MCDFNL: Brent Harvey joins Trentham for rest of 2025

Brent Harvey has linked up with a country footy team in premiership contention for the rest of the season in a move three decades in the making. Here’s what we know.

Boomer Harvey in action for Trentham. Photo: Leanne Byrne/ Facebook.

Brent Harvey is back.

The 47-year-old North Melbourne hero has signed with country footy side Trentham for the rest of the season.

He is expected to play several Maryborough Castlemaine District Football Netball League games in the back half of the year after debuting in a 106-point win over Navarre on the weekend.

Boomer was brought to the club through his connections to the Dovaston and Keogh families, whom he has neighbouring caravans with near the Victoria-New South Wales border.

“The families have known each other for about 30 years,” Trentham president Nick Shearer said.

“Joel Dovaston, our captain, and Jake Keogh have been going up to the same areas for a long time. They’ve gone overseas together, been to weddings. They share a really close relationship.

“I’ve known him and his family for about five years now and in the middle of summer, there can be half the footy club visiting where the caravans are.

“We’d been into him for years, but it was probably a laugh for a little bit but the last couple we were a lot more serious.”

The game was Harvey’s first appearance since turning out for North Heidelberg in a Northern league final last season. He played five games, kicking 14 goals, in 2024 as he made a stunning return from a horror broken injury.

He needs three games to qualify for the MCDFNL finals series.

“This wasn’t a one off game where we’ve thrown a dollar at him,” Shearer said.

“He’s super fit still and played a great game, he kicked three goals. Our coach Mark Adamson got up before the game and said we had brought Boomer in to help us with what we’re doing, not just get one win for the day.

“It helps he knew most of the boys already, he just fitted in seamlessly.”

The Saints find themselves right in the premiership race, sitting third on the ladder with a 10-1 record. The entire top-four have dropped one game apiece.

James Regan, who kicked nine goals on the weekend, is the competition’s leading goalicker with nine goals.

“The club has got a good vibe around it,” Shearer said.

“We had a function on Saturday night after the game, and the place was packed.”

Trentham travels to take on second placed Carisbrook on Saturday in the game of the round.