James Alan Hird (born 4 February 1973) is a retired
Australian rules footballerAustralian football, also commonly referred to as Australian rules football, football, or Aussie rules, colloquially as footy, and historically as Australasian football or Victorian football, is a variant of football played between two teams of 18 players, plus four interchange players, outdoors on...
and former captain of the
Essendon Football ClubEssendon Football Club, nicknamed The Bombers, is an Australian rules football club and is part of the Australian Football League. Formed in 1871 as a junior club and as a senior club in 1873, it is headquartered at the Essendon Recreation Reserve, Windy Hill in the Melbourne suburb of Essendon,...
in the
Australian Football LeagueThe Australian Football League is the major professional Australian national competition in the sport of Australian football and is arguably Australia's biggest sporting competition in terms of membership, corporate sponsorship and attendances .The league comprises 16 teams which play 22 home and...
(AFL). Primarily a midfielder–half forward, tall and weighing , Hird was often given free rein by Essendon coaches to play wherever he thought warranted. He was the joint winner of the 1996
Brownlow MedalThe Chas Brownlow Trophy — better known as the Brownlow Medal , is awarded to the "fairest and best" player in the Australian Football League during the regular season as determined by votes cast by the officiating field umpires after each game...
with Brisbane midfielder
Michael VossMichael Voss is the senior coach of the Brisbane Lions and a former Australian rules footballer. As a player, he played predominantly as a midfielder for the Brisbane Bears and Brisbane Lions in the Australian Football League...
, as a half forward.
Early career
James Hird was recruited from the
Ainslie Football ClubAinslie Football Club is a semi-professional Australian rules football club based in Canberra, in the Australian Capital Territory.The club, formed in 1927 and play in the now AFL Canberra and won its first permiership in 1929....
in Canberra, in the 1990
AFLThe Australian Football League is the major professional Australian national competition in the sport of Australian football and is arguably Australia's biggest sporting competition in terms of membership, corporate sponsorship and attendances .The league comprises 16 teams which play 22 home and...
draft. Due to a serious hip injury along with other injuries in his junior football career, he was not selected until pick number 79, Essendon's 7th and one of the last in the draft.
In his first season, 1991, Hird sat on the sidelines for most of the season with constant injuries hampering him. At the end of the season, a vote was held on whether to delist him. The majority (4-2) voted in favour of Hird being delisted, although coach Kevin Sheedy voted to keep him. Eventually Hird remained with the team. He made his senior debut against St Kilda in 1992 at Waverley Park, as a late replacement for former captain
Terry DaniherTerry Daniher is a former Australian rules footballer in the Victorian Football League.Nicknamed "T.D", he was the first of four brothers to play for Essendon, after beginning his VFL/AFL career with South Melbourne.-Early life:Daniher was born in Ungarie, New South Wales, the eldest of the four...
. Hird spent most of the season in the Essendon Reserves, which under
Denis PaganDenis Pagan is a former Australian rules football coach and player in the VFL/AFL. He is current coach of Northern Knights in TAC Cup.-Playing career:...
won the premiership that season. He achieved regular selection in the Essendon senior team during the 1993 season. In that season he was a member of what was referred to as the "Baby Bombers", a group of young players (most notably including Hird,
Mark MercuriMark Mercuri was a professional Australian rules football player for Essendon. He played in the 1993 Grand final winning team which defeated Carlton...
,
Gavin WanganeenGavin Adrian Wanganeen was a former Australian rules footballer. He played in two Australian Football League premierships with Essendon and Port Adelaide...
,
Dustin FletcherDustin Fletcher is an Australian rules footballer with the Essendon Football Club. He is renowned as one of the finest defenders in the AFL, and has played at full-back for his team for many years. He is the son of former Bombers player Ken Fletcher.-Playing career:Fletcher was a member of the...
, Ricky Olarenshaw,
David CalthorpeDavid Calthorpe is a former Australian rules footballer who played for Essendon, the Brisbane Lions and the Kangaroos in the AFL....
,
Paul HillsPaul Hills is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Essendon in the AFL during the 1990s.Hills usually played on the wing and after being recruited from North Ballarat he joined Essendon for the 1991 season despite not having played a reserves game...
and
Joe Misiti"Smokin'" Joe Misiti was an Australian rules football player of Italian descent who played for Essendon.Originally from Keilor Park, he made his debut in 1992, and retired at the end of the 2004 Premiership Season, the same year as fellow Bomber veteran favourites Mark Mercuri and Sean Wellman...
