The Saints have had an off-season to forget, with the release of nude pictures and the misdemeanours on their trip to New Zealand putting them in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons.
Two weeks ago North Melbourne captain Brent Harvey said the St Kilda players should expect to be sledged, but Hird has refused to support those comments.
"It's irrelevant for us," Hird said during the first day of his club's Telstra AFL community camp in Bendigo. "We haven't even spoken about it, we're not even thinking about it.
"We're just going to go out and play football and whatever happened to St Kilda over summer is an issue that doesn't concern us at all."
Essendon captain Jobe Watson says he'll be keeping his mouth shut when the Bombers and Saints clash at Etihad Stadium on Friday, February 18.
"As a player, I wouldn't [sledge them]," Watson said. "I think you should concentrate on the game instead.
"But there are different personalities out on the ground and you can't expect everyone to follow the same rules.
"Some guys will get more emotional than others and may say something.
"I can't speak for the other guys, or the teams, about what they'll do or say, but personally I don't think it really makes much difference. What you do with your actions is what counts."
Watson is looking forward to the 40-minute pool matches in the opening round of the NAB Cup, although he is concerned about the Bombers having a break of more than an hour between their two games.
"It will be interesting," Watson said. "I don't think I'll be backing up for the second game. I might just play one then rest up.
"You get to this stage of the year and the guys need a hit-out against an opposition side, so I guess that's what the NAB Cup provides.
"But for the guys who play in the first game then have a rest, it will be interesting to see how their bodies pull up for the second game."
