James Hird has a decision to make about whether he returns to Essendon. (Getty Images: Morgan Hancock)
When new Essendon coach Mark McVeigh was flanked by president Andrew Welsh and CEO Tim Roberts at his introductory press conference on Wednesday, there was a clear theme emanating from the day: unity.
Unity is the thing Essendon has strived for, and failed to find, for the last two decades as it has cycled through players, coaches and administrators in a bid to end an infamous finals drought.
Welsh hopes that by hiring McVeigh he is able to kill two birds with one stone.
Mark McVeigh and Andrew Welsh are set to approach James Hird about a role at the club after he was overlooked to return as the senior coach for a second time.
The process to find its next coach acted as a litmus test for Essendon to actually show it had changed as a club after years of saying it with no actions to follow.
When Brad Scott was ousted midway through the season and James Hird launched his candidacy on national TV in the same week, the consensus was that Hird's return to the Bombers coaches box was a fait accompli.
The lack of belief or trust in Essendon as a sporting organisation left candidates pulling out, believing the club's trumpeted 'process' was actually a sham designed to deliver Hird the role.
It proved to be anything but, as Hird himself revealed after being beaten by McVeigh, leaving both he and Essendon at a potentially pivotal crossroads.
This rejected bid to be Essendon's coach is completely different to Hird's last rejection, when he finished second behind Brad Scott.
James Hird (centre) was left on the outside looking in when Brad Scott (left) won Essendon's coaching race in 2022. (Getty Images: James Wiltshire)
There was something symbolic in Hird, one of Essendon's favourite sons, being beaten out by Scott, a nemesis of his from the Brisbane Lions heyday.
Scott winning the coaching race was reminiscent another occasion where he'd famously got one over Hird, overpowering the under-cooked then-Essendon skipper on the wing during a key period in the 2001 grand final.
Scott, having arrived from the AFL and being selected by an independent panel, appeared a choice that was an aggressive attempt to get away from the fabric of Essendon.
Scott's regime brought a lot of change, and while his decisions may eventually age well, they left Essendon's diehards feeling more disillusioned with every loss that followed.