) that played a key role in the side winning the premiership that year. In 1994, Hird won the first of three consecutive
best and fairestBest and Fairest is the term commonly used in Australian sport to describe the player adjudged to have had the best performance in a game or over a season for a given sporting club or competition while not receiving a suspension for misconduct or breaching the rules during that season.In the...
s, culminating in his 1996 season, where he was jointly awarded the
Brownlow MedalThe Chas Brownlow Trophy — better known as the Brownlow Medal , is awarded to the "fairest and best" player in the Australian Football League during the regular season as determined by votes cast by the officiating field umpires after each game...
for the League's fairest and best player with
Brisbane BearsBrisbane Bears were an Australian rules football club and the first Queensland-based club in the Victorian Football League. The club played its first match in 1987, but struggled on and off the field until it made the finals for the first time in 1995...
midfielder
Michael VossMichael Voss is the senior coach of the Brisbane Lions and a former Australian rules footballer. As a player, he played predominantly as a midfielder for the Brisbane Bears and Brisbane Lions in the Australian Football League...
.
Late 1990s
A series of injuries restricted Hird's appearances during the remainder of the 1990s. He could manage only seven games in 1997 and although he was named captain in 1998 (a position he held until the end of 2005), he was restricted to thirteen games that year. An even worse year followed in 1999, when
stress fractureA stress fracture is one type of incomplete fracture in bones. It is caused by "unusual or repeated stress" This is in contrast to other types of fractures, which are usually characterized by a solitary, severe impact....
s in his foot kept him to only two games.
Early 2000s
2000 was a much better year for Hird. Injury free, he received a number of honours, including selection to the All Australian Team, and the
Norm Smith MedalThe Norm Smith Medal is the award given in the AFL Grand Final to the player adjudged by an independent panel of experts to have been the best player in the match.-History:The Norm Smith Medal is named after former Melbourne player and coach, Norm Smith...
for a best on ground performance in the AFL Grand Final. The Essendon team also won the Ansett Cup pre-season competition, and the regular season premiership. The team only lost one game - against the
Western BulldogsThe Western Bulldogs, officially the Footscray Football Club, is an Australian Football League club based at the Whitten Oval in West Footscray, an inner western suburb of Melbourne...
- in the season including finals, making it the most successful year for any team in the history of the Australian Football League.
The following season's Grand Final was a disappointment for Hird. 2002 then saw Hird's worst injury, an horrific facial injury sustained when he collided with teammate
Mark McVeighMark McVeigh is an Australian rules footballer. He made his debut for Essendon Football Club in 1999 after representing NSW/ACT at Under 18 level...
's knee, breaking or fracturing all but a couple of the bones in his skull; Hird was in hospital for a week and missed several weeks of the season.
In 2003, despite again missing eight games through various injuries, Hird tied in the Essendon Best and Fairest with
Scott LucasScott Lucas is a former Australian rules footballer for the Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League, and is noted as the other major forward for the Bombers, along with Matthew Lloyd...
. He also narrowly missed out on a second Brownlow Medal, finishing three votes behind the winners. He was rewarded with a place in the 2003 All-Australian team.
Late career
On 27 September 2005, Hird handed the captaincy to
Matthew LloydMatthew James Lloyd , is a former Australian rules footballer who played for and was the captain of the Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League....
. After Lloyd sustained a season-ending injury in Round 3 of 2006, Hird served briefly as acting captain until young ruckman
David HilleDavid Hille is an Australian rules footballer in the Australian Football League.He debuted in 2001 with the Essendon Football Club and has been a solid ruckman for a number of years....
was named captain for the remainder of the 2006 season.
Hird continued to be an outstanding performer in his utility role when fit, but age was forcing him to miss games through injury with increasing frequency. He suffered broken ribs and a calf strain during both his 200th and 250th games, respectively.
Final season and retirement
Despite much speculation that he would retire at the end of the 2006 season, Hird played out the 2007 season, playing 17 of a possible 22 games. Now aged 34, Hird continued to feature prominently among Essendon's best players, and he concluded his career by winning a fifth Best and Fairest award.
Hird played two farewell games: his final game in Victoria at the
M.C.G.The Melbourne Cricket Ground is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park in inner Melbourne, home to the Melbourne Cricket Club. It is the largest stadium in Australia, and holds the world record for the highest light towers at any sporting venue. The MCG is within walking distance of...
against
RichmondRichmond Football Club, nicknamed The Tigers , are an Australian rules football club that competes in the Australian Football League. Richmond shares healthy rivalries with Carlton, Collingwood and Essendon. After winning five premierships between 1967 and 1980, the club hit the depths in 1990,...
