Gumbleton started the match having not played an AFL game since round 18, 2010 and has managed just 22 games since his debut in 2007.
But the 23-year-old didn't miss a beat, collecting 14 disposals, five marks and booting thee goals and leaving Hird with no choice but to describe the performance as ""remarkable"".
""I'm pleased, not as pleased as he is – don't worry, there's a lot of relief on Scott Gumbleton's face.
""We played him not knowing what we were going to get.
""We're just very happy for him … for this football club that was a remarkable result out there.""
A strong contested mark and goal at the end of the first quarter was a terrific steadier for 2006's No. 2 NAB AFL Draft pick and Hird said the way in which he competed throughout the game justified the Bombers sticking with him.
""He competed, he contested, he wasn't the best player on the ground by any stretch of the imagination, but he showed he's going to be a very good player,"" Hird said.
""We needed him to stand up because we had lost a couple of forwards and he did.""
The match was Gumbleton's first under Hird.
Their playing careers overlapped in 2007, but due to consistent injuries Hird hadn't had the chance to watch him play from the coaching box until Saturday.
""Unfortunately we haven't been able to coach Scott since we got here, that's the first game he's played since we were a coaching group.
