Essendon coach James Hird was delighted when Mark Thompson confirmed he would be joining the club next year.

“At ten-thirty yesterday, on the middle of Essendon Grammar training ground, it was one of the most bizarre situations I think I've been a part of. We were running a drill, with the players running back and forth, and there's Bomber standing in the middle of the oval."" Hird said

""I thought 'What's going on?' and he said 'Yep, let's go, let's do it'.""

Thompson’s appointment as senior assistant coach is the final piece of the puzzle in the Bombers revamped football department.

""It's very exciting for me personally but on a much bigger scale it's just great for the Essendon football club,"" he said.

""I think the players are very excited about having someone of the quality of Mark Thompson in and around the club and teaching them how to play football.

""If you're an Essendon supporter, you should be very excited by what the club has put together and is trying to do to get us back into the finals.""
 
 

While Thompson’s match day role is yet to be finalised, Hird said when the three-time Premiership player does report for duty next month, his experience will be invaluable.

“His role really is to support the coaches. Bomber has so much knowledge that he has built up over 11 years, he’s been under the pressure of AFL football and he knows what it takes to win premierships.”

“With the players, it will be as simple as teaching them how to play. Hird said

We often forget with game plans and with structures and with specific roles that you still have to teach people how to win the ball, how to kick it and where to run and that’s what his role will be.”