, and his final game overall at
Subiaco OvalSubiaco Oval, known colloquially as Subi, is the highest capacity sports stadium in Perth, Western Australia. It is located in the suburb of Subiaco, about three kilometres west of Perth's city centre....
against
West CoastThe West Coast Eagles Football Club is an Australian rules football club competing in the Australian Football League....
. The games were made higher profile as they were also the final games coached by 27-year coach Kevin Sheedy. Hird was one of the best on field in his final game, amassing 34 disposals, one shy of his career high. As Hird and Sheedy left the field for the last time, the crowd gave them a standing ovation.
1998 - 1999: Navicular Stress Fracture
One of the most feared injuries for a running athlete, Hird was first struck with a stress fracture of his navicular bone early in the 1998 season. After traditional treatment for the injury, Hird returned for the start of the 1999 season, but broke down with the same injury again in only his second return game. Many feared it would be the end of his career.
Radical specialist treatment in the United States saw Hird return at the start of the 2000 season. Although technically recovered from the ailment, the injury required careful management for the rest of his career.
2002: Severe Facial Injuries
While running back with the flight of the ball in an away game against Fremantle in 2002, Hird's head collided with the knee of team mate
Mark McVeighMark McVeigh is an Australian rules footballer. He made his debut for Essendon Football Club in 1999 after representing NSW/ACT at Under 18 level...
. Hird suffered severe injuries to his face, in particular his left eye socket. The force of the impact radiated throughout his face, particularly to his sinuses, complicating the damage. Hird was unable to fly home to Melbourne due to the air pressure fluctuations found in an aircraft during flight creating concern for his health while the injuries healed.
2004: Umpiring Comments
During one of his regular panel appearances on
The Footy ShowThe AFL Footy Show is a Logie Award winning Australian sports television program, shown on the Nine Network and its affiliates.This show is the original of the two versions of the program, which is dedicated to the AFL and Australian rules football. The other relates to the NRL and rugby league on...
, on Wednesday 7 April, Hird launched a surprising attack on the standard umpiring he believed that Essendon had been dealt in the previous match versus St Kilda.".
After previously talking to the AFL about umpiring standards, Hird later wrote, "The umpires' interpretation our our interpretation seemed to be different too often, and we felt we weren't getting fair hearing." His anger spilled out onto the AFL Footy Show, saying:
Fellow panelist,
Nigel SmartNigel James Smart , was an Australian rules footballer with the Adelaide Crows from 1991 to 2004. He was a defender who was a crowd favourite with his bald head and goatee....
disagreed with Hird's comments. "James, I think you're totally wrong by hanging your dirty laundry out on national TV about the umpires. If you're saying he's had one bad game and you're taking the mickey out of him here." Hird replied by saying, "I'm no taking the mickey out of him, Nigel. I feel very strongly about the way he umpires. This may be one way of bringing it to a head." Smart 'responded with a certain amount of understatement', "Well I think it will." Hird later wrote:
The news didn't find it's way into the next days
Herald SunThe Herald Sun is a morning tabloid newspaper based in Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria Australia. It is published by The Herald and Weekly Times Ltd, a subsidiary of News Limited and owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation...
, although it was published the back page of another Melbourne newspaper;
The AgeThe Age is a broadsheet daily newspaper, which has been published in Melbourne, Australia since 1854. The Age was founded by three Melbourne businessmen, the brothers John Cooke and Henry Cooke who had arrived from New Zealand in the 1840s, and Walter Powell...
. The story then grew that Thursday night, when Hird's comments were replayed at half-time of the rounds opening AFL match. He later wrote, " ... Eddie McGuire and his co-commentators pumped it up, adding their thoughts and opinions. They really went to town on it ... That only made things worse." The next day, Hird got 'hammered' by his comments. On Friday, The Age's
Caroline WilsonCaroline Wilson is an Australian sports journalist, who currently appears on 3AW's pre-match AFL discussion, as a panelist on Channel Nine's Footy Classified, and an occasional panelist on the ABC program Offsiders....
wrote:
The media attacks didn't end, with the Herald Sun's
Mike SheahanMike Sheahan is an Australian journalist, editor of AFL Football in the Herald Sun, a panelist on the Fox Sports program "On the Couch" and ex-Media Director for the VFL...
saying, " ... It was the worst possible publicity for umpiring ..." Although this wasn't the first time Hird had brought up the subject, it was the first time he'd gone public about it. Soon after, McLaren responded by saying:
A few AFL players spoke out in the media criticizing some of the media's negative comments towards Hird. It was according to Hird, the first time he'd ever come under media scrutiny and he was unsure how to deal with it. He later took aim at the AFL players Association. "I don't think I was given enough support from them. I hadn't hurt anybody or been found taking something I shouldn't take, but I felt as if I was in the middle of a police investigation." Later that Friday, Hird called a press conference to aplogise to McLaren.
