Colonel Light Gardens' Aaren Harvey kicks more goals than any other player in SA this year

THE traditional full forward is alive and well in the suburbs - just ask Colonel Light Gardens spearhead Aaren Harvey.

THE traditional full forward is alive and well in the suburbs - just ask Colonel Light Gardens spearhead Aaren Harvey.

The Lions big man has kicked more goals than anyone else in the state this season and has not ventured too far up the ground to get them.

"I don't leave the goal square too often,'' Harvey jokes.

"I do get a lot of my goals leading out, but my teammates are pretty good at getting the ball down, so it makes my job pretty easy."

Officially Harvey, of Sheidow Park, had bagged 95 goals for the second-placed Lions in division six of the SA Amateur Football League heading into this Saturday's clash with Blackfriars Old Scholars.

But he was stripped of his 15-goal haul against Tea Tree Gully early in the year after the match was declared a no result, following the Gullies mid-season demotion.

Colonel Light Gardens still has Harvey down for 110 majors.

"I'm not really too fussed (about being disallowed the 15 goals),'' Harvey, 27, says

"A few of the younger guys at the club are pretty excited about me approaching 100 goals but to be honest it's not a big focus.

"I don't play football for individual milestones so for me it's more about trying to help the team and hopefully winning a premiership."

Harvey played underage SANFL football for Glenelg, but admits to being less dedicated in his youth and ended up at Cove and Goolwa-Port Elliot in the Southern and Great Southern football leagues.

He made representative teams in both leagues but only became a full forward this year after returning to Colonel Light Gardens - his first football club.

"I've had osteitis pubis which has restricted me a fair bit with training and playing, so I came back to Colonel Light Gardens where I feel really comfortable.

"With the injury, it made sense to play at full forward."

Colonel Light Gardens has happy memories for Harvey.

He won a flag at the Lions in 2007 and also met his wife Leah at the club.