James Hird
James Hird
Personal information
Full name	James Alan Hird
Date of Birth	February 4, 1973 (1973-02-04) (age 35)
Place of Birth	Canberra, Australian Capital Territory
Recruited from	Ainslie
Draft	79th overall, 1990 Essendon Bombers
Height/Weight	188 cm / 90 kg
¹ Club statistics to end of 2007 season
² Representative statistics to end of {{{repstatsend}}} Career highlights AFL is the 35th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the song by James Blunt, see 1973 (song). ... For other uses, see Canberra (disambiguation). ... Capital Canberra Government Constitutional monarchy Administrator none Chief Minister Jon Stanhope (ALP) Federal representation  - House seats 2  - Senate seats 2 Gross Territorial Product (2006)  - Product ($m)  $19,167 (6th)  - Product per capita  $57,303/person (1st) Population (End of November 2006)  - Population  333,667 (7th)  - Density  137. ... Pre-Draft Picks 1 Paul Mifka to Brisbane from West Coast 0 2 Danny Noonan Brisbane Clarence 55 3 Roger Smith Brisbane Southern District (NT) 0 4 Shane Strempel Brisbane Swan Districts 3 5 Darryl White Brisbane Alice Springs 100+ 6 Ben Aulich Sydney Belconnen (ACT) 0 7 Justin Clarkson... Essendon Football Club logo Essendon Football Club is an Australian Rules Football club that is part of the Australian Football League. ... 2-time AFL Premiership Player (1993, 2000 - Captain) 3-time AFL Pre-Season Premiership Player (1993, 1994, 2000) Brownlow Medal (1996) Norm Smith Medal (2000) 5-time All-Australian (1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2003) 3-time ANZAC Day Medallist (2000, 2003, 2004) 2-time International Rules Series Representative (2000 - Captain, 2004) Jim Stynes Medal (2000) AFLPA Madden Medal Nominee (2007) GNC LiveWell Football Achievement Award (2007) Open Universities Australia Personal Development Award (2007) AFL Rising Star Award Nominee (1993) Essendon Footba1l Club This is a page about the national league in Australian Rules Football. ... The NAB Cup is the pre-season/night series Australian rules football competition of the Australian Football League, sponsored by National Australia Bank. ... The Charles Brownlow Trophy, better known as the Brownlow Medal, is the medal awarded to the best and fairest player in the Australian Football League during the regular season (ie not including finals matches) as decided upon by umpires. ... The Norm Smith Medal is the award given in AFL grand final to the player adjudged by an independent panel of experts to have been the best player in the match. ... The All-Australian Team is an all star team of Australian rules footballers, selected by a panel at the end of each season. ... Anzac Day is commemorated by Australia and New Zealand on 25 April every year to remember members of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) who landed at Gallipoli in Turkey during World War I. Anzac Day is also a public holiday in the Cook Islands, Niue, Samoa and... International Rules Football match at the Telstra Dome - Australia vs Ireland. ... The Jim Stynes Medal is awarded to the best player of the Australia international rules football team for each International Rules series. ... The Australian Football League Players Association Awards are a group of awards given annually to players in the Australian Football League, voted for by all AFL players. ... The Australian Football League Players Association Awards are a group of awards given annually to players in the Australian Football League, voted for by all AFL players. ... The Australian Football League Players Association Awards are a group of awards given annually to players in the Australian Football League, voted for by all AFL players. ... This article needs to be wikified. ... Named No.3 in Champions of Essendon - list of club's all-time greatest players Essendon Team of the Century (Half-Forward Flank) 5-time Essendon Best and Fairest Winner (1994, 1995, 1996, 2003, 2007) Runner-Up in Best and Fairest Winner (2000) 2-time club leading goalkicker (1995, 1996) Captain of Essendon (1998-2005) Vice-Captain of Essendon (1996-1997)

