Ross Lyon says it “wouldn’t be good governance” if the AFL allowed James Hird to become a senior coach again, after he was floated as the next in line for the GWS Giants job.
Hird joined the Giants in the summer in a part-time leadership role, but he’s since seen his name linked to the club’s head coaching role, with incumbent Leon Cameron in the final year of his deal.
Lyon, who coached at both Fremantle and St Kilda, ruled the chances of the AFL allowing Hird to be a senior coach again as “unlikely”.
READ MORE: Hird’s audacious attempt to woo Lloyd out of retirement
READ MORE: The Warne question that made Allan Border tear up
READ MORE: Warne’s crazy Ferrari joyride with a lucky fan
“At the end of the day, we respect James, but what occurred is what occurred,” Lyon told Nine’s Footy Classified.
“There was no governance. It was an injection program and he has to have some scars.
“I don’t think you can do a part-time leadership role and then get anointed to the AFL’s expansion team that they’ve worked 10 hard years on.
“Then you’ve got assistant coaches like (Ash) Hansen who are doing their apprenticeships.
“I think it would be a massive call and I think it wouldn’t be good governance.”
The role at the Giants is Hird’s first official AFL position since he was sacked as Essendon’s senior coach midway through the 2015 season, after a tumultuous five-year stint which saw him oversee the controversial supplements program.
The 49-year-old was in Cameron’s coaching box last Sunday as the Giants fell to an 0-2 start in a loss to Richmond at the MCG.
Despite the links between Hird and his job, Cameron hosed down the speculation earlier on in the year.
“Having him (Hird) back involved in footy is a really good thing. Clearly we’re the benefits of that at the Giants. He’s got great experience as a player and coach,” Cameron said.
“I got to know him a lot better than just playing against him. Relationship built, I love talking footy with him.
“Does he pose a threat to my job? No (laughing). At the end of the day, my theory is if I’ve got really good people around me and they make me a better coach or a better person, which leads on to better results, then it will help me progress in where I want to get to. So that doesn’t worry me.”