‘I’ve never met Paul Little in my life’: Matthew Lloyd denies involvement in Hird push

Essendon champion Matthew Lloyd has categorically denied he was part of a clandestine campaign to undermine former Bombers coach Brad Scott and push for James Hird to return to the helm of the club.

Last week, The Age revealed the plot to reinstall Hird at Tullamarine – or the “redemption campaign”, as club leaders called it – turned serious in March last year with a telephone message from former Essendon chairman Paul Little to David Barham, who held the title at the time.

Lloyd confirmed on Monday night that he contacted football pundit Kane Cornes, who had said on SEN that the former champion goal-kicker was among Essendon figures behind the campaign to return Hird as coach.

“I don’t how I got dragged into that at all,” Lloyd said on Nine’s Footy Classified.

“I did text Kane today and let him know that I wasn’t happy with that.”

In discussions on SEN about the vacant Essendon coaching position and the political machinations of the job chase after Hird publicly confirmed his strong interest in the job, reporter Tom Morris and Cornes both named Lloyd as a central ally of his former teammate.

In response to a question from Adam Simpson about the members of “Team Hird”, Morris said:

“The team behind him? Well, Paul Little is very much part of it.

“There’s other people around the outskirts – well, Matthew Lloyd.”

Separately, Cornes said: “I read this morning in the [Australian] Financial Review of all places that Paul Little’s push for James Hird is back on.

“That is absolute rubbish that James Hird had no knowledge that Paul Little was pushing as well as others, like [Matthew] Lloyd and like [Adrian] Dodoro ... there were secret coffees going on left, right and centre.”

Lloyd said that in his long career in football media, he had had to regularly discuss the plight of his former club.

“You know what, the most tiring thing I’ve done in my media is talk about Essendon’s failings, year after year, time after time,” Lloyd said.

Asked specifically about being a member of a “clandestine cabal”, Lloyd said: “I’ve never met Paul Little in my life.

“I’ve never [even] had a drink of coffee in my life. I don’t drink coffee.

“I’m the least political person – because I’m not interested. I’m not interested in politics.

“To Tom Morris and to Kane Cornes who put that out there, that’s factually incorrect.”

Lloyd confirmed that he wanted 253-gamer Hird to be an option for Essendon, who are languishing in bottom spot with a 1-11 record and last week sacked fourth-year coach Scott.

“I’m not pro-James [Hird], I’m not against James. I just want James to be p