A passion to ensure Essendon was once again successful drove Mark Harvey to return to the club he called home for over 25 years.
Harvey was last week announced as an assistant coach for the 2015 with his main role to be looking after the club’s midfield group.
“It has been ten years now, I have been interstate all that time so it is quite different with Windy Hill compared to Tullamarine,” Harvey said.
“I have been sitting back watching from a far, there are still some players here that I coached, Fletch being one of them, Stanton and Jobe Watson others.
“It is a different type of feeling, I obviously coached James Hird as an assistant coach and now he is obviously the senior coach so I am here to support him.
“I am here to make sure this club gets the success that it needs and I am pretty sure we have got a very talented list so I look forward to having an involvement with them.”
In ten years since leaving the club Harvey has taken on the role of assistant coach at Fremantle before becoming the senior coach at the Dockers.
He then went on to become senior assistant for two years at the Brisbane Lions alongside Michael Voss.
Harvey is sure the time is right to return to the Bombers having spent twelve months away from a football club environment.
“Mentally sometimes as a coach, especially as a senior coach there comes a time when you probably need to step away for twelve months.”
“What it has done to me is it has made me realise how much I miss the game and working with players on a daily basis.
“I am sure that we are going to evolve quiet quickly and make sure this club is holding its own.”
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The three time premiership player revealed his emotional attachment to the club played a significant factor in his decision to return.
“You are indebted to the football club when you play here as a player for the period of time that I did,” he said.
“I spent 25 years here either as a player of coach and I have always had that emotional tie to the club.”
“To come back after coaching at different clubs, seeing different cultures and being under a different regime has given me a lot of experience.
“I am sure I can add to what has been going on here and so I look forward to working with the playing group as soon as possible.”
Harvey is excited by the addition of Brownlow Medallist Adam Cooney to the club’s maturing midfield group for the upcoming season.
