Essendon players will soon be interviewed by ASADA investigators as part of the ongoing probe into doping claims, but their coach has faith in their mental toughness to remain focused on reproducing their best football.
"These guys have been so focused, they've been so committed to their football, (and are) such a tight group of players that I'd be surprised if that does take their eye off the ball," Hird said at Windy Hill on Friday morning.
The Bombers mentor said he didn't think the ongoing saga was affecting the players' output.
And he wasn't prepared to predict whether it would eventually take a toll on them.
However, when asked if the off-field situation might be helping the Bombers stay focused, Hird said: "Oh, I wouldn't have thought this is helping."
Despite it all, the Bombers are undefeated and considerable percentage clear at the top of the AFL ladder. Asked whether he had to keep his players grounded, Hird had a wry chuckle.
"I don't think they need any grounding right at the moment," he said. "The environment we're in, they just enjoy playing the best football they can."
As for himself, Hird said he had not seen the club-commissioned review by Ziggy Switkowski, and had also avoided reading newspapers for the past eight weeks.
"The only thing that I can concentrate on is coaching our football team to win games of football," he said.
As for on-field matters, Hird said star quartet Dyson Heppell, Jake Carlisle (ankle), Dustin Fletcher (groin) and Michael Hurley (ankle) were close to being passed fit for Saturday's clash with bottom side Greater Western Sydney at Etihad Stadium, but just hadn't completed enough training this week.
Hird expects them, along with the suspended Patrick Ryder, to be available for next week's blockbuster against the also-undefeated Geelong, but added: "That's a lot to bring into a team though, so we'll see what happens."
The coach said the rested Jason Winderlich was being carefully managed after playing "five or six games in a row".
"(With) his body, it's been two years since he's played some consistent football, and I think that's the right way to manage a player like Jason, who's such an important player for us," he said.
"I thought (on) Anzac Day his ability to control the forward line and obviously kick goals was really important to us. If we can get 15 to 16 games out of Jason for the year and not get him injured, that's great for both us and Jason."
Ben Collins is a reporter for AFL Media. Follow him on Twitter: @AFL_BenCollins
