Sounds like Houli will stay at Essendon if Hird wants him.
Houli wants a chance from HirdBy Michael Rogers
2:46 PM Wed 29 Sep, 2010UNCONTRACTED Essendon midfielder Bachar Houli hopes the appointment of James Hird as senior coach will give him the opportunity to prove his worth as an AFL player.
Houli struggled for senior games under former coach Matthew Knights in 2010, playing just five matches despite strong form at VFL level.
The 22-year-old has managed just 26 games in his four years at Windy Hill and he said he had become frustrated by the lack of opportunities.
"All I want as a player is an opportunity," he said in Sydney on Wednesday.
"I felt I was hard done by and I feel like I've got the support from a fair few players, if not the whole playing group, that I didn't get that opportunity that I deserved.
"It's hurt me a lot but there's a new coach now and more opportunities are going to open up. It's a new start for everyone.
"Hirdy's going to reassess the playing list in the next couple of days. I'm out of contract and whether he wants me there or not, time will tell."
Houli, whose first year at Essendon in 2007 coincided with Hird's farewell season, said he hoped to decide where his future lay by Friday after meeting with his new coach.
"I'm looking forward to seeing what [Hird] has got to say and whether he wants me and what he thinks of me as a player. It's very exciting but at the same time, very nerve-wracking," he said.
"My first preference would be to stay at Essendon because it's the type of club where you can build a friendship at, but football is like any other business at the end of the day. If it doesn't work for you at one club … there's always another opportunity somewhere else."
Despite his differences with Knights, Houli said he was surprised to hear of the former coach's sacking but he said Hird's appointment was a boon for all aspects of the club, from the playing group to sponsors and members.
"The best thing about it is that supporters and everyone around the football world are going to be very patient with James Hird because of his past, and because he's a legend of the club," Houli said.
"They're going to persist; even if he has one or two or even three bad years, they're going to persist with him.
"Obviously it's a tough ask and he's mentioned that it's a huge risk but James Hird is going to be a huge inclusion to the club from the players' perspective."
http://www.afl.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/208/newsid/103405/default.aspx
