Andrew Lovett joins Northern Football League club North Heidelberg

FORMER Essendon speedster Andrew Lovett will join forces with AFL games record holder Brent Harvey at suburban club North Heidelberg, boosting the side’s flag chances.

Andrew Lovett in action for Essendon.

NORTH Heidelberg’s premiership hopes have been given a massive boost with the addition of former Essendon speedster Andrew Lovett.

However, the Northern Football League club could face some number crunching at the selection table to fit the former AFL midfielder in their side.

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North Heidelberg has fielded a team with an average of 45 points under the AFL Victoria Player Points System this year — in four of its first nine games it has been at the maximum of 45 points.

Lovett, whose clearance was approved yesterday, spent the first half of this year with Sorrento but quit after five games, citing personal reasons.

He was ruled as a four-point player at the Sharks and has arrived at North Heidelberg through connections with Brent and Shane Harvey.

Lovett played junior football at Preston RSL — North Heidelberg’s former feeder club — which the Bulldogs hope will allow him to be ruled as a one-point player.

Andrew Lovett flies for a mark.

However, the league earlier this season denied a request for Bulldogs junior Brent Harvey to be classed as a one-point player as there was no official paperwork to verify the alignment between the two clubs.

There has been speculation Lovett played some senior football with North Heidelberg before being recruited by Essendon in the 2004 rookie draft.

If the club can prove Lovett played five or more senior and/or reserves games in a single season, his points value would drop by one per year played.

North Heidelberg coach Steve Saddington conceded the points system had been a juggling act.

“The league did us no favours on the Boomer situation so now we just have to manage it,” Saddington said.

Lovett featured in the previous two seasons with Sunraysia league club Red Cliffs and was a member of the Tigers’ 2015 premiership team.

The Bulldogs points squeeze has forced Greensborough recruit Josh Doherty (four points) to make way, spending the past two weeks in the reserves.

“It is gut-wrenching to tell them they are dropped because of points,” Saddington said.

“We’re hoping to get him (Lovett) down to two or three (points) as a past player and we’re going through how many games he played.

“If he has played enough games he could even be a one-pointer with the junior link.”