The matter by-passed the AFL Tribunal - that he made the comments on a national television program, they need not have determined that they were made; instead it was determined that the matter would be directly determined by a meeting of the AFL Commission, and any punishment Hird would receive would be determined directly by that meeting.
The Footy Show airs on Thursday evenings, and the AFL Commission was not meeting until the following week; as such, Hird was given clearance, pending the hearing, to play in the following game against the
West Coast EaglesThe West Coast Eagles Football Club is an Australian rules football club competing in the Australian Football League....
(see Memorable Games).
On the following Wednesday, 15 April, the AFL Commission met, deliberated, and ultimately handed down its penalty to Hird. He was fined $20,000, and forced to contribute to a 3-year umpiring development program; the Commission decided against suspension. Hird accepted his sanction and expressed remorse for his actions. In a further controversy, Scott McLaren was one of the umpires rostered for the Essendon vs
CarltonCarlton Football Club, nicknamed The Blues, is the third oldest club in the Australian Football League and one of the oldest Australian rules football clubs. They were the first premiers of the Victorian Football Association in 1877, and share the most premierships of any VFL/AFL club...
game the following Friday night. The pair shook hands at the commencement of the game, bringing closure to the issue, but Carlton fans were particularly hostile to any free kicks given by McLaren to Essendon.
On the occasion of his 300th umpiring appearance in 2008,
McLarenScott McLaren is an Australian rules football field umpire in the Australian Football League. He has umpired 300 career games in the AFL....
described Hird's outburst as a "defining moment" in his career.
Memorable Games
Hird was recognized for his ability to win a game almost single-handedly. In 2006 the Essendon Football Club's official website listed his 5 greatest, or most memorable, performances, as voted by fans, including: the 2003 Elimination final against
FremantleFremantle Football Club, unofficially nicknamed The Dockers and known informally as "Freo", is one of 16 teams in the Australian Football League . The club is based in the port city of Fremantle at the mouth of the Swan River in Western Australia...
; the 2000 Grand Final against
MelbourneMelbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Demons, is an Australian rules football club playing in the Australian Football League , based in Melbourne, Victoria....
, for which he won the Norm Smith Medal, and; the 2003 and 2004
Anzac Day clashes The ANZAC Day clash is an annual Australian rules football match between Australian Football League teams Essendon and Collingwood, held on ANZAC Day at the Melbourne Cricket Ground .-History:...
, for each of which he won the Anzac medal. He often wins acclaim for his part in the 2001 "Comeback Match" against the Kangaroos.
Grand Final - 2000: vs Melbourne
Hird won the Norm Smith Medal in the Grand Final versus
MelbourneMelbourne is the capital city and most populous city of the State of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne city centre is the anchor of the larger geographical area and statistical division known as the Greater Melbourne metropolitan area – of which Melbourne is...
.
Round 16 - 2001: vs Kangaroos
Essendon won one of the most memorable games of football in history, coming back from trailing by 69 points to the Kangaroos.
Round 5 - 2003: vs Collingwood
Hird won the Anzac Day Medal in the annual Anzac Day clash with traditional rivals
CollingwoodCollingwood Football Club, officially nicknamed The Magpies, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League....
.
Elimination Final - 2003: vs Fremantle
Hird played a major part in the first interstate final win by Essendon in several seasons, in what was Fremantle's first ever finals appearance.
Round 3 - 2004: vs West Coast
Probably Hird's most memorable performance is universally considered to be the Round 3, 2004 game against
West CoastThe West Coast Eagles Football Club is an Australian rules football club competing in the Australian Football League....
- the game immediately following his umpiring comments controversy. It was a close, high scoring game, and was particularly intense during its final quarter.
Up until three-quarter time, Hird had 19 disposals and one goal; in the final quarter, he managed 15 disposals and two goals, the latter of which was most memorable. With the scores level at 131 and very little time remaining, the ball was bounced in Essendon's forward pocket, tapped to the boundary line side, roved, and neatly handpassed by
Marc BullenMarc Bullen is an Australian rules footballer in the Australian Football League.He played for the Essendon Football Club from 2002 until the end of 2005, when he was delisted along with the likes of Damien Cupido, Mark Alvey, Sam Hunt, Ty Zantuck and Ben Haynes.Picked at pick number 63 in the 2000...
to a goalward-running Hird, who approximately thirty metres from goal, snapped from an acute angle for the game-winning goal. In the emotion of the moment, he ran to the fence and hugged the first fan he saw, a young teenage Essendon fan.
