Brent Harvey take a bow. It’s time to pay you your dues.
The North Melbourne running machine has proven, at age 35, that he deserves to sit among the greats in VFL-AFL history.
Nineteen years after I first came across the small, chirpy midfielder/forward representing Victoria Metro at the Teal Cup in Albury-Wodonga, I am convinced he is one of the best players the game has produced.
Competing against him as a lanky, mid-paced 183cm wingman for SA, my first recollection of Harvey was just how small he was.
But I soon realised what he lacked in height he easily made up for in fight. He was a super-competitive, never-give-in, on-field marathon man who never seemed to tire.
All these years later, nothing has changed.
Harvey slipped to No.47 at the 1995 national draft because of his tiny 167cm stature.
He took time to find his feet at AFL level, playing only one game in his first season 1996 - the year the Kangaroos beat Sydney in the Grand Final.
The following year he became a regular in Denis Pagan’s all-conquering team.
But it was in 1999 when he stamped himself on the competition, winning the E.J. Whitten Medal as best-afield in the last State of Origin clash between SA and Victoria. He finished that season with a premiership medal.
Fifteen years later, Harvey is 35 (he turns 36 next month) and has played an incredible 365 games.
Amazingly, he shows no signs of slowing down.
He has averaged more than a goal a game, slotting through 436 majors - ranked fifth in North history. It is a staggering return for a player who has spent most of his time as a midfielder.
Make no mistake, Harvey is an A grader.
Like a fine wine, his game is appreciated more with age.
For years I considered Harvey a rung below the likes of Chris Judd or Gary Ablett when it came to superstar material.
Was it because he played with North Melbourne, who for the past decade have been around the mark but never quite good enough to give the flag a shake, or the fact he was more of an accumulator than an impact power midfielder shrugging tackles at will?
I never really asked myself that question but after watching Harvey take over last Sunday’s tight game against Port Adelaide, I have no doubt he deserves to be ranked among Australian Football’s finest.
He has many attributes, including being a great decision maker. He possesses elite leg speed and is as good a repeated sprint runner as you will see, as well as being an aerobic animal. Then there are those exquisite skills.
When the chips were down against the Power, Harvey was the man to step up.
His 23 disposals and three telling goals reaffirmed that he is the Benjamin Button of the AFL.
As players get older their strengths or weapons tend to fade away. Father time catches up with us all.
This can be in many forms. Some players lose their mobility, agility and leap, some lose their speed and others succumb to the dreaded injury curse.
But not Brent “Boomer’’ Harvey.
I had the pleasure of sitting next to Harvey at the famous 2010 drawn Grand Final between Collingwood and St Kilda, just one month after I had retired feeling mentally and physically exhausted after a 14-year AFL career.
Knowing we had started our careers together, I asked if he had another season left in his little legs.
“As long as I don’t lose my speed and can still cover the ground Scotty (coach Brad Scott) wants me to play on,’’ Harvey said.
I remember thinking to myself in my negative, I’m over football attitude that “it will be your last’’.
Four years later Harvey is still going strong. At a soon-to-be 36 he is still firing on all cylinders and winning games for the Roos, which was highlighted by his late match-sealing goal against Port.
There is no doubt in my mind he will play 400 games, even if it means he becomes the Kangaroos ideal super sub.
Kangaroos coach Brad Scott shares this thought: “ I think he’d be a pretty devastating little sub if he came on halfway through the third quarter.”
That’s a scary thought for opposition clubs.
How has he been able to keep going? Because he is still up for the challenge and refuses to rest on his laurels. He loves the contest and knows you are a long time retired.
Blues legend Craig Bradley is the only other player of Harvey’s vintage that I can remember being tagged in an AFL game before.
Power coach Ken Hinkley had Matty White run with Harvey on Sunday, showing just how dangerous a player he still is.
Harvey is still the Kangas’ most important and consistent player. At his age, it is an extraordinary achievement and he deserves every accolade which comes his way.
He is a champion.
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