Mark Harvey
Encyclopedia
Mark Harvey is a former Australian rules football
player who played for the Essendon Football Club
. He played 206 games from 1984 to 1997, kicking 190 goals, and was assistant coach at Essendon from 1998 to 2005. He was senior coach of the Fremantle Football Club
from 2007 till 2011.
Harvey finished in the top five of the Essendon best-and-fairest on four occasions, winning the award in 1992. He was named in the All Australian Team in 1985 and 1993; he also played in premiership sides both those years as well as in 1984. He was also the side's leading goalkicker for the 1985 season, an unusual feat for a medium-sized forward in a premiership winning team. In 2002 he was named as the 18th greatest player to play for the club in the "Champions of Essendon" list.
In 2001 Harvey admitted that he suffered from bulimia for 3 to 4 years of his playing career, after he gained weight following a broken leg.
However, after the end of the 2005 season, Harvey resigned as Essendon assistant coach to take up a job at Fremantle
as an assistant coach to Chris Connolly
. He helped Fremantle have their most successful season to date in 2006, reaching the preliminary final, but following a poor start to the 2007 season, Connolly resigned as senior coach after round 15. Harvey was then offered the caretaker role for the remainder of the season. After taking two days to consider the offer he accepted and was senior coach for the first time against Adelaide at AAMI Stadium
on 21 July 2007. Fremantle performed very well, scoring their highest ever score in South Australia and winning by 25 points. Harvey led Fremantle to win four of the seven remaining games in 2007 but it wasn't enough to make the finals, finishing in eleventh place.
On 17 September 2007 it was announced that Harvey will be the coach of Fremantle on a contract for the next three seasons.
The 2008 season did not start well for Harvey with Fremantle only winning twice in the first thirteen rounds, including a demoralising loss to the previously winless Melbourne
despite leading by 50 points at half time in round seven. At the end of the 2008 season Fremantle finished fourteenth on the ladder with six wins and sixteen loses. The following year at the end of the 2009 season Fremantle finished fourteenth on the ladder yet again with six wins and sixteen loses.
In 2010 Harvey returned Fremantle to the finals after a three year absence. Fremantle won its first three matches of a season for the first time ever; which culminated in an upset seven-point victory over the previous season's premiers, . But late in the season, Harvey rested up to half of his regular side ahead of a match against in Launceston
and the result was a 116-point defeat, just one point off their record margin loss of 117 points suffered against just a season earlier. But against the same opponents a fortnight later, the Dockers won its first finals match under Harvey, and its first since 2006, with a win by 5 goals. Fremantle's 2010 season ended in a disappointing defeat to at the MCG
a week later.
He was involved in a nightclub fight in Darwin, Northern Territory
on 17 June 2007 when he was king hit and knocked unconscious. This followed Fremantle's loss to Western Bulldogs
and on the same night as Chris Tarrant
was involved in an altercation with Jason McCartney
.
On 13 June 2010 The Age
newspaper journalist Emma Quayle
revealed in her book Nine Lives: football, cancer and getting on with life on former Essendon Football Club
player Adam Ramanauskas
that Harvey had, 10 years earlier, suffered from a brain tumour. Following successful treatment, Harvey has remained in remission ever since.
Despite being praised for his efforts in attempting to field a fit Fremantle side late in the season when the club was suffering one of the worst injury tolls in the AFL, Mark Harvey was unexpectedly sacked on 15th September 2011 following the 2011 AFL season. He was replaced by former coach Ross Lyon
who on the same night of Harvey's dismissal had resigned from his post as Saints coach.
In November 2011, Harvey signed on as a senior assistant coach to the Brisbane Lions
for the 2012 season.
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
player who played for the Essendon Football Club
Essendon Football Club
The Essendon Football Club, nicknamed The Bombers, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
. He played 206 games from 1984 to 1997, kicking 190 goals, and was assistant coach at Essendon from 1998 to 2005. He was senior coach of the Fremantle Football Club
Fremantle Football Club
The Fremantle Football Club, nicknamed The Dockers, is an Australian rules football team which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in the port city of Fremantle at the mouth of the Swan River in Western Australia...
from 2007 till 2011.
Playing career
Harvey was originally known as a skilful forward, playing that role in the 1984 and 1985 premiership sides, including kicking four goals in the 1985 premiership win. However, injuries in his later career (particularly to his ankles) meant he was used more as a defender, which reduced the stress on his body. In his role as a defender he often played as center half-back against much taller opponents, making up for his lack of height with his aggressive attack on the football.Harvey finished in the top five of the Essendon best-and-fairest on four occasions, winning the award in 1992. He was named in the All Australian Team in 1985 and 1993; he also played in premiership sides both those years as well as in 1984. He was also the side's leading goalkicker for the 1985 season, an unusual feat for a medium-sized forward in a premiership winning team. In 2002 he was named as the 18th greatest player to play for the club in the "Champions of Essendon" list.
In 2001 Harvey admitted that he suffered from bulimia for 3 to 4 years of his playing career, after he gained weight following a broken leg.
Coaching career
Harvey retired in 1997 after realising injuries had taken their toll on his body and he could no longer contribute to the side in the way he would like. He remained at Essendon as an assistant coach under Kevin Sheedy, and in the years since was often suggested as a possible senior coach. At the end of the 2004 season Harvey was a front-runner for a number of coaching jobs, but either wasn't offered or chose not to take each of them, and continued to be an assistant at Essendon.However, after the end of the 2005 season, Harvey resigned as Essendon assistant coach to take up a job at Fremantle
Fremantle Football Club
The Fremantle Football Club, nicknamed The Dockers, is an Australian rules football team which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in the port city of Fremantle at the mouth of the Swan River in Western Australia...
as an assistant coach to Chris Connolly
Chris Connolly
Chris Connolly is the current Melbourne Football Club football manager as well as assistant coach.-Playing career:...
