AFL Daily: Telling Hird reveal over wantaway Bombers stars; Tigers staffer’s shock exit

James Hird has shed further light on his progress in the Essendon coaching race, as well as made a reveal over his stance on the club’s wantaway stars.

Plus, in a shock, Richmond has seen a key staffer announce his departure just a year and a half into the role. Read on in AFL Daily.

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HIRD’S REVEAL OVER WANTAWAY DONS

James Hird has revealed he’d attempt to “sell the dream” to wantaway Essendon stars he’d hope to keep as coach.

The Bombers are almost resigned to the departures of Zach Merrett and Jordan Ridley, while there’s the capacity for more to exit at the end of a likely last-placed campaign.

But Hird, who’s days away from taking the next step in his bid to be reinstalled as Essendon coach, said if he got the job, he’d pitch “the dream” to those he wanted to keep.

“(It’s) tough to answer the question, because you don’t have the job. But you’d want to know which players they think are going to stay - you want to know what your list is going to look like,” Hird said on Footy Classified.

“That’s one of the questions you’d definitely be asking the club - ‘Where do you think the list is at? Which of those players are going to stay?’ And you’ve got your own ideas on those players.

“If you were lucky enough to get the job, you’d certainly want to sit down with the players who potentially are going to leave - who you want to stay - and sell them the dream, sell them what you’re going to do, and see if you can keep them, if you want them to stay.”

MORE COVERAGE:

REVEALED: Likely Merrett trade package as brutal reality laid bare, 13 Bombers in limbo

TRADE WHISPERS: Shock free agent backflip, young star’s contract call;

‘CHIPS IN’: Frontrunner yet to enter 16-man coaching process; ‘difficult’ Hird dilemma

Sheedy backs Hird return | 01:01

Hird’s comments come as he prepares to meet with Bombers officials next week for a “brief chat”.

“I’m not sure (how brief it will be) … I’m not sure (how formal the first catch-up will be) … it’ll be a number of steps if you get all the way, but I’m glad they’re going through a process,” he said.

Hird found it hard to elaborate on how far along he was in terms of thinking about doing the job.

“It’s hard to answer how far down the line (I am). You don’t know whether you’re going to get the job,” he said.

“But obviously I’ve thought about this a lot. Thought about what I want to do, things I will do if I get the job.

“But it’s also in conjunction with what the club wants. The club has been very forthright in saying that ‘we’ll do it the Essendon way’ and do it in conjunction with Essendon.

“I think part of the first meeting with them is finding out what they want, what I would like to do, and how that mixes.”

Hird did also say that despite not having formed a team of staff he’d bring with him, he’s “got people who I’d love to work with”.

“I’ve got people who I’ve got in mind, but until you have some idea whether you’re anywhere near getting the job, I think it would be wrong to reach out to people and ask them, because how do they know?” he said.

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SHOCK TIGERS EXIT

Richmond high-performance boss Ben Serpell has announced an abrupt Tigerland exit “to take up another opportunity”.

Serpell, just one and a half years into the job and amid a campaign mired by an injury crisis of epic proportions, will depart the club this week.

Richmond has been forced to use 39 players throughout the course of the season; second-most behind only West Coast.

Stress injuries and soft-tissue ailments in particular hamstrung the Tigers, and especially their younger contingent, with top 2024 draft pick Josh Smillie still yet to debut due to repeat quad injuries.

“We thank Ben for his contribution since joining the Club at the completion of the 2024 season and wish him, and his family, the very best for what lies ahead,” Tigers’ football boss Tim Livingstone said in a statement.

“Ben will finish with us this week. The Club is well placed to manage through the balance of the season with our existing high-performance staff while we commence an extensive search for a replacement.

“The preparation of our playing group continues to be of the highest importance, and we will leave no stone unturned looking for the right person to lead our high-performance program into the future.

“Our new state-of-the-art facilities are due to be completed by the middle of next year, and we are really excited about what our playing group can deliver in the coming seasons. This appointment will be an important component of that future.”

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