With all five candidates for Shinboner of the Era (2005-2015) revealed, it’s now your turn to vote on who you think should win the prestigious award.
Earlier this year, a Shinboner of the Era selection committee was formed with key officials nominating the five North Melbourne players who they believed best typified what it meant to be a Shinboner.
After the five players had been determined, each member of the committee was then asked to rank the players from one to five.
Both the North Melbourne committee and public vote carry a 50 per cent weighting on the final decision. Here are the five candidates in order of when they were revealed on NMFC.com.au – voting closes at midnight, Monday June 27.
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Drew Petrie
“He’s a true legend of this Club and typifies what the Shinboner Spirit is all about.”
They’re the words of Anthony Stevens on Drew Petrie, an opinion which carries great weight on everything about North Melbourne.
Over Petrie’s 302 games and counting, the 33-year-old has played in just about every key position on the field. From the backline to the ruck and now permanently as a forward, he’s been invaluable for the club.
For Stevens, it was one key moment which defined Petrie.
“I remember Glenn Archer’s 300th game when Drew kicked six goals in the first quarter; that was the beginning of Drew Petrie’s football career and the making of the superstar that he is today.”
Brady Rawlings
At every club there is a player who’s revered inside the four walls, but largely underrated externally.
For North Melbourne, that man was Brady Rawlings. Through 245 games across 13 seasons, the tagger won three Syd Barker Medals, the ultimate sign of his standing at Arden Street.
“Brady Rawlings typifies what a true Shinboner is,” Stevens said.
“He was 100 per cent effort, 100 per cent of the time. Every time he pulled on a North Melbourne jumper he’d treat it as a badge of honour.
“Every time you ran out next to Brady Rawlings, you knew exactly what you were going to get. He never died wondering.”
Michael Firrito
When Glenn Archer retired at the end of 2007, the fate of the famous number 11 created much discussion.
The next recipient would have to demonstrate the values which made Archer such a feared and respected opponent and the ultimate teammate.
That person was Michael Firrito.
“He received the ultimate accolade, by Glenn Archer, Shinboner of the Century, handing his number and jumper down when (Archer) retired,” Stevens explained.
Brent Harvey
Over the course of his 422-game career (and counting), just about every superlative in the book has been used to describe Harvey.
Closing in on the all-time AFL games record, Harvey’s 21 years at Arden Street have brought countless match-winning performances.
One of Harvey’s best traits has been his consistency – since 1998 he’s played less than 20 games in a season on just two occasions; once due to injury (2009) and the other because of suspension (2013) – never because of poor form.
Andrew Swallow
Closing in on 200 games, Andrew Swallow has been a fixture in the North Melbourne midfield for much of the last decade.
As captain of the club since 2012, Swallow has presided over an exciting era at Arden Street.
Halfway through his fifth year in the role, the 29-year-old is one of the longest serving captains in club history, behind only Wayne Carey (nine seasons), Wayne Schimmelbusch (nine seasons) and Adam Simpson (five seasons).
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