Essendon premiership player Gary Moorcroft may have to nominate for the draft. Moorcroft, who is out of contract, met with Essendon officials this morning who explained to him the difficulties they were facing in trying to fit him into the 2002 player list. ""We were up front with Gary during the trade period and said we were going to try and do a deal that would suit him,"" Essendon football manager Matthew Drain said. ""But club's were only offering us draft picks that we probably wouldn't be able use to use anyway. We weren't prepared to trade Gary for nothing and if he does have to nominate for the draft at least he can now do it on his terms.""

Drain said Moorcroft certainly hadn't been sacked. ""We said we would try and do what we can to keep him but the salary cap pressure is going to make that very difficult. We are working through those issues at the moment,"" Drain said. ""Gary understands the position the club is in."" Drain said Moorcroft wasn't devastated by the idea of playing elsewhere. ""He was getting limited ground time at Essendon and that is not ideal for any footballer of his age. Any move might be a real bonus in terms of his career,"" Drain said.

Salary cap pressure has already forced Essendon to trade star defender Damien Hardiwck to Port Adelaide. Hardwick signed a three-year deal with Port Adelaide while the Bombers received draft selections number 31 and 47.