James Hird
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| Personal Info | |
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| Birth | 4 February, 1973, |
| Recruited from | Ainslie, ACT |
| Height/Weight | 188cm / 89kg |
| Playing Career¹ | |
| Debut | Round 1, March 21, 1992, Essendon vs. St Kilda, at Waverley Park |
| Team(s) | Essendon (1992-)
232 games, 330 goals |
| ¹ Statistics to end of 2006 season | |
| Career Highlights | |
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James Albert Hird (born February 4, 1973) is an Australian rules footballer, formerly the captain of the Essendon Football Club. A versatile player who can play in a key forward position, a midfielder or as a sweeper in defence, he is generally considered to be one of the best and most fearless modern player in the game of Australian rules football, and one of the greatest players of all time.
A long-time captain of the Bombers, Hird is admired not only for his on-field bravery, but his exceptional ability to anticipate the course of play. This benefits not only his own play but that of his teammates, making him one of the most effective club leaders in modern times. With one notable exception (see the section on "umpiring controversy" below), he is also respected for his good behaviour off-field, and has been an articulate, effective spokesperson for his club in extensive media work. He has also incurred one of the worse injuries to his head, recovered and kept playing always facing the prospect of another potentially fatal head clash. While his speed and physical prowess has been affected by his many injuries and long career, James Hird's impact on the game is not what it used to be. It appears 2007 will be his final season and based on recent years will be doing well to get through 12-15 games, but will more than likely significantly influence the result in these games.
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[edit] Family history
The Hird family has a long history at Essendon, with James' father, Allan, playing with the side in the 1960s, and his grandfather, also Allan, a distinguished player with Hawthorn, Essendon and St Kilda, before going on to a long career as an administrator of the Essendon Football Club. Allan Snr's contribution led to a stand at Windy Hill being named in his honour.
[edit] Early career
James Hird was recruited from the Ainslie Football Club in Canberra, in the 1990 AFL draft. Due to injury problems in his junior football career, he was not selected until pick number 79, one of the last in the draft.
James Hird made his debut in 1992, but it was in the 1993 season he first began to make his mark on the game. 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 Mercuri, Gavin Wanganeen, Dustin Fletcher, Ricky Olarenshaw, David Calthorpe, Paul Hills and Joe Misiti) that played a key role in the side winning the premiership that year.
[edit] Early honours
In 1994, Hird won the first of three consecutive best and fairests, culminating in his 1996 season, where he was jointly award the Brownlow Medal for the League's fairest and best player.
[edit] Injuries
A series of injuries restricted Hird's appearances during the remainder of the 90s. 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 fractures in his foot kept him to only two games.
[edit] 2000 premiership success
2000 was a much better year for Hird. Injury free, he won a number of honours, including selection and captaincy of the All Australian Team, and the Norm Smith Medal for best on ground in the grand final. The Essendon team also won the Ansett Cup pre-season competition, and the regular season premiership. The team only lost one game for the entire season, making it the most successful year for any team in the history of the competition.
The following season's Grand Final was a disappointment for Hird. He played poorly and his post-match congratulatory speech to the victorious Brisbane Lions was considered to be ungracious. Unfortunately, injuries have again plagued Hird since then, the worst being a horrific facial injury during the 2002 season, when he collided with teammate Mark McVeigh's knee. Hird was in hospital for a week and missed several months of the season.
[edit] 2004: Umpiring Comments
After Round 2, 2004, Hird put the first and only public dent into his highly respected reputation[citation needed], when he made one of his regular panel appearances on The Footy Show. Hird launched a scathing attack upon the umpiring his team received in the previous round, raising questions about the professionalism and fairness of the performance. He stated that they had had trouble with one particular umpire in several games in the past; initially, it seemed that he wanted to leave the umpire anonymous, but when asked which one, he felt that he had no choice but to name Scott McLaren, whom he later described as "disgraceful."
Host Eddie McGuire and the other panelists were clearly shocked by Hird's comments[citation needed]; no player had so publicly criticised umpiring for years[citation needed], and to criticise a particular umpire was unheard of[citation needed]. To begin with it was clear that Hird had the intention of standing up against his believed mistreatment by umpire McLaren[citation needed], but the extremely startled reaction by Eddie McGuire and the panelists perhaps made him realise that this could cost him, in both fines and suspension from playing football[citation needed]. As McGuire probed him further to determine the reasons for his comments, Hird began to realise the trouble he had created for himself, and his comments became increasingly softer; by the end of the discussion, Hird's public position had changed. Essendon had no longer "had trouble with McLaren in the past;" instead, it was just "some decisions in this particular game." It was, however, too late, his comments could not be erased[citation needed].
The matter bypassed the AFL Tribunal, and the punishment Hird would receive would be determined directly by a meeting of the AFL Commission. The Footy Show airs on Thursdays, and the AFL Commission were not meeting until the following week. As such, Hird was allowed to play in the Round 3 game against the West Coast Eagles. Meanwhile, the media and public debated how Hird should be treated: most agreed that a hefty fine would be imposed[citation needed], some believing a suspension should also have been levied[citation needed]. For others, the debate centered around whether or not players should be allowed to criticise umpires[citation needed].
