Essendon has failed to match fellow top four teams Sydney and Geelong in matches this season but Hird is confident of a strong performance from his side against archrivals Hawthorn.
“For us it is about the respect that we want within ourselves that we can play against the best and beat the best,” Hird told The Hangar.
“Our Sydney performance wasn’t up to scratch but our Geelong performance for most of the game was pretty good.”
“Certainly Geelong, Hawthorn, Sydney and Fremantle are looking like they are the four best teams in the competition and we want to break into that area so to play against Hawthorn and play well would mean a lot to this group.”
Hird said it was important his team continued to focus on consistent performances and ensuring they performed to their optimal level each week.
“The expectation is to put in a competitive performance and play the way we want to play,” he said.
“The fantastic thing about Friday night is that it is one versus two and we are trying to get there.
“Hawthorn obviously have won a premiership four years ago and played in a Grand Final last year so we are trying to get somewhere near that level.”
The two teams have held a fierce rivalry over the last 30 years.
Essendon has not beaten Hawthorn sine Round 6, 2010 having lost their last three matches against the top placed team.
“We have a huge amount of respect for the way Hawthorn play, they are a quality team who are good around the contest who move the ball well and defend well which are all the things you need to do,” Hird said.
“We know we have a tough night ahead of us but we are certainly going in with a good expectation about the result and where the result should come from.”
