A mate of mine who follows the Kangaroos religiously said recently that he genuinely fears for the future of this current North Melbourne team once Brent Harvey calls it a day.
When I reassured him that Harvey, by the very nature of his tremendous 2014 form, still has at least another 50 games left in those old legs, my mate scoffed, “but what happens if he breaks down tomorrow?”
The pessimism was real and his cynicism was obviously spawned from recent seasons of watching this current North Melbourne team bunny-hop, then stall, then idle and cruise only to bunny-hop and stall again.
My mate was adamant. “No Harvey no North!”
So it got me thinking whether North Melbourne are too heavily reliant on a bloke who is already well into his 19th season of AFL football. And the answer is pretty simple – yes.
At 36 years of age, Brent ‘Boomer’ Harvey is still North Melbourne’s best player. For Harvey to still hold the mantle as the club’s most influential player is a monumental achievement, but for the footy club and the rest of the North Melbourne playing group it is an indictment.
Surely the time is now for Harvey’s teammates to finally extract the digit and relieve the legend of the pressures that go with being the go-to man.
With 370 games under his belt, Boomer should have earned the luxury of spending the twilight years of his illustrious career sitting in a forward pocket with an occasional run on the ball rather than being tagged and pestered by the opposition’s best run-with player.
For opposition clubs who are big on employing stoppers, it is Boomer they put the most work into when they plan against the Kangaroos. And as an opposition supporter, you are only petrified of Brent Harvey when it comes to North Melbourne. Boomer can rip you to shreds in the blink of an eye.
When the Kangaroos face the Dockers it is Fremantle’s notorious tagger Ryan Crowley – arguably the game’s best – who goes straight to the veteran. Such is the importance of Harvey to the Kangaroos’ team that Crowley spends as much time getting under the skin of the little champ as he does any other player in the competition.
And it doesn’t end with Ryan Crowley.
When the Kangaroos face the Tigers, Harvey more often than not gets Daniel Jackson; against the Blues, Ed Curnow; against the Saints, Clinton Jones; against the Bombers, Heath Hocking. More recently, Boomer had the pleasure of Brent Macaffer’s company for the afternoon.
Some pundits even made the assumption after Harvey’s average performance in North Melbourne’s season-opening loss to Essendon that he only played scintillating football against the weak to mid-range opponents, and struggled to bring his best to the big stage.
The belief is quite ridiculous considering the amount of attention Harvey is afforded on a weekly basis, and the lack of support he has been given since Brad Scott took over the senior job of the Kangaroos at the beginning of the 2014 season.
It is no coincidence that North Melbourne’s poor start to 2013, when they won only two out of their first six games and subsequently missed the finals after making an elimination final in 2012, was on the back of Harvey’s six-week suspension at the beginning of last season.
Even in his mid-thirties the opposition were rapt Boomer wouldn’t be there.
Harvey continues to defy logic that footballers slow down once they hit 30. One could mount a strong case that Boomer is as effective today as he was as a 22 year-old, when in 1999 he was awarded the EJ Whitten medal for best man on the ground when he dominated for Victoria in a State of Origin game against South Australia at the MCG.
Harvey has played every game this season and his average disposal count of 26, if maintained, will be his best average in an entire season since he debuted as an 18-year-old in 1996. If North Melbourne counted their best and fairest voting after Round 12, he would be collecting his sixth Syd Barker Medal.
Furthermore, Harvey has the ability to break the lines and kick crunch goals when the side needs one like nobody else in the Kangaroo line-up. While other North Melbourne players drift in and out of form, Harvey continues to be the one reliable constant of this football club.
He remains the barometer of a side that too often lacks consistency, urgency and direction.
With key big man and fellow veteran Drew Pretrie desperately out of touch in 2014, the weight of North Melbourne’s finals aspirations and successes appear to be riding on Harvey’s shoulders.
North Melbourne, who just hang on to a spot in the Top 8, face a resurgent Melbourne Football Club this Sunday. The Demons have shown this season that they are more than capable, defensively at least, of matching it with the best.
One thing is for certain – if the Kangaroos sit back and wait for the old bloke wearing the No. 29 to ignite, then the Dees will be in this one up to their eyeballs.
Who’s in your ultimate team? Pick the best team and compete with other fans for daily prizes on Draftstars. For the best odds on the game try out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Think. Is this a bet you really want to place? Set a deposit limit.
Josh Rachele looked to be corralled against the boundary line, but he improvised to escape and set up Luke Pedlar for a goal.
The Crows were dominating the Roos in the first quarter, with Izak Rankine kicking two goals. North's Luke McDonald was stepped silly in Rankine's…
Jack Ziebell was playing his first match for Avondale Heights when he was yellow-carded for headbutting an opponent during a scuffle following a late…
We’re taking a look at one player from each team that needs to make a difference this week, starting with the ANZAC Day games.
Round 5 of the AFL provided plenty of action, from big scorelines to upset wins and pressure starting to build on some clubs and coaches already.
Collingwood premiership defender Nathan Murphy has been forced into a premature and immediate AFL retirement through concussion to prioritise a "full and healthy life"…
