(Ron Steiner is an occasional BPL contributor.)

Since 1996 when they shared the Brownlow Medal with 21 votes, James Hird and Michael Voss have been eternally paired, now they can be com-paired again as leaders of their lifelong clubs.

James Hird's impending ascension to the coaching role at Essendon follows a seemingly straight forward path for the tantalisingly talented Hird, as it ultimately became for Voss when he was appointed coach of the Brisbane Lions two years ago.

Constantly courted through his playing days by business and media, Hird carefully and calculatingly developed career options in parallel with constantly affirming his courage and skills on the football field.

Voss too demonstrated a thirst to learn and demonstrated a mature, fresh and comfortable, though not excessive familiarity with the media through his brief interlude between playing and coaching.

After making such strong progress in year one, Voss appears to have been seduced and ultimately suffered from pushing too hard and too soon for success at the expense of a sustainable and steady plan.  Last year's off-season recruiting smacked of short term goals and expediency over building a strong and longer lasting future.

Will Hird be able to avoid the temptation, or considerable external Essendon pressure, to seek success too swiftly?  The challenge for those who are blessed with talent in seemingly all that they do, is that, historically they are impatient with their charges and may not understand fully the needs and nurturing required of the more "common man".

Hird's smooth transition into life beyond football has been a well planned process utilising the gifts of intelligence, resolve and the right connections.  A stint at JB Were, under the mentorship of David Evans, helped prepare Hird for business and business people.  When Evans established Evans & Partners, he continued to share his friendship and mentoring with Hird.  Hird's subsequent entrepreneurial project at Gemba combines good business sense with good business partners.

Will he be able to have the luxury of this at Essendon?  Any leadership "dream team" requires the right people and the right results.   Sure the initial honeymoon period will afford him time and patience from the notoriously impatient Bomber supporters.  But at what point does it become mandatory for the four points to be collected much more regularly than "learning losses".

Hird is clearly no fool, and his intolerance of them is apparent.  His decision to coach is a wonderful opportunity for him and also for the sporting public.  A leader has taken the decision to lead from the front - a very exposed front.

How fortunate for we armchair experts that we can watch with almost voyeuristic interest as we track the path of a formidable club and a formidable young man in a very public path of growth.