Up until Thursday night, the thought of Thompson extending his time at the Bombers' helm beyond this year seemed increasingly unlikely.
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After all, James Hird might be suspended for the season but the club re-contracted him for 2015 and '16. Hird had even been on The Hangar saying he was 'counting down the days' until coaching again.
But Tania Hird's explosive 7:30 interview changed the landscape once again and now James Hird faces an anxious wait to see whether the club's board retains faith in him.
If the board do give him the flick, then who replaces Hird on a full-time basis at Essendon will be one of the year's biggest talking points.
Thompson will be the early favourite. The two-time Geelong premiership coach left the Cattery an exhausted figure back in 2010, but reckons he has the passion back and the fire in the belly for the fight once again.
A colleague in the press box, though, wondered whether this was merely a case of 'one last spurt' towards the end. Is Thompson like a long-distance athlete firing up for one final push to the line as they know the end is in sight?
We can't know that for certain, but Thompson's answers during his laid-back, funny and seriously entertaining post-match press conference suggested it might not be him.
"I got angry at a few things," said Thompson. "(I've) probably just got to settle down and mature. I've got it (the coaching position) for 22 weeks. I should try and have a bit more fun, try and win as many games as we can and enjoy the year." Any chance you'd hear Mick Malthouse say that? Didn't think so!
And when discussing first-gamer Patrick Ambrose, Thompson said: "Whoever coaches him long-term, he'll be the teacher's pet."
None of this is real evidence to say Thompson doesn't want the job. After all, what can Bomber really say? The full-time position is still Hird's and club chairman Paul Little adamantly declared before the game the club's board would give James Hird every chance to have his say on Tania's interview.
When asked about the drama, Thompson merely said: "I tried very hard not to concentrate on that and we told all our players not to even go there … The game's only just wrapped up, so we'll let the committee and the board deal with that when they do and enoughs already been said by Paul Little about what the next couple of days are going to look like."
For James Hird, those few days are going to be a nervous time indeed as Little told Channel 7 he was disappointed Tania's interview would overshadow Essendon's season-opener and Dustin Fletcher's club record-breaking 379th game.
Little, it seems, just wants to move on. He's not alone as I'm sure a whole lot of Essendon supporters want the same thing and are probably out there saying: "Just shut-up Hirdy and cop your whack."
This time, though, it wasn't Hird making the statement. It was Tania, but a whole lot of commentary on Friday has represented her as simply a mouthpiece for her husband's views, a proxy spokesperson that can't be fined by the AFL.
All of this is seriously presumptuous. Tania Hird is an accomplished woman in her own right, having worked as a lawyer. She is also a wife who's been put through hell and after such a stressful time, is it any wonder she wants to have her say as well?
Little, though, suggested she was speaking on her husband's behalf as he indicated he held James accountable for her words. "At this point in time, there is no question that James is the one responsible for what's happening," said Little to finish his pre-game interview. "And, we'll talk to him about that."
Fortunately for James Hird, the latest drama didn't affect the team as they out-gunned and out-worked a lethargic North Melbourne. Little may have even been feeling slightly better as he was shown on telly with a beaming grin as Fletcher was carried from the field.
Fletcher, like Jobe Watson and newcomer Paul Chapman, led from the front and ensured the drama was put on the backburner as they raced out of the blocks to kick four straight goals. North kicked five of the next six majors to lead by a point in the second term, but from there on it was pretty much all Essendon as they secured a 39-point win.
Although Watson did what Jobe Watson does best – pick up 37 touches and kick two goals – Thompson seemed pretty chuffed with Chapman as the discarded Cat booted four and played a hand in a few others.
"I like his leadership here," said Thompson. "I think he's liking it too.
"He didn't offer that (leadership) much at the Cats. He didn't have to. He was playing with guys that sort of knew what they were doing. I think he's enjoying that element too of the new club."
With all the dramas, it's easy to forget North Melbourne were out there too. Fortunately for coach Brad Scott, his side's terrible performance in their season opener will also probably be overshadowed by the Hird drama.
But with North seemingly on the cusp of finals footy this year, any more performances like that will raise serious questions. And, at least Scott can take some heart from the fact his side had a shocker and still were not completely blown away.