. He helped Fremantle have their most successful season to date in 2006, reaching the preliminary final, but following a poor start to the 2007 season, Connolly resigned as senior coach after round 15. Harvey was then offered the caretaker role for the remainder of the season. After taking two days to consider the offer he accepted and was senior coach for the first time against Adelaide at AAMI Stadium
AAMI Stadium
Football Park is an Australian rules football stadium located in West Lakes, a western suburb of Adelaide, South Australia...
on 21 July 2007. Fremantle performed very well, scoring their highest ever score in South Australia and winning by 25 points. Harvey led Fremantle to win four of the seven remaining games in 2007 but it wasn't enough to make the finals, finishing in eleventh place.
On 17 September 2007 it was announced that Harvey will be the coach of Fremantle on a contract for the next three seasons.
The 2008 season did not start well for Harvey with Fremantle only winning twice in the first thirteen rounds, including a demoralising loss to the previously winless Melbourne
Melbourne Football Club
The Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Demons, is an Australian rules football club playing in the Australian Football League , based in Melbourne, Victoria....
despite leading by 50 points at half time in round seven. At the end of the 2008 season Fremantle finished fourteenth on the ladder with six wins and sixteen loses. The following year at the end of the 2009 season Fremantle finished fourteenth on the ladder yet again with six wins and sixteen loses.
In 2010 Harvey returned Fremantle to the finals after a three year absence. Fremantle won its first three matches of a season for the first time ever; which culminated in an upset seven-point victory over the previous season's premiers, . But late in the season, Harvey rested up to half of his regular side ahead of a match against in Launceston
Launceston, Tasmania
Launceston is a city in the north of the state of Tasmania, Australia at the junction of the North Esk and South Esk rivers where they become the Tamar River. Launceston is the second largest city in Tasmania after the state capital Hobart...
and the result was a 116-point defeat, just one point off their record margin loss of 117 points suffered against just a season earlier. But against the same opponents a fortnight later, the Dockers won its first finals match under Harvey, and its first since 2006, with a win by 5 goals. Fremantle's 2010 season ended in a disappointing defeat to at the MCG
Melbourne Cricket Ground
The Melbourne Cricket Ground is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne and is home to the Melbourne Cricket Club. It is the tenth largest stadium in the world, the largest in Australia, the largest stadium for playing cricket, and holds the world record for the highest light...
a week later.
He was involved in a nightclub fight in Darwin, Northern Territory
Darwin, Northern Territory
Darwin is the capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia. Situated on the Timor Sea, Darwin has a population of 127,500, making it by far the largest and most populated city in the sparsely populated Northern Territory, but the least populous of all Australia's capital cities...
on 17 June 2007 when he was king hit and knocked unconscious. This followed Fremantle's loss to Western Bulldogs
Western Bulldogs
The Western Bulldogs are an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based at the Whitten Oval in West Footscray, an inner-western suburb of Melbourne...
and on the same night as Chris Tarrant
Chris Tarrant (footballer)
Chris Tarrant is an Australian rules footballer who plays for the Collingwood Football Club, and has also played for the Fremantle Football Club. He announced at the end of the 2010 AFL season that he would return to Melbourne for personal reasons and would not extend his contract with Fremantle...
was involved in an altercation with Jason McCartney
Jason McCartney
Jason McCartney is a former Australian rules footballer, 2002 Bali bombing survivor and coach of the AIS/AFL Academy...
.
On 13 June 2010 The Age
The Age
The Age is a daily broadsheet newspaper, which has been published in Melbourne, Australia since 1854. Owned and published by Fairfax Media, The Age primarily serves Victoria, but is also available for purchase in Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory and border regions of South Australia and...
newspaper journalist Emma Quayle
Emma Quayle
Emma Quayle is a journalist at The Age newspaper in Melbourne, Australia. Joining as a cadet in 1999, she has covered sport since 2001, specialising in Australian Football League football. Quayle won AFL Media Association Awards in 2005 and 2006 for her coverage of under-18 football and the AFL...
revealed in her book Nine Lives: football, cancer and getting on with life on former Essendon Football Club
Essendon Football Club
The Essendon Football Club, nicknamed The Bombers, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
player Adam Ramanauskas
Adam Ramanauskas
Adam Ramanauskas is a former Australian rules footballer for the Essendon Football Club.Of Lithuanian descent, Ramanauskas was selected at no. 12 in the 1998 AFL Draft and was mainly a defender or midfielder...
that Harvey had, 10 years earlier, suffered from a brain tumour. Following successful treatment, Harvey has remained in remission ever since.
Despite being praised for his efforts in attempting to field a fit Fremantle side late in the season when the club was suffering one of the worst injury tolls in the AFL, Mark Harvey was unexpectedly sacked on 15th September 2011 following the 2011 AFL season. He was replaced by former coach Ross Lyon
Ross Lyon
Ross Lyon is a former Australian rules football player for Fitzroy and the Brisbane Bears. He is the current senior coach of the Fremantle Football Club in the Australian Football League .-Playing career:...
who on the same night of Harvey's dismissal had resigned from his post as Saints coach.
In November 2011, Harvey signed on as a senior assistant coach to the Brisbane Lions
Brisbane Lions
The Brisbane Lions is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in Brisbane, Queensland. The club was formed from the merger of the Brisbane Bears and the Fitzroy Lions in 1996...
for the 2012 season.