Source :- THE AGE NEWS
Sydney Swans’ assistant Mark McVeigh will present to the Essendon board on Monday ahead of his expected endorsement as senior coach, as club great James Hird expressed his disappointment at missing out on the job.
The 45-year-old McVeigh was in the coaches’ box as the Swans defeated North Melbourne in an emotional encounter at the SCG but will be in Melbourne to make a final presentation to the board before his appointment is confirmed, according to two industry sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
Hird congratulated McVeigh on winning selection saying he was proud of his friend. However, he admitted he coveted the job and would turn his attention to helping Port Melbourne in the VFL finals.
“From a personal point of view though, it’s very disappointing,” Hird said on Nine’s Footy Furnace.
“Yeah, I’m disappointed, put my heart and soul into the effort, but obviously fell short and that’s the way it goes.”
Hird said he had not been approached to take on another role at the Bombers but could consider approaches from other clubs to return to the AFL.
McVeigh played 232 matches at Essendon after being chosen with pick No.9 in the 1998 national draft. After retiring in 2012 he moved back to NSW where he became an assistant coach at the Giants, and served as the club’s interim coach for after Leon Cameron stood down in 2022.
He coached 13 matches for four wins with his former teammates James Hird and Dean Solomon in the coaches’ box alongside him. He then moved to the Sydney Swans, where he coached as an assistant under John Longmire and Dean Cox.
Other candidates for the Bombers’ position were James Hird, Jaymie Graham and Murray Davis, but McVeigh is the only candidate to make a final presentation to the board. Graham flew back to Perth with Fremantle’s team after their match against Carlton on Saturday.
McVeigh was a teammate at Essendon of club president Andrew Welsh, as was director Ted Richards.
Hird, an Essendon great who is a friend of McVeigh, declared on Channel Nine’s Footy Classified in late May that he was keen to coach the Bombers again after leaving the club in 2015 following the drugs saga which saw the Court of Arbitration for Sport suspend 34 players for the 2016 season for anti-doping infractions.
In declaring his interest for the job, Hird told the club he wanted to be put through an exhaustive process to find a replacement for Brad Scott who was sacked with 18 months remaining on his contract.
Several potential candidates, including Ken Hinkley, who will coach the Tassie Devils, and Nathan Buckley, did not take part in the process, however the Bombers managed to select from a short list of four.
Their coaching selection panel included Welsh, CEO Tim Roberts, vice-president Anthony Di Pietro, board member Richards and people and culture manager Caroline Monzon.
The shortlisted candidates also underwent further interviews by experienced football analyst John Wardrop and former Melbourne Victory coach Kevin Muscat.
Interim coach Dean Solomon decided not to throw his hat in the ring to be senior coach after his stint as interim coach saw little improvement in the Bombers’ performances.
Since Scott’s departure, key members of the football department – David Rath, Travis Varcoe, Dan McPherson, Ben Jacobs, Ben Robbins and Cam Roberts have finished up with the club. Roberts, McPherson and Rath continued in their roles until the home-and-away season ended with Sunday’s loss to Port Adelaide.
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