Latest news with #JamesHird
Yahoo
10-08-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
'All for second chances': AFL world divided over startling James Hird development
AFL fans have had a mixed reaction after Melbourne Demons great David Schwarz urged the club to consider James Hird as its next head coach. On Friday, leading reporter Tom Morris stated Nathan Buckley was the 'hot favourite' if he decides he wants to get back into coaching, while former Sydney Swans mentor John Longmire has ruled himself out of contention. With the Demons on the hunt for a new coach after sacking Simon Goodwin last week, club great Schwarz believes Hird should be interviewed at the very least. Hird coached Essendon from 2011 to 2013, and then again in 2015. However his time in charge of the Bombers is shrouded in controversy due to the supplements scandal. 'I want the next coach to be our next premiership winning coach,' Schwarz said on SEN radio on Sunday. 'I don't want to go to the well four times in the next 10 years. I'm looking at an experienced coach unless someone pops up out of the blue. 'Put it this way - if Garry Lyon put his hand up tomorrow saying he wanted to coach – I'm saying no. I love Gaz but I don't want someone who hasn't had an unbelievable time in footy. 'I think James Hird has been lost to footy. I think he has a great footy mind. I'm a massive fan. He got caught up in something that he has taken the full front of criticism for. Don't tell me he wouldn't come back as a better human being. I am all for second chances. 'I'd love to see James Hird - whether it's Melbourne or any club - I'd love to see him back in the fold in some shape or form. He is too good of a footy person. He's actually a good person. I would love him to get a second chance. Would he get the role as Melbourne senior coach? Probably not but I tell you now, I'd be interviewing him and picking his brain." It's unlikely that Hird would take on a head-coaching role at any other club than his beloved Essendon, although he did have an assistant role at the GWS Giants in 2023. Like Buckley, he's moved into the media and seems comfortable out of the pressure-cooker of coaching. While some agreed with Schwarz that Hird would be a good candidate, others felt the role wouldn't be the right one for him. Not our number one son! Plenty of coaches out there that would be more than happy to take on that job. Leave our Hirdy alone. — RACHELE (@RayeCharles) August 10, 2025 No no no he's coming home❤️🖤 — Parker Dorothy (@ParkerDorothy12) August 10, 2025 It's like Melbourne doesn't remember how they built a premiership team, and are hell bent on pulling a WC as it falls off the cliff. — Marcus Milroy (@marcus_milroy) August 10, 2025 Looking for overnight success — CrowForm $8 (@CrowForm) August 10, 2025 Demons job 'Nathan Buckley's position to lose' On Sunday night, Morris doubled down on his claim about Buckley and declared it's his "position to lose". Buckley was Collingwood coach from 2012 to 2021, narrowly missing out on the 2018 premiership. "There's a board meeting tomorrow where they will meet and discuss the committee to select the next coach," Morris said on Channel 9 program 'Footy Furnace'. "On Wednesday they'll announce that committee and have someone appointed before preliminary final week. I think it's looking likely to be Nathan Buckley. He's interested in the job and they (the Demons) like him, it's just a matter of how it all works." RELATED: Collingwood controversy back in spotlight after Freo skipper incident Sad blow for Dermott Brereton and family after brutal scenes On Saturday, Swans' premiership-winner Longmire ruled himself out of the running. Longmire and former West Coast mentor Adam Simpson were originally thought to be the leading candidates, but it looks like Buckley might have overtaken them. Longmire stepped down last November following the Swans' crushing grand-final loss to Brisbane - his fifth decider in 14 years at the helm. He remained at the Swans, taking up the role of executive director of club performance. It is understood he is not yet ready to return to the coaching fray.
