“I went to training and came home crying with a black eye and said to mum, ‘I’ll never do that again. I didn’t like it.’”

The first football memory of North Melbourne’s games record holder, Brent Harvey, was not his finest. But a couple of decades later, ‘Boomer’ is approaching 400 games and still going strong. He recently featured on Channel 7’s #Discovered series to look back over his career.

Standing at 167cm, height was never an issue for Harvey or for North Melbourne.

“I’m never ever worried about the height thing because I can’t change it. As much as I probably would – I’d be centre half forward maybe or a full forward – I can’t change it, so you just have to deal with the way it is.”

“I honestly thought sitting here talking to you now I would be a four-time premiership player” – Brent Harvey

Selected with pick 47 in the 1995 National Draft, Harvey entered the club during a period of great success.

“To be honest, at 21 I was very naïve.”

In his first year, he won a premiership with North Melbourne’s reserves team and then played in consecutive Grand Finals with North Melbourne in 1998 and 1999, with the latter a premiership year.

“I honestly thought sitting here talking to you now I would be a four-time premiership player,” Harvey admits.

“The one thing I play football for is to win a premiership… I just want to win another one.”

Aside from loving the game itself, Harvey also loves the preparation that comes along with it; the nutrition aspect as well as tactical preparation.

“I watch Friday night [footy], I watch the Saturday night if we’re playing on the Sunday,” he says.

“I love that part of footy.”

Escaping the hustle and bustle of Melbourne is easy for Harvey, living 40 kilometres out from the city and being able to spend quality time with his kids.

“When I get away from football, I’m home.”

Harvey’s focus is now on the present. With 378 games under his belt, he simply wants to make the most of the time he has left in the game.

“I’ll get to 400 if I concentrate on what’s happening now. Don’t count the games, make the games count and that’s exactly what I’m trying to do.”

“I feel fantastic and I’m certainly ready to go again.”

Watch the #DISCOVERED feature on Harvey’s teammate, Nick Dal Santo, here.