Controversially, Hird did not receive any
Brownlow MedalThe Chas Brownlow Trophy — better known as the Brownlow Medal , is awarded to the "fairest and best" player in the Australian Football League during the regular season as determined by votes cast by the officiating field umpires after each game...
votes from the umpires for his 34 disposals; the media speculation was that the umpires deliberately snubbed him because of his earlier comments; the votes went to
Matthew LloydMatthew James Lloyd , is a former Australian rules footballer who played for and was the captain of the Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League....
(three votes, seven marks, eight goals),
Ben CousinsBenjamin Luke Cousins is an Australian rules footballer, best known for his successful 238-game career with the West Coast Eagles and several off-field incidents that led to a year-long ban from AFL in 2007...
(thirty disposals, three goals), and eventual Brownlow medallist
Chris JuddChris Judd is a professional Australian rules footballer for the Carlton Football Club in the Australian Football League . A tall midfielder at 189 cm and 85 kg, Judd is an AFL Premiership captain, Brownlow Medallist, Leigh Matthews Trophy winner, and Norm Smith Medallist...
(twenty-three disposals).
Hird's winning goal was the focus of a popular installment of the
Toyota Memorable MomentsThe Toyota Memorable Moments series is a series of television advertisements produced over several years for the Australian Football League by its major sponsor, Toyota....
advertising campaign.
Round 5 - 2004: vs Collingwood
Hird won the Anzac Day Medal against Collingwood in the annual Anzac Day clash with traditional rivals
Collingwood- Sports Teams :* Collingwood Football Club of the Australian Football League* Collingwood VFL Football Club of the Victorian Football League* Collingwood Warriors S.C...
.
Round 17 - 2006: vs Brisbane
In Essendon's horror 2006 season he returned one week early from a minor injury to lead his side to a drought-breaking win over
BrisbaneBrisbane Lions Australian Football Club is an Australian Football League club based in Brisbane, Queensland...
in round 17, 2006. It was Hird's first match since round 13 against the Kangaroos and the Dons' first win since April Fools' Day of the same year.
Honours
Hird jointly won the
Brownlow MedalThe Chas Brownlow Trophy — better known as the Brownlow Medal , is awarded to the "fairest and best" player in the Australian Football League during the regular season as determined by votes cast by the officiating field umpires after each game...
with
Michael VossMichael Voss is the senior coach of the Brisbane Lions and a former Australian rules footballer. As a player, he played predominantly as a midfielder for the Brisbane Bears and Brisbane Lions in the Australian Football League...
in 1996, the award for the fairest and best player in the
Australian Football LeagueThe Australian Football League is the major professional Australian national competition in the sport of Australian football and is arguably Australia's biggest sporting competition in terms of membership, corporate sponsorship and attendances .The league comprises 16 teams which play 22 home and...
. After his retirement, Hird stated that being a member of the "Brownlow Club" was a privilege.
In 1997, the Essendon Football Club named the then-triple best and fairest winner in its Team of the Century on the half-forward flank.
In 2002, the Essendon Football Club conducted a fan-voted promotion to find the "Champions of Essendon". Hird was eventually named as the number three player on the all-time list of Essendon players.
Personal life
Hird married Tania Poynton on October 11, 1997 and they have four children - a daughter, Stephanie (born April 25, 1999), and three sons, Thomas (born March 28, 2001), Alexander (born August 7, 2003) and William (born February 20, 2009). Tania is the sister of former Young Talent Time performer Greg Poynton.
Hird's grandfather, the late
Allan HirdAllan T. Hird, Sr. was an Australian rules football player, coach and executive in the Victorian Football League .-VFL playing career:...
, was a notable player and president for the Essendon Football Club, and his father Allan Hird, Jr. had a brief playing career with Essendon.
Hird completed a degree as a civil engineer in 1998, and in that capacity has worked as a consultant on the
CityLinkCityLink is a system of tolled urban Highways in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The company Transurban was awarded the contract to augment two existing freeways and construct two new Toll roads—labelled the Western and Southern Links—directly linking a number of existing freeways to...
project. He is now involved heavily in football-related media work, but he has also spent time working for a stockbroking firm. Hird currently co-owns a restaurant called "Red Mullet Fishcaf" located in Glenferrie road, Malvern and is an active partner in "Gemba" - a sports marketing and media consultancy firm based in Melbourne.
External links