PRE-AFL
CAREER
Brent Harvey is a record breaker. Whether it's breaking the AFL games record or kicking a club record of 21 goals in a game for Preston RSL decades ago.
It seems like a pretty natural road, looking back, for someone as talented as Harvey to be selected on an AFL list in the 1995 draft, but no one would have guessed a pick 47, 175cm skinny kid would play the most games in AFL history. Harvey had to battle some early criticism because of his size, even from his first Coach Denis Pagan who openly claimed, "I see you picked a jockey" to the North Melbourne recruiting department.
"I see you picked a jockey."
denis pagan Speaking to NMFC
Harvey was recruited on the back of winning the Ron James Medal for Victoria's best under 18s player, selected in the under 18s All Australian team and best on ground for the Northern Knights in their premiership win. He was then invited to the draft camp, and true to his nature, broke three records in testing.
Harvey's elite skills, athletic superiority and intuitive game sense resulted in North taking a "risk" with Harvey as pick 47 in the 1995 AFL draft.