With his impending penalty in the back of his mind[citation needed], Hird took part in the Round 3 game against West Coast two nights later. It was a close, high scoring game, remembered as one of the best games of football for years[citation needed]. Particularly standing out was its final quarter, in which eleven goals were scored, including five in the final five minutes. Hird played an excellent game, amassing 34 disposals and scoring 3.1. The moment immortalised in history occurred at the 31 minute mark of the last quarter[citation needed], with scores level on 131. The ball was bounced in Essendon's forward pocket; the ball was tapped to the boundary line side, roved, and neatly handpassed to a goalward running Hird, who slotted it through from 30m on an acute angle. In the emotion of the moment, he ran to the fence and hugged the first fan he saw, a young teenage Essendon fan[citation needed]. It was the final score of the game, with Essendon winning 22.5.137-20.11.131. Controversially, Hird received no Brownlow Medal votes from the umpires for his 34 disposals, media speculation being that the umpires deliberately snubbed him because of his comments[citation needed]. The votes went to Matthew Lloyd (three votes, seven marks, eight goals), Ben Cousins (thirty disposals, three goals), and eventual winner Chris Judd (twenty-three disposals).
On the following Wednesday, April 15, the AFL Commission 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. In further controversy, Scott McLaren was one of the umpires rostered for the Essendon vs Carlton game the following Friday night. The pair shook hands at the commencement of the game, but Carlton fans were particularly hostile to any free kicks given by McLaren to Essendon. [1]
In the end, it appears that the footballing media and public have largely forgiven Hird for the incident[citation needed], and he remains one of the most widely admired of all current footballers[citation needed].
[edit] Recent career
In 2003, despite again missing eight games through various injuries, Hird tied in the Essendon best and fairest with Scott Lucas. He also narrowly missed out on a second Brownlow Medal, finishing only 3 votes behind the winners. However, he was rewarded with a place in 2003's All-Australian side.
Further emphasising Hird's status as one of the game's great players, in 2002 the Essendon Football Club named him as number three on their list of the club's 25 best ever players
In 2005, he recreated his game-winning goal against West Coast for Toyota's AFL advertisements. In it, the fan he hugged is replaced by a random groundskeeper.
Hird completed a degree as a civil engineer, but aside from football-related media work he has also spent time working for a stockbroking firm[1]
On September 27, 2005, Hird handed the captaincy to Matthew Lloyd. After Lloyd sustained a season-ending injury in Round 3 of 2006, Hird served briefly as acting captain until young ruckman David Hille was named captain for the remainder of the 2006 season.
Despite much speculation that he might retire at the end of the 2006 season, Hird announced that he will play on in Season 2007.
[edit] Notable Performances
Hird is recognized for his ability to win a game almost single-handedly. In 2006 the Essendon Football Club's website listed his 5 greatest performances, voted by fans.
According to the "Best of Hird" list, his 5th greatest perfomance was against Fremantle in the 2003 Elimination Final. He lead the Bombers to an interstate finals victory with 28 possessions and 2 goals.
In 4th place was his Anzac day performance against Colllingwood. He would win the Anzac medal for the second year running and 3rd time in 5 years.
In 3rd place was his Anzac day performance a year earlier in 2003. Kicking 5 goals including 3 in the last quarter when he tore the Magpies to pieces. Collingwood had three men marking him, but he was in devastating form. His 3 goals in the last quarter were all amazing snaps from a long way out. He also won the Anzac day medal.
In 2nd place was his game against Melbourne in the 2000 AFL Grand Final. Hird proves himself the ultimate big game player leading the team to victory and claiming the Norm Smith medal, collecting 2 goals and 29 disposals.
In 1st place was his performance against West Coast, Round 3, 2004. After a horror week - see Umpiring Comments - he showed great determination to see his team over the line. In the first 3 quarters he amassed 19 disposals and 1 goal. However, it was his final quarter which will always stand out. Collecting 15 dispsoals and 2 goals, 1 behind, his sheer determination won the game for the Bombers. His first goal of that quarter was kicked with 5 minutes remaining, after marking 50 Metres out on the lead. He converted his mark with a great long range shot from an angle. The goal that stands out was his third, which ended up being the winning goal. After Damien Adkins goaled in the 30th minute the game seemed set for a draw. Hird had different ideas. At the centre bounce he won the ball and played the ball inside 50, which the Eagles defended well, resulting in a bounce. The ball was bounced in Essendon's forward pocket; the ball was tapped to the boundary line side, roved, and neatly handpassed to a goalward running Hird, who slotted it through from 30m on an acute angle. In the emotion of the moment, he ran to the fence and hugged the first fan he saw, a young teenage Essendon fan. In total Hird collected 34 disposals and 3 goals, 1 behind. The final score was 137-131. It is remembered as one of the best games of football in modern times.
[edit] Personal life
Hird is married to Tania Poynton and they have three children - a daughter, Stephanie (born 1999), and two sons, Thomas (born 2001) and Alexander (born 2003).
[edit] External links
- Toyota memorable moment advertisement featuring James Hird
- James Hird's winning Goal agaimst West Coast 2004
| Preceded by Gary O'Donnell |
Essendon Best and Fairest winner 1994-1996 |
Succeeded by Sean Denham |
| Preceded by Paul Kelly |
Brownlow Medallist 1996 |
Succeeded by Robert Harvey |
| Preceded by Shannon Grant |
Norm Smith Medallist 2000 |
Succeeded by Shaun Hart |
| Preceded by Mark Johnson |
Essendon Best and Fairest winner 2003 |
Succeeded by Adam McPhee |
Categories: Australian rules footballers | Articles with unsourced statements since March 2007 | All articles with unsourced statements | Articles lacking sources from January 2007 | All articles lacking sources | 1973 births | Living people | All-Australians | Brownlow Medal winners | Champions of Essendon | Essendon Bombers players | Norm Smith Medal winners | People from the Australian Capital Territory
