Don’t be fooled by those telling you Essendon are going better this season than what they were this time last year. We all know the Bombers fell in a heap late in 2013 before the AFL booted them from the finals.
But going into Round 18 last season, the club was flying – on the field at any rate.
Heading into a blockbuster Friday night clash with Hawthorn, the Bombers had defied all the dramas surrounding the supplements saga and had won six consecutive games to be second on the ladder, just four points adrift of league-leading Hawthorn.
Tensions may have still been bubbling below the surface, especially on the night Jobe Watson was booed in Perth after his AOD-964 admission, but the team itself was flying and appeared on track for the final eight.
All that changed in a single night as Hawthorn asserted their supremacy over Essendon and the rest of the competition.
In hindsight, the Bombers may have been primed for a fall. The team had been doing a good job but there’s always a tipping point – a moment when it just becomes too much – and Essendon were about to hit it.
Throughout the week, a new issue had emerged as reports emerged, saying AFL CEO Andrew Demetriou had tipped off then Essendon chairman David Evans about the supplement investigation, the night before Essendon self reported. The reports were strenuously denied time and time again by an angry AFL CEO but the damage was done.
The story seemed to be originating from the Bombers, the Hird camp accused of leaking it as an act of revenge against Demetriou. However, the focus was on Evans, as it seemed the only way this story could have come out was if Evans had revealed what happened during a conversation with Demetriou, one that allegedly happened in early February last year.
With the story getting murkier and murkier, other reports emerged these reports had caused a rift between long-time friends Evans and Hird.
Both men tried playing the story down, the pair embracing in the rooms prior to Essendon taking the field at Etihad Stadium that Friday night. Evans also addressed his chairman’s function and declared: "For the record there's no rift,” Evans said. "He's a 20 yr friend of mine and he'll be one for another 20."
Whether the ongoing story affected the team or whether Hawthorn were simply too good on the night, remains up for debate.
Essendon did score four of the first six goals to lead by 13-points midway through the first term. But the danger signs were there as Lance Franklin kicked Hawthorn’s second goal.
And Buddy was about to explode as the Hawks booted the last four goals of the term, Franklin kicking another two as the Hawks led by 10 at the first change.
Michael Hurley’s effort early in the second stemmed the bleeding for Essendon but the Hawks once again booted the last four for the quarter to lead by 32 at the main break.
Buddy had kicked another in the second quarter and after half-time he just continued on his merry way, kicking another four as he finished with eight for the game while Hawthorn romped to a 56-point victory.
We didn’t know it at the time, but the events of the week and the heavy loss suddenly became too much for Evans, the chairman suffering blurred vision, shortness of breath and light-headedness after the game as he was treated by Essendon’s doctors.
Journos at the time didn’t know what had occurred but Hird had clearly seen his friend suffer and the emotions were plain to see at his post-match press conference, even if he didn’t reveal what had happened.
“I will say to you that we are confident that we are not drug cheats and the sooner this thing is over the better for everyone 'cause this is affecting so many people's lives,” Hird declared.
"It's got to the point that if it's not over very quickly, it's going to affect people's lives permanently and it's got to finish, it has to finish because it's not fair on so many people.
"It's not about this week, this week's another week of six months of just living through an ordeal that people shouldn’t have to live through.
"And, I'm not trying to sound like you should feel sorry for us but it's getting to the point where it's affecting people's lives too much and it has to finish because it's going to affect people's lives permanently and that's not what this should be about.
"I don't want to go into personal instances 'cause that will all come out," he said as his voice threatened to crack.
"But ... can I keep going ... it's just got to finish, it has to finish."
The heavy loss may have also been the straw that broke the camel’s back as the Bombers dropped away from the pack heavily from that moment on as they had done so the year before. The Hawthorn loss proved the first of four defeats in a row as Essendon lost four of their last five games.
The only respite was a dramatic six-point win over Carlton but the Blues would have the last laugh as just a few days later Essendon were booted from the finals and their place in the top eight was taken famously taken by Carlton.
Although Evans had declared that Friday night he wanted to stay on as chairman, 24 hours later a statement appeared on Essendon’s website announcing his resignation.
"This decision is also, finally, about my family, whose support has been unwavering, but who have also had to bear much of the stress of the last five months,” said Evans. “ This process has taken its toll on me, and on those around me, and I owe it to them to hand over now for the next phase.”
Evans’ resignation saw Paul Little elevated to chairman status and suddenly Essendon, somewhat apologetic all season for the supplement saga under Evans, became a ferocious beast as Little responded aggressively to every AFL move.
The end game in the supplement saga, one leading to Essendon’s punishment, had begun.
The repercussions of this are still being felt a year later as Hird remains on the outer at the club, denied the chance for any role with the footy team this season, seemingly by the board and Little, despite returning from France this week and being available to coach from Round 23 on.
He may be contracted for another two years but whether Hird coaches the club again now seems very much up in the air.