Essendon captain James Hird was understandably away with the fairies after undergoing major surgery last Saturday night to repair multiple facial fractures. So it's hardly surprising his memories of a phone call he made to teammate Paul Salmon at 5.00am on Sunday morning are a little foggy. Hird rang up Salmon to discuss big screen TV's and DVD's saying that the existing audio-visual facilities in hospital his room weren't up to scratch.

A bemused and half-asleep Salmon could only agree with Hird. ""His first comment to me was that if he wasn't able to sleep then I shouldn't be allowed to either,"" Salmon said. ""He then told me that I wouldn't put up with such a small television and that I should call in some favours and arrange a big screen TV for him with a plasma screen.""

Never one to disobey his captain, Salmon has come through with the goods. Sometime today a big screen TV will be delivered into Hird's hospital room. ""I thought it would be good for a laugh and might cheer him up,"" Salmon said.

Hird hadn't finished making his early morning wake up calls - fitness coach John Quinn was next on the list. ""We just had a general chat and he told me he was okay,"" Quinn said.