Shinboner number: 755
Guernsey number: 8
Born: January 15, 1960
North Melbourne games: 172 (1984-1993)
Goals: 143
North Melbourne Hall of Fame inductee: 2012

Matthew Larkin was one of North Melbourne’s best players between the powerhouse 1970s and 1990s eras.

Making his senior debut in 1984, Larkin began his VFL career with 1970s greats Wayne Schimmelbusch, Keith Greig and David Dench as teammates.

The midfielder played his last game in 1993 just as 1996 and 1999 premiership stars Wayne Carey, Anthony Stevens and Glenn Archer were starting to flex their muscles at AFL level.

Where Schimmelbusch, a member of North’s 1975 and 1977 premiership teams, played a club-record 29 finals and Greig, Dench, Carey, Stevens and Archer all played 18 or more, Larkin played just four. 

He tasted victory in only one of those finals - North’s stirring comeback win over Carlton in the 1985 elimination final - with the three losses coming at an average margin of 66 points.

But North’s lack of finals success during Larkin’s career did not stop him establishing himself as one of the League’s best midfielders. 

The Boronia product won the Roos’ best and fairest award in 1985, his first full season, and finished equal fourth in the Brownlow Medal on 15 votes. He would win the award twice more, while making the 1988 All-Australian team and playing four State of Origin games in the 'Big V'. 

At 180cm and 90kg, Larkin was hard to shift at stoppages where he thrived as a contested ball-winner, often setting up teammates with his creative handballing. He was also damaging by foot when he found time and space and, from 1985-89, was a regular goalkicker, averaging one major a game.

When Schimmelbusch took over from John Kennedy as North coach in 1990, he made Larkin captain, a role the on-baller held for three seasons.

Larkin retired with no regrets. “We were in the middle of two great eras, but I got to play with Greig, Schimmelbusch, Glendinning, the Krakouer brothers and then with Carey, Stevens and Archer,” Larkin said. “Those younger guys were starting to fire at the end of my career, but if I had been born a year or two later and had hung on to the (1996) Grand Final I wouldn’t have played with Schimmelbusch, Greig and Glendinning.

“What I say now is we gave it our best shot and we weren’t quite good enough, but it was great to play at that time and play with the players that I did. I was lucky.”