Make no mistake, Essendon assistant coach Mark Harvey fully understands why the Bombers were basically forced to part company with one of their star players. And in the wash-up, Harvey believes the deal was probably the best thing for the player involved. But it hasn't made it a great deal easier for him to come to terms with the departure of defender Damien Hardwick. Hardwick was today traded to Port Adelaide by the Bombers in exchange for draft selections 31 and 47. Harvey played with Hardwick and as defensive coach has worked very closely with him on match day over the past few seasons.

With such a deep and strong list, the day was always going to arrive when the salary cap rules caught up with the Bombers. Tough decisions had to be made and Hardwick was the unfortunate victim.

""When I first started coaching I was given the job of trying to put together a high quality defensive unit and Damien was a key part of that both on and off the field. He was a real stabilising influence,"" Harvey said. ""I can't speak highly enough of Damien - he is a quality player and quality person. I've never seen a player whose personality changed so much once he went on to the ground. He is a softly spoken type of bloke off the ground but when he crossed that white line it was all systems go.""

""We basically had no choice but to trade one of our high profile players and in hindsight Damien has got a very good deal. We probably wouldn't have been able to keep Damien at the completion of next season. He now has a three-year contract and some security so I think it has been a good trade for him.""