Canberra-born AFL champion James Hird will make his return to the league after joining the GWS Giants in a new role.
The former Ainslie Football Club junior and Essendon premiership captain will join the Giants in a part-time capacity as a leadership consultant.
Having played 253 games for the Bombers, Hird won two premierships, a Norm Smith Medal, five Best and Fairest awards, and was named in Essendon’s Team of the Century.
Hird was awarded the game’s highest individual honour, the Brownlow Medal, in 1996, as well as being named in five All-Australian teams.
Hird then stepped into the head coach role at Essendon in 2011 but his reign ended in controversy when he was identified as a key figure in the club’s supplements debacle.
The AFL suspended him for 12 months and while he returned to coaching the Bombers, Hird resigned near the end of the 2015 season.
Hird then had serious mental health struggles, but last year he spoke to the GWS players about his AFL career and now will have a formal role at the club.
He credits his former Essendon teammate Mark McVeigh, now a Giants assistant coach, and GWS veteran Matt de Boer for his involvement with the club.
“It probably came about through Matt de Boer actually, I had got to know him quite well through some work away from the club and he invited me to come down and have lunch with the players while the team were in Melbourne last year,” Hird said.
“Mark McVeigh then asked if I would come and speak to the group about playing football in Melbourne, my experiences in the AFL, and impart some of my life journey. For younger players it’s good to hear, but also for senior players.
“Getting to know Leon (Cameron), I’ve had a huge amount of respect for him over a very long period of time, so getting the chance to work with him was something I was really looking forward to.
“It’s a part-time role, and very much around the leadership group but also around the emerging leaders and sharing my experiences in football and trying to get them to lead and encourage and work hard on that side of things.”
Hird travelled to NSW to spend time with the club’s new leadership group and emerging leaders when they travelled to the Central Coast for a pre-season planning session in December.
Giants General Manager of Football Jason McCartney said the club was excited to have the Hall of Famer on board.
“An opportunity presented to work with James in a leadership consultancy role in 2022 and given how successful James has been in the game, we knew he would have a lot to offer our club.
“It’s fantastic to have someone of James’ calibre join our program and work with our leadership group and emerging leaders’ group.
“We welcome James’ insights from both his storied football career and his work in the business world.”
The Giants will kick off their 2022 season on 19 March when they take on the Sydney Swans at Accor Stadium.
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