James Alan Hird (born February 4, 1973) is an Australian former Australian rules footballer and captain of the Essendon Football Club. A long-time captain of the Bombers,^{[citation needed]} Hird is admired not only for his on-field bravery,^{[citation needed]} but his exceptional ability to anticipate the course of play.^{[citation needed]} This benefited not only his own play but that of his team mates, making him one of the most effective club leaders in modern times.^{[citation needed]} With one notable exception, he is universally respected for his good behaviour on and off the field,^{[citation needed]} and has been an articulate,^{[citation needed]} effective^{[citation needed]} spokesperson for his club in extensive media work.^{[citation needed]} He suffered serious head injuries in a collision with teammate Mark McVeigh in May, 2002 which almost forced him into retirement, but he recovered and continued to play a vital role in the Essendon team. He was known for his accurate kicking and his brilliant snaps on goal, such as the famous goal against West Coast in Round 3 2004. Most of his disposals were collected from contesting in the pack and firing handballs at team mates which he would follow up with a second possession to launch the Dons into attack. Essendons Home and Clash Jumpers Essendon Football Club, nicknamed The Bombers, is an Australian rules football club that is part of the Australian Football League. ... Essendons Home and Clash Jumpers Essendon Football Club, nicknamed The Bombers, is an Australian rules football club that is part of the Australian Football League. ... Essendons Home and Clash Jumpers Essendon Football Club, nicknamed The Bombers, is an Australian rules football club that is part of the Australian Football League. ... The W.S. Crichton Medal is the name given to Best and Fairest award for Australian rules football team the Essendon Football Club. ... The W.S. Crichton Medal is the name given to Best and Fairest award for Australian rules football team the Essendon Football Club. ... Essendons Home and Clash Jumpers Essendon Football Club, nicknamed The Bombers, is an Australian rules football club that is part of the Australian Football League. ... Essendons Home and Clash Jumpers Essendon Football Club, nicknamed The Bombers, is an Australian rules football club that is part of the Australian Football League. ... is the 35th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the song by James Blunt, see 1973 (song). ... High marking is a key skill and spectacular attribute of Australian rules football Precise field and goal kicking using the oval shaped ball is the key skill in Australian rules football Australian rules football, also known as Australian football, Aussie rules, or simply football or footy is a code of... Essendons Home and Clash Jumpers Essendon Football Club, nicknamed The Bombers, is an Australian rules football club that is part of the Australian Football League. ... Mark McVeigh (born January 26, 1981) is an Australian rules footballer. ...

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.

In his first season, 1991, Hird sat on the sidelines for most of the season with constant injuries hampering him. He was becoming disillusioned, but persistence from coach Kevin Sheedy convinced him to remain with the team. He made his senior debut in 1992, while spending most of the season in Essendon's reserves, which, under Denis Pagan, won the premiership that season. He achieved regular selection in the Essendon senior team during the 1993 season. 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. 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 with Brisbane Bears half-forward Michael Voss. Kevin John Sheedy AM (born December 24, 1947) was the coach of AFL club Essendon, and a former player for Richmond. ... Denis Pagan (born 24 September 1947) is an Australian rules football coach and former player. ... Mark Mercuri is a professional Australian rules football player for Essendon FC he played in the 1993 Grand final winning team which defeated Carlton. ... Gavin Wanganeen (born 16 June 1973) is an Australian rules footballer, currently playing with the Port Adelaide Football Club. ... Dustin Fletcher (born May 7, 1975) is an Australian rules footballer with the Essendon Football Club. ... Ricky (Rick) Olarenshaw (born 1 February 1973) is a former Australian rules footballer in the Australian Football League. ... David Calthorpe (born August 17, 1973) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for Essendon, the Brisbane Lions and the Kangaroos in the AFL. Calthorpe was an on-baller and in his first ever State of Origin game for Victoria won the E.J. Whitten Medal. ... Paul Hills (born September 20, 1972) is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Essendon in the AFL during the 1990s. ... Smokin Joe Misiti was an Australian Rules Football player for the Essendon Bombers. ... Best and Fairest (also known as Fairest and Best in some competitions, notably the Australian Football League) is the term commonly used in Australian sport to describe the player(s) adjudged to have had the best performance in a game or over a season for a given sporting club or... The Charles Brownlow Trophy, better known as the Brownlow Medal, is the medal awarded to the best and fairest player in the Australian Football League during the regular season (ie not including finals matches) as decided upon by umpires. ... Brisbane Bears were an Australian rules football Club and was the first Queensland-based club in the Victorian Football League. ... Michael Voss (born July 7, 1975) is an Australian rules footballer, usually playing midfield or in the forward line for Australian Football League team the Brisbane Lions. ...

Late 1990s

A series of injuries restricted Hird's appearances during the remainder of the 1990s. 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. This article is about stress fractures in bones. ...

