Uncertainty was growing in AFL circles on Sunday over James Hird’s future as Essendon coach.
A board meeting in the next couple of days is expected to hear debate over cutting the suspended coach loose, despite a reported $2 million payout.
Hird’s 12-month ban over the club’s use of supplements expires in August 2014. The Brownlow Medallist and club icon is contracted to coach the Bombers in 2015 and 2016.
An explosive ABC TV interview aired on Thursday featuring Hird’s wife Tania reignited the debate over Hird’s coaching future.
The timing of Tania Hird’s broadside over the AFL’s handling of the supplements scandal was seemingly designed to cause major embarrassment to league chief Andrew Demetriou.
It came a day before Essendon’s round-one clash with North Melbourne, which Essendon won by 39 points.
Essendon chairman Paul Little says Tania Hird’s behaviour was unhelpful. Little says James Hird needs to control those around him.
Hird’s 2000 premiership teammate Matthew Lloyd is confident Hird will regain the senior-coaching role in 2015 from caretaker coach Mark Thompson, who has been promoted to the top job on a one-year deal.
“My understanding is that Hird and Little have spoken and James Hird will be the coach in 2015,” Lloyd said on Radio 3AW on Saturday night.
Hird is believed to be in Singapore en route to France for a stint at an exclusive business school as part of a four-month working holiday, having already been paid his annual seven-figure salary.
Lloyd told Nine’s “The Sunday Footy Show” he was certain Hird would stay. Little and Hird had smoothed things out, Lloyd said.
Little fuelled speculation on Sunday.
“The appropriate forum for further discussion now is the Essendon board,” he said.
“The facts are that certain things have been said. We need to assess that and decide what we do next.”
The dramas involving Hird’s public feud with Demetriou has failed to unsettle the Bombers on the field.
Thompson guided Essendon to a 15.9 (99) to 9.6 (60) victory against North Melbourne at Etihad Stadium on Friday night in round one.
Essendon midfielder Jobe Watson was best-afield and forward Paul Chapman, who played under Thompson at Geelong, booted four goals in his Essendon debut.
Defender Dustin Fletcher, 38, played a club-record 379th game for the Bombers.
The second week of round one had kicked off on Thursday night at Simonds Stadium in Geelong, where the Cats scored the last six goals of the game to beat Adelaide 18.11 (119) to 12.9 (81).
It was a fitting celebration for Geelong triple-premiership star Jimmy Bartel’s 250th game.
Hawthorn began their premiership defence with what coach Alastair Clarkson described as a scratchy performance. The Hawks won 21.13 (139) to 13.13 (91) on Saturday in Launceston.
Luke Breust and Jarryd Roughead kicked five goals each as the Hawks showed off their scoring firepower in the post-Lance Franklin era.
“It’s pretty scratchy footy quite often early in the year but as long as we’re winning games of footy we’ll deliver close to our best hopefully towards the end of the year,” Clarkson said.
St Kilda beat fellow strugglers Melbourne 10.8 (68) to 6.15 (51) on Saturday night at Etihad Stadium.
First-gamer Luke Dunstan showed promise in midfield for the Saints, while former failed forward Jack Watts was at his creative best in the centre for Melbourne.