Daily Mail
09-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Western Bulldogs star Jamarra Ugle-Hagan opens up on how he is conquering his mental health battles
There is renewed hope that Jamarra Ugle-Hagan could return to the AFL in the near future after the Western Bulldogs star opened up on his mental health struggles - and how he is battling them. Ugle-Hagan, 23, has not played for the Bulldogs since early March 2025, with the club citing mental health reasons. On March 16, during a Bulldogs match, he was allegedly spotted at a Melbourne pub instead of attending, prompting public criticism from Essendon great James Hird. By late March, speculation surged on fan forums after 65 pages of posts detailed rumours about his absence and commitment. In July, his ex-girlfriend Liv Kelly - who had lived with him since 2022 - posted a cryptic TikTok about 'staying silent to protect someone,' sparking intense debate. She followed up with comments such as 'We love a narcissist,' which many fans interpreted as aimed at Ugle-Hagan. On June 10, Ugle-Hagan revealed on the Rip Through It podcast that he had checked into a northern NSW health retreat after suffering suicidal thoughts and giving his car to a mate so he couldn't drive. He admitted his passion for footy had faded, filling the gap with drinking and socialising with friends. Rumours of him moving to Geelong intensified in late July after he was tagged in an Instagram photo taken in the Cats' dressing room on match day. Despite the noise, he returned to Bulldogs training in early August, saying he wanted to stay and win a premiership. Now he made a rare public appearance and declared that he was back in love with the game, working on himself in a bid to return to the AFL arena. 'Mentally I'm getting better,' Ugle-Hagan told News Corp. 'I'm journalling every morning as soon as I wake up. 'I feel like that is more in my interest now to get me through this tough time. 'I love training myself and putting myself through something I can get better in. It is an easier way for me.' Ugle-Hagan, currently single, says spending time with supportive friends helps keep his mental health on track. On Thursday night, he stepped outside his comfort zone to attend the Melbourne International Film Festival gala at Hoyts Melbourne Central. He later mingled at the lavish State Library after-party, chatting with MIFF board member and actor Tony Briggs. Ugle-Hagan attended as the guest of actor Kylah Day, a recent Logie nominee for most popular new talent. Also spending time with friend and content creator Brooke Blurton, he said they are part of a close-knit support group. 'I've had some things go on this year and it has been challenging. But the fact that I can show up to events like this makes me feel a lot better,' he said. 'It is good to get out other than just football. Socialising is a really massive thing and just distracts yourself from, I don't know, just natural life, your wellbeing. 'It is a distraction and embraces who you are.' 'I've got a support team. A family I've created in Melbourne and bonded with and that's why it is so hard to definitely fall off now.
News.com.au
21-07-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
‘Never seen that': Collingwood tactic causes stir after Fremantle defeat
Collingwood rolled the dice with a tactic many footy commentators had never seen before in the frenzied final moments of their loss to Fremantle. The Magpies' lost back-to-back games for the first time in 12 months in their Sunday showdown at the MCG, giving up a 22-point lead in the final quarter as the fast-finishing Dockers ran over the top of them to win a thriller by one point. FOX FOOTY, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every match of every round in the 2025 Toyota AFL Premiership Season LIVE in 4K, with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited-time offer. Essendon icon James Hird on Sunday night praised Collingwood for the club's late tactical switch despite the team falling short. The Brownlow medalist exposed the team's risky move to avoid committing to tackles in the final minutes as they chased a match-winning goal. Speaking on Channel 9's Footy furnace, Hird highlighted moments where Collingwood players deliberately held back from tackles in order to avoid ball-ups and stoppages. 'Collingwood do 'one percenters' better than everyone else,' Hird said. 'You look at these couple tackles here, the group tackles where the players are held. They tackle here and then he (Steele Sidebottom) backs off. They're backing off because they want to keep the ball in motion. 'This is why Collingwood, even though they lost, for me is such a well coached team. Every part of the game is coached down to the minutia of that. 'That must have been practiced and I reckon they would have gone back and said if we're a goal down with two minutes to go, we do not want stoppages, we want the ball in motion. 