Early 2000s

2000 was a much better year for Hird. Injury free, he received a number of honours, including selection and captaincy of the All Australian Team, and the Norm Smith Medal for a best on ground performance in the AFL Grand Final. The Essendon team also won the Ansett Cup pre-season competition, and the regular season premiership. The team only lost one game - against the Western Bulldogs - in the year 2000, making it the most successful year for any team in the history of the Australian Football League. The All-Australian Team is an all star team of Australian rules footballers, selected by a panel at the end of each season. ... The Norm Smith Medal is the award given in AFL grand final to the player adjudged by an independent panel of experts to have been the best player in the match. ... The Western Bulldogs, formerly referred to as the Footscray Football Club, is an Australian Football League (AFL) club based at the Whitten Oval in Footscray, an inner western suburb of Melbourne. ...

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.^{[citation needed]} 2002 then saw Hird's worst injury, an horrific facial injury sustained when he collided with teammate Mark McVeigh's knee, breaking or fracturing all but a couple of the bones in his skull; Hird was in hospital for a week and missed several months of the season. Brisbane Lions Australian Football Club (the trading name for the Brisbane Bears-Fitzroy Football Club) is an Australian Football League club based in Brisbane, Queensland. ... Mark McVeigh (born January 26, 1981) is an Australian rules footballer. ...

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 three votes behind the winners. He was rewarded with a place in the 2003 All-Australian team. Scott Lucas (born 30 December 1977) is an Australian rules footballer for the Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League, and is noted as the other major forward for the Bombers, along with Matthew Lloyd. ... The All-Australian Team is an all star team of Australian rules footballers, selected by a panel at the end of each season. ...

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 surprising attack on the umpiring that Essendon had received in the previous round, raising questions about the professionalism and fairness of the performance. He stated that they had trouble with one particular umpire in several games in the past; initially, it seemed that he wanted to leave the umpire anonymous, but he felt that he had to name Scott McLaren, whom he later described as "disgraceful." His stance softened during the interview, although this appeared to be in response to the bemusement of his fellow panelists, who were shocked by his unprecedented actions. The Footy Show is an Australian sports television program, shown on the Nine Network and its affiliates. ... Scott McLaren is an umpire in the sport of Australian rules football, officiating in the Australian Football League. ...

The matter by-passed 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 was not meeting until the following week; as such, Hird was allowed to play in the Round 3 game against the West Coast Eagles (see Memorable Games). West Coast Eagles Football Club is an Australian rules football club competing in the Australian Football League. ... James Alan Hird (born February 4, 1973) is an Australian former Australian rules footballer and captain of the Essendon Football Club. ...

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. Hird accepted his sanction and expressed remorse for this actions. 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, bringing closure to the issue, but Carlton fans were particularly hostile to any free kicks given by McLaren to Essendon. [1] is the 105th day of the year (106th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Carlton Football Club, nicknamed The Blues, is the sixth oldest Australian rules football club and the third oldest club in the Australian Football League. ...

Late career

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. is the 270th day of the year (271st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... For the racing cyclist, see Matthew Lloyd (cyclist). ... David Hille (born 6 July 1981) is an Australian rules footballer in the Australian Football League. ...

Hird continued to be a solid performer in his utility role when fit, but age was forcing him to miss games through injury with increasing frequency. He suffered calf strains during both his 200th and 250th games.

Final season and retirement

Despite much speculation that he would retire at the end of the 2006 season, Hird played out the 2007 season, playing 17 of a possible 22 games. Now aged 34, Hird continued to feature prominently among Essendon's best players, and he concluded his career by winning a fifth Best and Fairest award.

Hird played two farewell games: his final game in Victoria at the M.C.G. against Richmond, and his final game overall at Subiaco Oval against West Coast. The games were made higher profile as they were also the final games coached by 27-year coach Kevin Sheedy. Hird was one of the best on field in his final game, amassing 34 disposals, one shy of his career high. As James Hird left the field for the last time, the crowd gave him and Kevin Sheedy a standing ovation as they left the field for the last time. “MCG” redirects here. ... This page is about the Aussie rules club. ... Subiaco Oval, known colloquially as Subi, is the highest capacity sports stadium in Perth, Western Australia. ... West Coast Eagles Football Club is an Australian rules football club competing in the Australian Football League. ... Kevin John Sheedy AM (born December 24, 1947) was the coach of AFL club Essendon, and a former player for Richmond. ... Kevin John Sheedy AM (born December 24, 1947) was the coach of AFL club Essendon, and a former player for Richmond. ...

