3AW on Friday.
Hird had been at the helm of Essendon through the club’s dark days during the supplements scandal. This led to his AFL-imposed, 12-month suspension in 2014, in which McLachlan was a key deal maker. Hird returned in 2015 but stepped aside late in the season.
Four-time Hawthorn premiership coach Alastair Clarkson, enjoying a year off, is the early front-runner for the Giants’ role, having declared on Thursday night his desire to coach burned as bright as ever.
McLachlan said the AFL would not provide greater financial assistance for the Giants to lure Clarkson. It has been suggested that Clarkson would receive ambassadorial money should the Gold Coast Suns’ job become available and he opt to join the underachieving franchise.
“The same soft cap applies to all clubs - that’s not in consideration [that] there would be any additional monies in the cap for that (for the Giants),” McLachlan said.
“I think what the club needs, what the league needs, they want the right coach to take them forward. Whether that be a brand coach like, say, Leigh Matthews or Al Clarkson, the club will work through what the playing group needs in the right type of coach.”
Having met with media executives, including from Amazon and Paramount Plus, McLachlan said the next rights contract beyond 2024 would have an “increasing” streaming component. However, he insisted the current free-to-air component, which has an average of three-and-a-half matches per round on the Seven network, will remain, regardless of whom the free-to-air network is.
“We will still, at our core, have, give or take, that amount of content on free-to-air football because it is important that everyone can access our game, and the best of our game, for free. But also, there are nine games a weekend, there are not enough slots for free to air, we will also have a subscription/streaming partner,” he said.
McLachlan said the AFL Commission will meet next week to discuss the timing of the grand final, confirming it will either be an afternoon or twilight clash at the MCG.
“Victorians haven’t had the experience of being to a twilight one. I know a lot of people don’t want to think about that, and I respect that,” he said.
“You look at what happened when we were able to present at twilight [in Perth last year] - I think a lot of people last year thought it was an incredible presentation of our pinnacle game but, obviously, there are a lot of traditions about how people traditionally have gone to grand finals in Victoria, and I totally respect that as well.”
McLachlan acknowledged the AFL had mishandled how it had dealt with a report into female and non-binary umpires that uncovered a culture of sexual harassment, misogyny and spectator abuse. He said he had not read the report before it was published in the media.
“It should have been made public and we have acknowledged that. We commissioned the report, we actioned the report, and somehow in between it wasn’t publicly communicated. It was widely distributed but not publicly communicated. We acknowledge it should have been,” he said.
Amid growing frustration among AFLW clubs over the fixture delay, McLachlan said the new season will begin on the last weekend of August, and said he had met with AFL Players Association chief Paul Marsh on Monday to help broker a new collective bargaining agreement.
McLachlan also said the AFL would only intervene in the racism scandal between Heritier Lumumba and Collingwood should there be a reason to do so.
Keep up to date with the best AFL coverage in the country. Sign up for the Real Footy newsletter.