Illustration: Mick Connolly

Illustration: Mick Connolly

MARK Harvey and James Hird would be seen in deep football discussion with regularity over the years as teammates at Essendon, such was their fierce desire to win a game of football and their passion for the tactical side of the game.

Today, they square off against each other from the coach's box for the first time in what is a season-defining game for both clubs. Aside from Kevin Sheedy, Harvey and Hird were the two most influential people on my playing career at Essendon, so it is no surprise they have both ended up as senior AFL coaches.

Essendon and Fremantle are sitting in seventh and eighth spot on the ladder, having both lost their past two matches and are both looking vulnerable due to injury-depleted lists.

Both clubs also have a heavy reliance on their best players, Jobe Watson and Aaron Sandilands, and it is no coincidence they both haven't won in the past fortnight without these key playmakers. Their records are so bad without them that Fremantle hasn't won without Sandilands in the seven games he has missed since 2009 and Essendon hasn't won in the seven matches Watson has missed since 2008.

Watson is back in the Bombers' line-up today and that is significant for Essendon, as he is a player who not only dominates a game himself but he brings so many others into the play, due to his quick hands and decision making.

With Jonathon Griffin as the back-up ruck for Fremantle and the Bombers' big men keen to make a statement after a disappointing fortnight, Essendon should get first use of the ball and Watson must be stopped if Fremantle has any chance of winning.

Sheedy's coaching style allowed his players to grow as individuals within the team framework. He would nurture you in such a way that he had you believing you could do anything, whether it was on or off the field. This is why Sheeds has produced so many coaches. While Harvs and Hirdy are very different personalities, they are both brutal competitors at whatever they do and, like Sheeds, are very hard on their players as a collective group but they rarely berate their players individually. This was generally Sheedy's style.

Harvs was the most influential assistant coach I had in my 15 years at Essendon. He had this unique quality that he could hit you right between the eyes with what you needed to improve on but half an hour later when you walked out of his office, you couldn't wait for the bounce of the ball of the next game as he had managed to instill in you the belief that you would play a blinder the following week.

Harvs is a coach you wanted to play for and he is loyal to his players, a reason you never see him criticise them publicly in the press conferences, as that is for behind closed doors, in his opinion.

Hirdy has the rare ability to motivate people to follow his lead; he commands respect and you can see his players believe in everything he preaches. It is only early days and they have hit the first speed hump in his coaching tenure but I'll never forget some of the days he inspired the group as the skipper. He had you ready to run through a brick wall in search of winning a game of football.

His talk to the group at the quarter-time huddle against North Melbourne in 2001 when we were 10 goals down was as good as I've ever heard. James didn't panic, he broke the game down for us for the next 90 minutes and we then went about executing what he so passionately asked for. He is a rare individual who hates losing. If I threw a ball out to Hird and Harvey and challenged them both to get the ball back to me first, it would be like two bull terriers going at it, that is how competitive these two individuals are. They know full well that both clubs are in desperate need for the four points today if they are to be a genuine threat in 2011. Both clubs are winning plenty of football; their major concern is inside forward 50. The Bombers goal average, per forward 50 entries has resulting in them going from the second-ranked club in the first six rounds to the worst team in the competition in the past month.

Fremantle is also lacking a focal point inside 50 and it is now time for Harvey to send Matthew Pavlich forward to be the focal point it so desperately lacks. Pavlich has kicked more than 60 goals in five of the past six years and although he has spent the majority of the time in the midfield this year due to Fremantle's long injury list, I feel he offers far more forward of centre than his miserly return of six goals from 10 games. Pavlich is averaging a healthy 25 possessions a game through the midfield but I view him like a Jonathan Brown or Lance Franklin.

The responsibility should be on Pavlich to be the main man inside forward 50 and have opposition defenders losing sleep over him, not racking up possessions through the midfield. Opposition clubs would love that.

The ramifications for the loser today are huge.

Fremantle has won just one of its past five games and the Bombers have lost some of their early season belief and that wouldn't be helped knowing that they have such a poor record at Subiaco.

All friendship's go out the window today, even if it is just for a few hours.