Honours

In 1997, the Essendon Football Club named the then-triple best and fairest winner in its Team of the Century on the half-forward flank. In 2002, the Essendon Football Club named Hird as the third-best player in the club's history.

Memorable Games

Hird was recognized for his ability to win a game almost single-handedly. In 2006 the Essendon Football Club's official website listed his 5 greatest, or most memorable, performances, as voted by fans, including: the 2003 Elimination final against Fremantle; the 2000 Grand Final against Melbourne, for which he won the Norm Smith Medal, and; the 2003 and 2004 Anzac Day clashes, for each of which he won the Anzac medal. Fremantle Football Club, nicknamed The Dockers and known informally as Freo, is one of 16 teams in the Australian Football League (AFL). ... Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Demons, is an Australian rules football club playing in the Australian Football League, based in Melbourne, Victoria. ... The Anzac Day clash is an annual Australian rules football match between Australian Football League teams Essendon and the Collingwood on ANZAC Day (April, 25). ...

His most memorable performance is universally considered to be the Round 3, 2004 game against West Coast - the game immediately following his umpiring comments controversy. It was a close, high scoring game, remembered as one of the best games of football for several years^{[citation needed]}, particularly for its final quarter. To three-quarter time, Hird had 19 disposals and one goal; in the final quarter, he managed 15 disposals and two goals, the latter of which was most memorable. With the scores level at 131 and very little time remaining, the ball was bounced in Essendon's forward pocket, 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 for the game-winning goal. In the emotion of the moment, he ran to the fence and hugged the first fan he saw, a young teenage Essendon fan. 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^[1]; the votes went to Matthew Lloyd (three votes, seven marks, eight goals), Ben Cousins (thirty disposals, three goals), and eventual Brownlow medallist Chris Judd (twenty-three disposals). West Coast Eagles Football Club is an Australian rules football club competing in the Australian Football League. ... The Charles Brownlow Trophy, better known as the Brownlow Medal, is the medal awarded to the best and fairest player in the Australian Football League during the regular season (ie not including finals matches) as decided upon by umpires. ... For the racing cyclist, see Matthew Lloyd (cyclist). ... Benjamin Luke Cousins (born 30 June 1978 in Geelong, Victoria)[1] is an Australian rules footballer who played for the West Coast Eagles in the Australian Football League from 1996 to 2007. ... Christopher Dylan Judd (born 8 September 1983) is an Australian professional Australian rules footballer for the Carlton Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). ...

In Essendon's horror 2006 season he returned one week early from a minor injury to lead his side to a drought-breaking win over Brisbane in round 17, 2006. It was Hird's first match since round 13 against the Kangaroos and the Dons' first win since April Fools' Day of the same year. Brisbane Lions Australian Football Club (the trading name for the Brisbane Bears-Fitzroy Football Club) is an Australian Football League club based in Brisbane, Queensland. ...

Personal life

Hird married to Tania Poynton on October 11, 1997 and they have three children - a daughter, Stephanie (born 1999), and two sons, Thomas (born 2001) and Alexander (born 2003). Tania is the sister of former Young Talent Time performer Greg Poynton.

Hird's grandfather, the late Allan Hird, was a notable player and president for the Essendon Football Club, and his father Allan Hird, Jr. had a brief playing career with Essendon. Allan T. Hird, Sr. ...

Hird completed a degree as a civil engineer in 1998, and in that capacity has worked as a consultant on the CityLink project.[2] He is now involved heavily in football-related media work, but he has also spent time working for a stockbroking firm^[2] Hird also owns a Melbourne restaurant called "Red Mullet" and is an active partner in "Gemba" - a sports marketing and media consultancy firm based in Melbourne. CityLink is a tolled freeway system in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. ...

In 2005, Hird appeared in one of the first two Toyota Memorable Moments advertisements with comedians Stephen Curry and Dave Lawson. Hird recreated his game-winning goal against West Coast (see Memorable Games), with the fan he hugged replaced by a random groundskeeper Dave Lawson is an Australian comedian. ...

References

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Image File history File links Question_book-3. ...

External links

• James Hird profile on the Official AFL Website of the Essendon Football Club
• James Hird's statistics from AFL Tables

• Toyota memorable moment advertisement featuring James Hird
• James Hird's winning Goal agaimst West Coast 2004