After a tumultuous 48 hours where AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou suggested he should consider stepping down as Essendon coach, Hird was emphatic in his response.
"I'm not going to stand down. I'm going to coach this club for as long as I can," Hird said after the match.
The third-year coach was calm after his club's stirring victory, with Essendon trailing by as many as 37 points in the second quarter after kicking just one goal in a miserable first half.
Hird would not be drawn into details about the ASADA investigation, but he was firm in his position.
"People say things, and you know they're untrue, and you know you've got truth on your side, you go hard, and when you get your opportunity you tell the whole truth," he said.
"When the truth comes out, I think I'll be in a very, very good position and so will this football club.
"I'm the coach of the Essendon football club, and until someone tells me I'm not, I'm the coach of the Essendon football club."
Hird was measured in assessing the importance of this victory in terms of his career, but he was extremely pleased for the club given what had taken place in the lead-up to the match.
"I'm not going to say it's an insignificant win. It's a fantastic win," he said.
Hird was also extremely proud of his players and thankful for their support throughout the week.
"They've been amazing,” he said.
“They don't leave me alone. They won't leave me to have a second on my own to have my own thoughts.
"Those players are incredible people. I'd like to think I've supported them through some tough times, and the support they've given me is outstanding.”
Hird's team was shell-shocked in the opening half as Fremantle dominated the clearances and out-numbered Essendon at nearly every contest, which led to a 36-point deficit at half-time.
"It's a really tough exercise to coach against Ross (Lyon),” Hird said.
"We couldn't get the right numbers around the ball, and he was beating us in that area. Half-time we sorted that out, and I thought our guys handled it well.
"I don't think we played with the freedom we needed to. We probably came over here and got a bit spooked by their pressure."
Essendon has now won six of its last seven matches away from Melbourne.
