Essendon coach James Hird says an attempted push by captain Jobe Watson for a sit-down protest in response to the AFL's new substitute rule is news to him.
Leading Melbourne newspaper the Herald-Sun reported Watson canvassed the idea with Western Bulldogs skipper Matthew Boyd ahead of the club's Round 1 showdown at Etihad Stadium.
But the new Bombers coach emphatically denied thoughts of a protest were central in Watson's mind.
"He wasn't thinking about a sit down when he went onto the ground against the Western Bulldogs to play the game," Hird said.
Hird was well-aware of Watson's reservations on the rule that was introduced for the 2011 season, and added it wasn't an issue only restricted to the men from Windy Hill.
"I knew two-and-a-half weeks ago before the meeting with the AFL Players Association that Jobe was very upset with the rule and so were a number of other players," said Hird on Thursday.
"What happened is, Jobe went to his union in a private meeting and had a discussion about the rule. The most disappointing part for me is that the private discussion with Jobe amongst his peers ends up in the pages of the Herald-Sun. Because if a player can't openly air his concerns in that fashion. That's a bit worrying."
"It's a player issue. This wasn't an issue the Essendon players were up in arms with and no-one else was. It's just not Jobe that's concerned, but the majority of players are concerned with the rule."
"Mick Malthouse is concerned, one of the great coaches of all time who has seen everything happen in the game."
Quizzed on whether he thought the rule would remain in place for the remainder of the season, Hird replied.
"I can't see it changing, I'm not sure of any rule that has been changed mid-year so far," he said.
"Some of the players feel like this rule can hurt their careers, there's no doubt. But we'll see how the rule goes, I think we're all sitting here now saying that the rule's there and work out how it goes."
Next for the Bombers is a date against Sydney at ANZ Stadium on Sunday.