In his latest column - The Word from Hird - Essendon captain James Hird has leapt to the defence of full forward Matthew Lloyd. Some commentators and fans have questioned Lloyd's output this season but Hird says his teammates haven't held up their end of the bargain. ""Matthew is getting his opportunities but too often we simply aren’t kicking the ball to his advantage,"" Hird says. Read the Word from Hird.