As is becoming common practice Hird was the spark that lit Essendon’s fire today. He started forward but spent the majority of the game on the ball. He again topped the possessions tally but it wasn’t the number of statistics he gathered that was important. It was the fashion he got them and what he did with the ball when he had it.
On top of his 26 disposals, the skipper also kicked three goals. His second goal midway through the third term was poetry in motion. He scooped the ball up spun around and without even looking at the goals, put the ball on his boot and it sailed through to give Essendon an 11-point advantage.
Hird’s best on ground performance is his second in as many Anzac Days. He was the Anzac Medallist in 2003 and also in the first year of the medal in 2000. “Anzac Day is a great day and it is a real privilege for Essendon and Collingwood to play on this day. It is probably one of Australia’s greatest days and it is a great privilege. Thanks to the league for doing it and to the Anzacs for allowing it to happen,” Hird said when accepting his third Anzac Medal.
Kevin Sheedy on Hird:
“Hird is rated the third best player in the history of the Essendon Football Club. He just collects medals every time he turns up. He shows a lot of class and it is a marvellous story to think he has won three Anzac Day Medals,” Bomber coach Kevin Sheedy said.
Adam McPhee on Hird:
“He is someone I really look up to. Everything he does and the way he attacks the ball is sensational. He knows how to do something at the right time and help the team out,” McPhee said.
