Nick Hind reveals pain and hurt after losing his cousin Hannah McGuire
Delisted Bomber Nick Hind endured a traumatic end to his AFL days which included the alleged murder of his cousin, Hannah McGuire. Ahead of a special tribute this weekend, he opens up on how it affected his career.
An AFL player who lost a beloved family member to an alleged murder and was later caught up in a scandal where a convicted killer was invited into the changerooms after a game, has revealed for the first time how the series of events contributed to the end of his career.
Former Essendon and St Kilda midfielder Nick Hind said the alleged murder of his cousin, Ballarat’s Hannah McGuire, had ended his passion to play at the highest level.
McGuire’s body was found in a burnt out car in Scarsdale in April. Her ex-partner Lachlan Young has been charged with her murder and is awaiting trial. He has pleaded not guilty.
Hind, 30, is now preparing to play local footy with Darley in the Ballarat Football League this season.
He said Hannah’s death rocked him and he struggled to focus on playing footy.
“It impacted me hugely,” he said.
“You hear stories of stuff like that which happen to people but never think it will be you or your family.
“I’ve been quite lucky in that sense not dealing with too many passings of family members.
“I was going through a challenging time myself with footy and not sure where I stood (being out of contract).
“It definitely affected me but I tried to wrap my arms around my family and those close to me.”
Hind’s junior club Clunes will this weekend play for a memorial trophy named in Hannah’s honour.
Hannah played netball for Clunes and Talbot so now the two clubs are playing a series of pre-season matches on Saturday. The winner of the A-grade netball match will take home the Hannah McGuire Cup.
Hind said he would have loved to be there to support his family but will instead be playing a practice match for Darley.
“It’s an amazing initiative and something that I don’t think the family will take lightly,” he said.
“I wish I could get down there for it to be honest.
“It’s really good and Talbot and Clunes have been playing in a lot of practice matches over the years.
“It’s nice that they’ve been able to honour her in that way.”
Months after Hannah’s death, Hind found himself embroiled in controversy when a brief association with a convicted killer was broadcast during a “Roaming Brian” segment on Channel 7 in the Essendon changerooms after a win over Collingwood.
The AFL cautioned the Bombers over the incident while clearing Hind of any individual fault. The out of contract Hind was delisted at the end of the season.
He revealed that incident was the moment he knew his career was done and it caused more personal pain while he was still grieving.
“It compounded with the amount of stuff I had going on in my personal and family life,” he said.
“Some stuff written about me who I was hanging out with (wasn’t true).
“But I’m glad I didn’t say anything about it and let it go.”
The former midfielder said he didn’t pursue any further AFL opportunities as his heart was not in it anymore.
“Looking back now I’m glad I was let go by Essendon as I wasn’t in the head space to go again,” he said.
“I’m well content, I started back on the tools (in my trade) two weeks after being delisted.
“I don’t know whether it (the round 17 incident) played an impact on me going to another club, but being 30 I think it did,” he said.
“If that did contribute to it, I’m okay with it, and I don’t give it much thought.”
Hind said he left Essendon on good terms with the club and the coaching staff.
Originally published as Nick Hind reveals pain and hurt after losing his cousin Hannah McGuire
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