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By Gary Walsh 11:48 AM Wed 06 August, 2008
WHEN Robert Harvey made his debut for St Kilda, on August 6, 1988, George Bush was in the news, as was Benazir Bhutto. Iran and Iraq were at each other's throats, and an Asian Olympics was in prospect. By the time Harvey announced his retirement, on August 6, 2008, the world had turned and turned, history had been made and forgotten, presidents and kings had come and gone, but much remained the same.
Like Harvey's trademark jinking running style, not quick, but quick enough to evade all but the most ferocious of tackles. Like his deft sidesteps and pinpoint 25m chip kicks. Like his inexhaustible stamina. Like his ability to turn a game as no other St Kilda player could.
Seaford boy Robert Harvey played his first match for the Saints a couple of weeks' shy of his 17th birthday, when the competition was still called the Victorian Football League. He began in round 19, wearing guernsey No.52, against Footscray at the Western Oval and, typically, won the first possession of the match. The great Darrel Baldock was Harvey's first coach, and he credits Baldock with giving him the confidence to develop his game.
By 1990 Harvey was racking up the huge numbers of possessions that would characterise his career. He finished third in St Kilda's best and fairest despite missing four matches with glandular fever. The following year Harvey represented Victoria in two State of Origin matches and played in the Saints' first final since 1973.
Harvey's career was significantly on the rise. Season 1992 brought a best and fairest – the first of four – as well as All-Australian selection and an E.J. Whitten Medal – the first of three – as Victoria's best against South Australia. By the mid-90s he was regarded as one of the best players in the AFL, but he took his game to another level in 1997 and 1998.
Harvey took out successive Brownlow Medals in those seasons, along with two more club championships and an AFLPA most valuable player award, and played in the Saints' losing grand final against Adelaide. In 1997 he amassed 756 disposals, the most recorded in a single season, and followed that with 501 kicks in 1998, again the most ever tallied.
His first significant setback came in 2001 when he injured his anterior cruciate ligament and underwent a full knee reconstruction, managing only nine games in 2001 and 10 the following season. But rumours of his demise were widely exaggerated, and in 2003 he managed almost 600 possessions and 18 Brownlow votes, just four behind the joint winners Mark Ricciuto, Nathan Buckley and Adam Goodes. Even in 2006, aged 35, Harvey polled 12 votes for a top-20 finish.
To the end of 2007, Harvey had totalled 212 Brownlow votes, second only to Gary Dempsey with 246 – and Dempsey played two seasons in which two sets of 3-2-1 votes were awarded. And don't be surprised if Harvey adds a few more votes to that total this season. The only thing missing in his career, of course, is a premiership. And Robert Harvey, that expert in making the improbable possible, will be doing everything he can to make that a reality in 2008.
COME ON SAINTS. ****ING BRING IT HOME FOR THE OLD MAN
WHEN Robert Harvey made his debut for St Kilda, on August 6, 1988, George Bush was in the news, as was Benazir Bhutto. Iran and Iraq were at each other's throats, and an Asian Olympics was in prospect. By the time Harvey announced his retirement, on August 6, 2008, the world had turned and turned, history had been made and forgotten, presidents and kings had come and gone, but much remained the same.
Like Harvey's trademark jinking running style, not quick, but quick enough to evade all but the most ferocious of tackles. Like his deft sidesteps and pinpoint 25m chip kicks. Like his inexhaustible stamina. Like his ability to turn a game as no other St Kilda player could.
Seaford boy Robert Harvey played his first match for the Saints a couple of weeks' shy of his 17th birthday, when the competition was still called the Victorian Football League. He began in round 19, wearing guernsey No.52, against Footscray at the Western Oval and, typically, won the first possession of the match. The great Darrel Baldock was Harvey's first coach, and he credits Baldock with giving him the confidence to develop his game.
By 1990 Harvey was racking up the huge numbers of possessions that would characterise his career. He finished third in St Kilda's best and fairest despite missing four matches with glandular fever. The following year Harvey represented Victoria in two State of Origin matches and played in the Saints' first final since 1973.
Harvey's career was significantly on the rise. Season 1992 brought a best and fairest – the first of four – as well as All-Australian selection and an E.J. Whitten Medal – the first of three – as Victoria's best against South Australia. By the mid-90s he was regarded as one of the best players in the AFL, but he took his game to another level in 1997 and 1998.
Harvey took out successive Brownlow Medals in those seasons, along with two more club championships and an AFLPA most valuable player award, and played in the Saints' losing grand final against Adelaide. In 1997 he amassed 756 disposals, the most recorded in a single season, and followed that with 501 kicks in 1998, again the most ever tallied.
His first significant setback came in 2001 when he injured his anterior cruciate ligament and underwent a full knee reconstruction, managing only nine games in 2001 and 10 the following season. But rumours of his demise were widely exaggerated, and in 2003 he managed almost 600 possessions and 18 Brownlow votes, just four behind the joint winners Mark Ricciuto, Nathan Buckley and Adam Goodes. Even in 2006, aged 35, Harvey polled 12 votes for a top-20 finish.
To the end of 2007, Harvey had totalled 212 Brownlow votes, second only to Gary Dempsey with 246 – and Dempsey played two seasons in which two sets of 3-2-1 votes were awarded. And don't be surprised if Harvey adds a few more votes to that total this season. The only thing missing in his career, of course, is a premiership. And Robert Harvey, that expert in making the improbable possible, will be doing everything he can to make that a reality in 2008.
COME ON SAINTS. ****ING BRING IT HOME FOR THE OLD MAN
