'Reading the Play' by James Hird

on life and leadership

Reviewed by Moz, 28 December, 2006

Let me begin with disclosure.  I'm an Essendon supporter and although I'm reluctant to use the word 'fan' (it's short for fanatic, a word too much used with 'religious' these days for my liking ), I am a severe appreciator of James Hird as a footballer and football personality, whatever that means.  So, like an Essendon supporter at the beginning of a new season, I approached Hirdy's book with restrained enthusiasm, quietly eager to see some great results to meet or exceed my expectations. 

In a favourite book of mine by author Neil Rackham, he explains how almost all elite athletes have no real idea why they are elite athletes.  They can all recite the clichés about being hungrier, or believing in God, or their great childhood or their deprived childhood etc. but most have never studied success in depth.  They have simply discovered one of the many success formulae. On initial impressions, in 'Reading the Play' James Hird seems to bear out Rackham's idea.  Despite attempted explanations in this book, he doesn't seem to know why he is an exceptionally good footballer.

While reading 'Reading the Play' I felt like I'd been given access to the change rooms to witness the post-match discussions, but Essendon had lost the game: so a sense of excitement and awe smacked down with some harsh reality.  I had great expectations that Hird was going to reveal some secrets and they didn't seem to be there.  Hird reveals his awareness that he has been given incongruent and perhaps disproportionate privileges and opportunities because of his status in football and football's status in Melbourne. He modestly admits, with examples, that great footballers don't necessarily make great everything-elses.

Don't train on an injury. It's an 'official' rule of professional football, but unofficially, it's broken all the time by desperate players, desperate coaches, desperate club officials.  In 'Reading the Play,' James Hird 'fesses up to playing injured on numerous occasions and then reveals his disappointment post-game for a sub-Hird performance, and in some cases, aggravated injury.  Reading some parts of Hird's book felt a bit like watching him play with an injury.  You know, everyone knows, he is capable of better than this, even as a writer and communicator, you suspect that he has more material and greater insights than this.  Yes, there are teasing glimpses of brilliance, as a spectator you feel unsatisfied, but it may still yet be a match-winning performance.  How will it end?.

A quirky aspect to the book is the chapters written by friends, family and associates of Hird.  Are they filler to stretch it out to 332 pages?  These chapters are:

• Margaret Hird on James Hird
• Tania Hird on James Hird
• John Quinn on James Hird
• Kevin Sheedy on James Hird
• Rod Law on James Hird
• Ben Crowe on James Hird
• Amilia and Katherine on James Hird

These chapters collectively, at first seem a bit odd. They appear to break the flow that the book might have been generating, a bit like Hirdy setting up three quick goals early in the first quarter then getting dragged to the bench for the rest of the game, while other players do the bulk of the work for the rest of the game then Sheeds addressing the post-game press conference to tell us what a match winner Hird was.  Everyone tells us what a great bloke Hirdy is (we know - we bought his book).  On first reading these chapters read a bit like character references for a good bloke and they seem a bit out of place.

On completing Hird's book I reflected and realised that maybe he (like most champions) can't accurately articulate why he is a champion, but he is a champion nonetheless.  Although I was frustrated in my attempts to find Hird's clear articulations on success in 'Reading the Play' they were there, woven throughout the book: family and friends, duty and destiny.  Perhaps this book is written in true James Hird style: can't explain how it works, but it does.

So it seems that Hird's book does what the man himself does: gets the job done in his own personal style.  What we call 'genius' is very hard to identify, replicate or teach.  To explore more of the Hird enigma, by all means read his book, but then go and watch him play and hope to see a game that showcases his brilliance.  Then try to put it in words and you'll realise what a tough job this book was to write. Some of you may not be Essendon supporters, so just go to a footy game, any footy game with your friends and family and share the experience of a good day at the footy with people who mean something to you.  Ultimately, I think that's what James Hird is on about. 

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