Essendon great and former Bombers coach James Hird has returned to the AFL landscape in joining Greater Western Sydney through a part-time role.
Hird hasn't featured in the league since he departed the Bombers in 2015 following the club's infamous supplements saga, with a new journey at the Giants set to reignite his career in the AFL.
The premiership captain and five-time All-Australian is set to take on a consultancy position with GWS, with Hird looking to pass on his leadership qualities to the Giants' next wave of stars.
The 48-year-old revealed that Giants midfielder Matt de Boer was a key link in joining the New South Wales side for 2022, with Hird excited by the respect of returning to clubland.
“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.”
The Giants have named three captains for the upcoming season, with star duo Josh Kelly and Toby Greene joining Stephen Coniglio as captains of the club.
With Hird at the helm, GWS will be able to get the most out of their new three-piece captaincy cohort, as the Bombers great brings with him over 250 games of experience as an AFL Hall of Fame member and Brownlow medallist.
Hird was also a five-time best and fairest with Essendon and was a crucial part of their premiership victories in 1993 and 2000, winning the Norm Smith Medal and captaining the Bombers in the latter year.