Mm-hmm.

And, uh, and that's what happens if you're not making top class decisions, um, around your club all the time.

And, um, to me, when I look back, I think to myself, "Well, I never thought it would happen," I'll be honest.

All right

...

Richmond people in my period of my life.

And, uh, they gave me a chance when I was in Melbourne Zone.

So I can't say anything else but I, to praise Richmond because really I was a Melbourne Zone player.

wins this week, Cheats?

Oh, look, I'd love to see Fremantle win one in the end.

I'll be honest, you know.

But, I mean, Chris Fagan, I love him.

Don't know the coach of Frio, but...

I'm going to win either way.

It's a three-peat, and it's fantastic for a guy who never played AFL.

Where does Saturday compare to some of those? How does it compare to the comeback in 2001 against North?

Who wins this week, Cheats?

Oh, look, I'd love to see Fremantle win one in the end.

I'll be honest, you know.

But, I mean, Chris Fagan, I love him.

Don't know the coach of Frio, but...

I'm going to win either way.

It's a three-peat, and it's fantastic for a guy who never played AFL.

Where does Saturday compare to some of those? How does it compare to the comeback in 2001 against North?

Right.

No, look, I- Burke and Bartlett and those sort of boys, Barry Richards and Michael Green, and, you know, they're just fantastic- Right ... people in my period of my life.

And not...

They gave me a chance when I was in Melbourne Zone.

So I can't say anything else but I ... to praise Richmond because really I was a Melbourne Zone player.

Mm.

Lift

... well, during your coaching career, we had the marshmallows, we had the jacket waving, we had the sl- slitting of the throat.

Yep.

Slipped up to Sydney for seven years to help get the Giants up and running and, um, come back.

But anyway, look, uh, Andrew Welsh has got a very difficult job ahead of him, and the board.

And, uh, the fans are sitting there watching, waiting with bated breath, obviously-

[laughs]

So I, I know where we all come from, so.

But he was, he's probably the one person who changed my life of all the people I met early in my life, was his attitude and the way he engrossed, uh, his friendship with the team-

Yep.

Slipped up to Sydney for seven years to help get the Giants up and running and, um, come back.

But anyway, look, uh, Andrew Welsh has got a very difficult job ahead of him, and the board.

And, uh, the fans are sitting there watching, waiting with bated breath obviously-

Yeah.

So I, I know where we all come from, so.

But he was, he's probably the one person who changed my life of all the people I met early in my life was- His attitude and the way he engrossed, uh, his friendship with the team-

If they don't, well, then they'll move on.

Well, look, I made a, uh, a good life of picking good coaches.

So I ended up with Neil Danaher, Kerry Danaher, Mark Thompson, Mark Williams, Dennis Pagan, Mark Harvey.

I've had some of the best coaches I've brought into Essendon that the club's ever seen and, uh, we got to seven Grand Finals and missed a couple by, by a kick, a point.

You know, so, you know, I ...

You, you get to know what type of style of people you need to coach clubs and, and I've ...

Mate, I'll back Hirdy on this one.

Have you spoken to him about the presentation he's a- actually gonna put forward to the board?

... get them playing with the same competitiveness and desire and passion that, that he played with?

Uh, look, very hard to push your, your own sort of impetus and style into people.

It doesn't always work.

Um, you know, like, I mean, there's certain different types of characteristics in people that, um, do or don't like that style of football.

Um, Dean was a very competitive beast like myself.

You know, we had Harvey, Mark Harvey was a [laughs] very competitive beast, along with Damien Harvock, you know, those sorts of blokes, so.

The Johnson boys.

A- and then what does he d- what would he do? What would he do to the football club this time round as opposed to, uh, even a few years ago when he was last up for this position?

... get them playing with the same competitiveness and desire and passion that, that he played with?

Uh, look, very hard to push your, your own sort of impetus and style into people.

It doesn't always work.

Um, you know, like, I mean, there's certain different types of characteristics in people that, um, do or don't like that style of football.

Um, Dean was a very competitive beast like myself.

You know, we had Harvey, Mark Harvey was a very competitive beast, along with Damien Harvock, you know, those sorts of blokes.

So the Johnson boys.

A- and then what does he, what would he do? What would he do to the football club this time round as opposed to, uh, even a few years ago when he was last up for this position?

And from a list strategy point of view, Sheeds, were you on board with the plan that they implemented a couple of years ago in terms of the turnover with list and playing youth?

No, no, no.

I don't think you had to go all the way down to come back up again.

To me, I think there's enough players.

We've cleared that many good players.

but a very good footballer.

Dan Brazio, Sam Draper, Patrick Voss is killing them over in West Australia, never got one game at Essendon.

What would you have done at the time and what would you do now?

Now, turning to the club that you used to coach, the Bombers, do you really think James Heard is the man to lead them out of the wilderness?

Oh, I think that if you can let the past be gone, I think that there's not a lot of great possible coaches out there.

We're seeing a lot of change come in of recent years.

I mean, no one had a...

The premiership coach there, but didn't seem, and that was Chris Fagan, under Neil Donovan, which is quite an amazing story in itself.

You've got four Ruckman coaching now, first time ever in the history of footy.

That's good.

an email from a Bomber supporter overnight who wondered if you might come back and coach Essendon.

Were you surprised that Hirdy has put his hand up publicly for the job?

No, no, I, I, it doesn't worry me at all.

Um, I think it's good.

I think it's open.

It's honest.

Um, I did make a comment yesterday when I was interviewed that to coach Essendon you gotta love Essendon and, um, I think he does and I think he'll do anything to make sure he gets this right this time around, if he ever gets it, but he won't.

He may not get it.

Does that, does that not disqualify him in any way in your mind?

Were you surprised that Hirdy has put his hand up publicly for the job?

No, no, I, I-- it doesn't worry me at all and I think it's good.

I think it's open, it's honest.

Um, I did make a comment yesterday when I was interviewed that to coach Essendon, you've got to love Essendon and, um, I think he does and I think he'll do anything to make sure he gets this right this time around, if he ever gets it, and he might-- he may not get it.

I mean, there might be sort of people at Essendon that may never want him to coach Essendon.

I don't know who they are, but I think in the end, the, the people and the fans most likely do.

And I don't know what, what the sort of feeling is around town, but I, I would think that if he got a chance, he, he wouldn't muck this one up.

Does that, does that not disqualify him in any way in your mind?

I understand you flew up to meet his family, Kevin.

Well, I did because I had to go and get the other two boys.

I used to have two, and this one's had the other two, and I had to go and see Dad and Mum, and it's a beautiful person.

Well, both people are beautiful people.

Great, incredible family.

You know, seven girls and four boys, and they all play footy in the one-day NFL team together.

And the girls are just as tough as the boys.

Reverend.