Damien Hardwick has reached his 150th game the hard way. Not in terms of getting his chance at the elite level but the way he acutally plays the game. Not many footballers going around attack the football or the man with the football with such ferocity. It has become a trademark part of his game and made him an integral part of the Essendon football Club. There is something re-assuring for teammates and supporters alike to see the ""angry"" number 11 cruising across the Essendon half back line.

""It is a nice milestone to reach. When I was playing in the under 19s at North Melbourne all those years ago it is the last thing in your mind. I'm just thankful that I am playing at such a great club with such a great group of players,"" Hardwick said.

""I suppose Wellman is the only bloke I would get rid of,"" Hardwick laughed, having his now mandatory crack at his fellow defender and good friend. ""You get a few bad eggs in every group - he is the only one I can think of at Essendon.""

As you can tell the defenders enjoy having a light-hearted crack at each other when the opportunity arises. ""We are a pretty close knit group down back,"" Hardwick said. ""And we have to be. We get paid about one tenth of that the forwards get so we often pool our money and see if we have enough between us to buy something to eat.""

As you can see, Dimma enjoys a laugh off the field but those who don't know him could be excused for thinking he was basically an angry young man. ""Anyone playing AFL football is competitive but I guess I ocassionally show it a bit more than others,"" Hardwick said. ""I've loved every one of my 150 games and am passionate about winning.""