IN PART one of a five-part series, Fremantle head coach Mark Harvey recalls his days as an Essendon star; from precocious blond premiership forward to reliable veteran defender, he played in 206 games and three flags in 14 seasons for the Bombers, and featured alongside some of the club's – and the game's – all-time greats.
Yet his playing days also delivered some crushing lows: notably the challenge of coping with the media spotlight, ongoing knee problems that eventuated in four reconstructions and his late career confession that he had fought bulimia.
After almost a decade as an assistant coach, first at his beloved Bombers and more recently at Fremantle,
Part One: PLAYING DAYS
Was it exciting to play for the team you supported and was so strong?
I grew up barracking for Essendon, lived eight kilometres from Windy Hill, and was a regular at that ground. To be 18, just turned 19, throughout the course of 1984 and to play in a side that was already established from a talent point of view, made life a lot easier for me to come in. It was a dream come true, really. You never know if you're going to make it as a kid, but you always have that dream.
Even when you initially get there you don’t know if you are a permanent fixture, but to contribute and play with the likes of (Roger) Merrett, (Paul) Van der Haar, Simon Madden, Tim Watson and even the characters like Billy Duckworth, Leon Baker and Merv Neagle was great for myself, Paul Salmon and Mark Thompson. We were the young kids coming into the team. We had a really good balance and, in those days, you could enjoy each other's company a lot more off the field than you can now. It made an enormous difference to know that you are accepted.
How did you handle success straight away?
The first two years (we won) premierships and whether that was good or bad remains to be seen. Initially, you can tend to get carried away with those successful years and my career stagnated a little after 1986 – for four or five years I struggled to deal with success and being scrutinised more than I would have without the success. They were interesting times. It took me seven or eight years to win another premiership, so there were a lot of lessons learnt in that time.
What are the differences in pressures on young players today than when you started?
It's more concentrated on off-field now, with the media scrutiny. There's a lot more on the individual aspect as well as the team performance, and then on top of that you have the socialising scrutiny. We never had too much of that, so they have it all in one hit. You have to be very mindful of that when you are dealing with players and you don’t want to contribute to what can already be quite harsh.
Tell us about the rivalry with Hawthorn?
It was combatant and they were our arch-enemy. They obviously had a lot of flamboyant players, were a very good side and slaughtered Essendon in the 1983 grand final. Kevin (Sheedy) would always create a lot of angst between Hawthorn and Allan Jeans. He had a go at Hawthorn about what was potentially glue sniffing at half-time, and there were a lot of different things, as well as the Colin Robertson-Tim Watson thing on the back of 1983. Dermott Brereton and these sorts of guys used to throw their weight around, but the thing about our side was that we were more than capable of dishing out our own.
Did you form a bond with anyone from that Hawthorn side?
Dipper (Robert DiPierdomenico) is one of those guys that you learn is a fantastic guy off the field. He was a fantastic competitor, got the best out of himself, won a Brownlow Medal and played in numerous premierships. In the time since our playing careers, it's different and I like him.
You quite often see Jason Dunstall and Dermott Brereton around, as they have profiles in the media, but you don’t get to see a lot of the other guys, which is a bit of a shame. There's always that respect, though, when you come across the Hawthorn guys, because we knew what sort of games we had. It was like playing in a coliseum when we played them.
What are the best memories of your playing career?
I loved the combat nature of the game, being involved in the physicality and trying to read the game to the best of my ability to try to always have an influence. Playing at the MCG and experiencing the roar during finals games was the most memorable. We were a very fortunate club to also have Anzac Day and to play in a lot of big games. The thrill of the big crowd is what you miss and when you can do something to excite them and lift your team, you can't beat that.
Tell us about your battle with bulimia?
It was tough to express it because it was always seen as a female problem or disease. Playing a macho sport, I had problems coming out and saying that I was battling it. On top of that, my performance was lacking and I was going downhill in a lot of ways. People didn’t know and they couldn’t understand why I wasn’t playing as well as I should have been.
It was during the years that I should have been playing at my top and I wasted three or four good years … to overcome it and then play another four or five years was pleasing. Basically, what I had was four knee reconstructions; I missed four years on and off. It was dark and gloomy, but football saved me from it in the end and when I expressed it in the last six months, it really helped me get through it.
How do you rate the great Essendon players you played with?
I was fortunate enough to play with Terry Daniher, Simon Madden and Tim Watson early, and even Roger Merrett added a different dimension. He probably wasn’t as gifted as the other guys, but his toughness and what he did for the team was enormous. Then as I went on, I played with Paul Salmon, Mark Thompson and later on James Hird and, of course, the brilliance of Michael Long. They are the guys that come to mind.
Are you good friends with some still?
I'm mindful to speak with a lot of them as regularly as I can. I always go through my phone and once every couple of weeks I will ring someone that I haven’t for a while. The interesting thing at the moment is that a lot of them are having their 50th birthdays, but I'm over here and am missing out on that.