'How do we keep the ball in motion? This is the way we do it.' Leading footy journalist Tom Morris said he had never seen the tactic before. Hird responded by saying: 'I've seen it, but not to this extent. That's why Craig McRae is up there with the best coaches in the competition along with a couple of others because his coaching staff are teaching their players in moments how to be so successful.' It wasn't enough to get the Pies over the line with the Dockers' win setting up a hot fight to finish on top of the ladder. Collingwood did everything but beat the Dockers as McRae's men finished with massive buffers in contested possessions (151-131), tackles (86-65) and inside 50s (63-40), but they were undone by their lack of forward efficiency. 'This is one of those games you look at, 'OK. We've got some work to do', and I'd rather be learning those lessons now than learning them later on in the year,' McRae said. 'It just didn't feel like we connected that well this week again, but it's one of those hard games when you dominate so much of the territory, you're winning it back and you go into such density, so it makes it really hard to score. 'But I can't help but feel frustrated at that game because you feel like you did so much right and then you don't get the nourishment of a win. 'I also would've thought we did enough right to get the job done today.' Collingwood are renowned as the close-game specialists since McRae took over in 2022, but after only losing four of 25 games decided by six points or less in the previous three seasons, they've now fallen short in three such games this year. 'Yes and no,' McRae said when asked if he was still backing the method that had served them so well in tight finishes heading into 2025. 'This is not something you've ever got handled, because every game is opportunities live and delayed moments. 'Managing those moments will be forever something we need to do, and if the scoreboard's an indication, we haven't managed it well enough. 'Have we lost our spark? You'd hope not.' Collingwood have taken the liberty of resting players over the past fortnight, given their lead at the top of the ladder was 10 points prior to Round 17, but now that it's shrunk to two, McRae insisted he wouldn't change the way they approached the management of his charges. 'We'll do what's best for our group for what that looks like and when it needs to be in that situation,' McRae said. 'Hard to manage at the moment too many because we haven't got too many others available but the reality is we'll keep doing what we're doing ... it's a long year.' The premiership coach took comfort from the fact that his side suffered some similar hiccups late in the 2023 season before going on to win the flag that year. Meanwhile, McRae forecast forward Tim Membrey and onballer Tom Mitchell would both be available for their clash with Richmond next week.
Yahoo
26-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Eagles make call on contentious tactic amid fury over 'ridiculous' Daicos incident
West Coast coach Andrew McQualter says a controversial fine for St Kilda's Marcus Windhager won't deter him from using a tagger on Nick Daicos in Saturday night's AFL clash with Collingwood. Windhager copped a $1000 fine for an open-hand strike on Daicos in one of several heated incidents during their running battle last week, and it's thrust the role of tagging firmly back into the spotlight. St Kilda coach Ross Lyon was fuming in his post-match press conference after questioning many of the free kicks that went against his side, with Windhager giving four away on Daicos alone. The Collingwood star still managed 30 disposals and kicked one goal in the 34-point win at Marvel Stadium, suggesting the tactic to hound Daicos failed to pay off. Rival fans have frequently complained that Daicos gets favourable treatment from umpires and Lyon suggested as much after indicating he would ask the AFL for a 'please explain'. But Essendon legend James Hird said it would be a waste of time for Lyon to take his complaints to AFL House after insisting all four free kicks against Windhager were warranted. "There's not much point going in, Ross, I'd save your money," Hird told Nine's Footy Furnace. "Taggers are a part of the game, they are a good part of the game to negate someone, but if they do step over the line, free kicks should definitely be paid, and those free kicks were there." The drama has fired up debate around the controversial tactic of tagging, with many teams opting not to use it as a way of trying to shut down their opponent's best players. But McQualter often found himself in that role during his playing days and the Eagles coach admitted it was a tactic they could use to blunt Daicos and his brother Josh. RELATED: Ben Cousins sheds light on fresh scare after ending up in hospital Kangaroos greats slammed for boycott over women's footy storm Carlton captain's startling confession as Buddy calls for coach to go "(Nick) is such an exceptional player," McQualter said on Wednesday. "His brother's pretty handy, too, and they've also got a few others that are quite capable. It's definitely a challenge and there's no easy answer to it. Even when you tag Nick, he's pretty handy still. "You've got to remember I was a battler tagger myself back in the day, so I'm supportive