Essendon James Hird gets back to basics ringing the changes as the Bombers go down in a preseason thriller. Picture: George Salpigtidis Source: Herald Sun
TO THE vast relief of the besieged Essendon Football Club and concerned coach James Hird, the black clouds lifted just a little last night.
By becoming the first team to win a match for the new season, a low-key NAB Cup encounter with the Western Bulldogs, and then failing by only seconds to repeat the feat against Collingwood, the Bombers gave their many fans good reason to believe that, if nothing else, they are not buckling under the extreme pressure of the drugs scandal engulfing this proud old club.
Normally, this would have been an assignment of little consequence - glorified match practice.
But in the current context of uncertainty, if not naked fear, about what lies ahead, a morale boost was desperately required and gratefully received, despite the disappointment of watching the Magpies dramatically snatch a game that had seemed safe.
If there was any extra burden on the usually unflappable Hird, whose own future has a large question mark against it, it wasn't obvious from the grandstands at Etihad Stadium, where 27,000 Essendon, Bulldogs and Magpie supporters soaked up their first footy fix of the year.
Oops, make that their first taste.
Hird went on TV beforehand and repeatedly declined to talk about anything other than the games about to be played.
He eventually handed the microphone back and walked away.
The AFL, too, appeared to have a "don't mention the war" policy in place.
The Record, its official organ, ran to 124 glossy pages but not one of the 100 or so journalists employed in the league's enormous media department was required to write one word about the issues that have dominated the mainstream media for nearly two weeks.
Two pages headed Ins and Outs of a Busy Off-season stopped in January, before Essendon asked for itself to be investigated and the Crime Commission dropped its "sport's blackest day" bombshell.
Must have been the deadline, the bane of all print media.
The section devoted to Essendon read: "All eyes will be on the talent-laden Bombers as they hope for a better run with injuries in James Hird's third season as coach". Well, that's true enough - there already are a lot of eyes fixed on them, but not necessarily to check out the talent.
There were no banners, but that doesn't mean there wasn't any taunting from rival fans, with one lot sending up Essendon's song - See the Bombers fly up, up - with their provocative version: see the Bombers shoot up, up ... "
Dressed for the 30C heat in club-issue grey shorts and T-shirt, Hird attracted plenty of applause each time he entered and left the arena.
In times of trouble, it is important to keep the faith - and that's exactly what the defiant Dons were doing. They may be required to keep doing it for some time yet.
ron.reed@news.com.au
Twitter: @Reedrw
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