Essendon president Andrew Welsh called out for ‘subtle dig’ at James Hird in Mark McVeigh announcement

Essendon president Andrew Welsh’s public endorsement of new coach Mark McVeigh has immediately raised eyebrows, with Kane Cornes believing the announcement included a “subtle dig” at James Hird.

McVeigh’s confirmation as coach came a day after a narrow loss to Port Adelaide meant the Bombers finished last and completed the worst season in their history.

WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Essendon announce McVeigh as coach with pointed statement

McVeigh, a former Essendon player and current Sydney assistant coach, won the role ahead of Bombers playing great and ex-coach Hird, as well as Jaymie Graham and Murray Davis.

Brad Scott was sacked on May 25, with Dean Solomon interim coach for the rest of the season.

The search for a new coach has involved a tumultuous selection process, with opinion sharply divided on whether Hird should win another tenure in the role.

Welsh, who played at Essendon alongside McVeigh and Hird, said the appointment was a unanimous board decision.

“Mark was clearly the best candidate for what this role demands,” Welsh said on the club website.

“We weighed every candidate against what this role actually demands, and Mark was the clear standout.”

Welsh was understandably strong in backing McVeigh, but some of the comments appeared highlight Hird’s lack of coaching experience in the past 10 years.

“He’s coached at multiple high-performing clubs and played and coached under high-performing coaches, so he knows exactly what it takes to build a winning environment,” Welsh continued.

“Everything he presented to us aligned with the strategy this board has already set. We weighed every candidate against what this role actually demands, and Mark was the clear standout.”

Those comments in particular were interpreted as dig at Hird, according to Port Adelaide great Kane Cornes.

“It’s clearly a little dig, a subtle one, at James Hird, isn’t it?” Cornes said on The Agenda Setters .