of the tagger. The game's got rules and you can push the rules as far as you can. But ultimately if you're breaking the rules you should get free kicks against, or the punishment against." Brady Hough looms as the man most likely to be employed in the tagger role if West Coast do go down that route against Collingwood, having done a similar job on Geelong superstar Bailey Smith after quarter-time in round 12. "He played in defence for the first four years of his career and building his game that way, we think he's got the skill-set to do it," McQualter said. "If we do go that way it probably will be Houghy. We'll wait and see." While tagging may not be the most popular tactic with many fans and coaches, McQualter didn't have any issues with how Windhager handled his clash with Daicos. And he suggested the free kicks the St Kilda star gave away were probably fair. "I thought he was disciplined to his job and there were times when he gave away free kicks," the West Coast coach added. "The umpires paid those free kicks and so be it." I dont think he should have be fined. I cant blame Daicos for putting a bit on it though. if taggers want to play outside the rules with holds, soft punches or kneeing him, I think its only fair the tagged player milk it a bit for free kicks to stop the tag. — Jordy D (@d33_jordy) June 23, 2025 No way it is a fine but they have to do it every time it happens now. There will be a lot of fines handed out — Richard Ballard (@warnbells) June 23, 2025 Irrelevant of teams or players involved…Funny how many people think it's ok to hit a player off the ball.. Open hand or not, it's still a hit, regardless how hard it is & the last time l checked the rules don't allow it….Pendles got a fine 4 doing same thing last year to Neale — Big G (@BigG3148) June 23, 2025 Of course its not a fine, ridiculous to even suggest itBut why the hatred of Daicos? Windhager throughout the night really pushed the limits of what is legal in the game. Why no mention of that? Why is it all centred on Daicos and why is he continually called soft? Its craziness — Nathan (@nathanjsmith86) June 23, 2025 with AAP
Daily Mail
25-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
See the photos that prove footy legend James Hird and his wife have their priorities right after shock marriage split
Tania Hird has proved her split with her husband James is an amicable one by having a great day out as the footy icon's new team held a ladies' day recently. The former Essendon star and coach is now director of coaching with the Port Melbourne club, where his son Tom plays - and despite their marriage falling apart, Tania was on hand to cheer on the Borough last weekend. She posted photos of her outing to Instagram along with the caption: 'A stunning Ladies Day at Port Melbourne Football Club with terrific company and warm, woollen @hairflairaus scarves,' referring to her accessories business. Tania's photos showed her cheering the players onto the ground, with one appearing to reach out to high-five her, along with a close-up of a smiling Tom taking to the field. The heartwarming post comes after James Hird's decision to get involved with Port was rumoured to be the source of some tension between him and Tania before they split. One of footy's foremost power couples, the Hirds announced the end of their 27-year marriage back in January. The Bombers legend and Tania were together through his highs as arguably the game's best player at the peak of his on-field career, to the shattering lows brought on by the Essendon drugs scandal, which broke in 2013. Incredibly, the couple - who have four children together - reportedly managed to keep their split a secret for more than a year. Shortly after their news became public, a family friend revealed to Daily Mail Australia that Hird told his friends there was no infidelity involved in the decision to go their separate ways - and that he still treasures Tania. 'He is telling friends that he will always love Tania,' the source revealed. 'James thinks she has done an amazing job of raising their kids. 'Neither one of them has cheated, there's no third party involved, but after 27 years they've simply grown apart.' Another source with ties to the Hird family said the couple were eager to keep their parting of the ways out of the spotlight until all of their children - Stephanie, Tom, Alex and William - had finished school. That source also maintained there was some tension between James and Tania over his interest in returning to the footy world as he was tied to a coaching position with Port Melbourne last year. Earlier this week, Hird opened up about his surprise move with Port. 'They've been good to Tom and I felt like I could make a difference here. To do something with your son is very special,' he told News Corp. 'This is a journey in itself, being part of Port Melbourne Football Club and trying to create a good football program where we can have some success and teach and help players learn. That's the sole purpose of doing it.' Hird says he's not thinking about coaching in the AFL after returning to commentary with Channel Nine.
