Joining his teammates for the first skills session of the year, Hird was adamant the motivation for another season is to help turn around the club's fortune and become a finals force once again.
""I am not playing for any other reason, I am not playing to finish 15th where we finished last year. My intention is that we will finish in the top eight and when you get there you don’t know what can happen,"" Hird explained at a press conference this morning.
""Last year was very disappointing, but already we have some good recruits in Mal Michael, the young kids look very good and the team that we are going to have is going to look better than last year.
""You learn from the mistakes of last year and we made some mistakes. We had some injuries and I think the way the club has approached the pre-season it looks more positive than it did last year.
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""All the players who are traditionally underdone are ready to go. So it will be interesting to see how those players who have had a ‘good season’ go with a really good pre-season under their belt.
""While you see in Matty Lloyd just the determination to do something pretty special this year. He was frustrated last year in his first season as captain, as you would be, and I think you will see a very good year from him where he is back to a few years ago where he was kicking around 100 goals,"" Hird said
Returning to the club only on Monday after an extended break, Hird is confident the time away has provided him with the mental rest that will hold him in good stead for the season.
""Pre-season you always have a spring in your step,"" he explained.
""You always know it’s going to be hard but I think knowing it’s your last season it is something to enjoy. I suppose you want to be a little bit mindful the season is pretty long and I have got myself pretty fit now, so there is no need to go silly at the moment.
""It’s about getting the most out of my body, and enjoying the year for what it is. When you go through your last season you want to make sure you have some good memories and from the team point of view you have a better year than the last and be competitive.""
And while it is early days in his pre-season, Hird is hoping he will play in the NAB Cup come February.
""I have been back two days and haven’t spoken to Sheeds, but I am planning to play a few games. You need to play some preparation games for sure; you don’t want to go into the season totally cold.""
To view the full press conference on Bomber.tv click here.
