Shane Harvey bids farewell to North Heidelberg with final bag of goals
Local footy great Shane Harvey bid farewell to North Heidelberg with a final bag of goals and a big win over Macleod. Check out all the photos here.
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Shane Harvey’s farewell to North Heidelberg and local footy couldn’t have been more fitting.
The Northern Football Netball League legend’s last game delivered a final bag of five goals and a commanding 48-point win to break the Bulldogs’ duck.
On a miserable day for footy, a bumper crowd packed into Shelley Reserve to pay tribute to the competition’s all-time leading goalkicker.
And his teammates didn’t let the opportunity go to waste, smashing Macleod 15.10 (100) to 7.10 (52).
Both teams then formed a guard of honour as Harvey left the field for the final time, flanked by his sons.
He finishes with 1053 goals in 235 games, two premierships, a Rosbrook Medal, seven league goalkicking awards, five club best-and-fairests, two Coaches’ MVPs, grand final medal and 11 Team of Year honours.
In classic local footy style, Harvey’s fifth goal of the day was celebrated with a cheeky shoey with his supporters.
“The boys spoke to me during the week, I promised them one if I kicked a goal in the last quarter and we were winning by a bit,” Harvey said.
“They’ve been supporting me for a long time so it was the least I could do.
“I was a little bit nervous, I couldn’t really sleep last night, I didn’t know how I’d go.
“Thank you to everyone who made my last day so much more than most, I’m very lucky and I’ll cherish it forever.
“It was never about the goals, it’s about the win – it always was – but five goals on top is a nice way to finish.”
North Heidelberg coach Jason Heatley was surprised by Harvey’s performance as he inspired the Bulldogs with key early goals.
“Did you expect anything different?” Heatley said.
“Fairytales don’t always come off but what we saw today was a guy leave the game in pretty good shape. We’re really proud of him and the whole family.
“He got the ball rolling for us, which was really pleasing for us.”
Aside from farewelling a club great, it was a critical result for North Heidelberg after a 0-3 start to the season.
The Bulldogs jumped out to a 14-point lead at quarter-time and extended the margin to 32 at half-time.
Despite the difficult conditions, both teams controlled the ball cleanly but North’s backline held the firmer.
Nick Matthews, Hamish Murphy and Josh Hamilton were all superb in defence, intercepting and launching the home team back into attack.
At the other end, Majak Daw booted three goals and Liam Nunan and Kyle McDonald each got two in support of Harvey, while Kurt Manuel was the only multiple goalkicker for Macleod with three.
Heatley believed his team found its feet in the wet.
“We’re the first to admit our game has been slightly off and the sides that have beaten us on their own merits,” he said.
“For the group to response was pleasing to see and there’s still a long way to go and we can build from here.
“Both teams handled the ball really well, that’s what you expect in first division footy.
“Billy Hogan really set the scene for us around the ball and we had some winners down back which was really important, Nick Matthews, Hamish Murphy and Josh Hamilton.
“We’re into West Preston, they’re a good side, the competition’s pretty even and if you can bring a good brand of footy to the table you’re a chance.”
Given the evenness of the competition, the Bulldogs leap-frog Macleod into eighth and are only a game behind fifth place.
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Manuel was named Macleod’s best in defeat, while Lucas Hobbs, Darcy Barden and Caleb Karavas were also strong contributors.
While North travels to Moore Park to face the Roosters, the Kangas will look to bounce back when they host Whittlesea at DeWinton Park.
Elsewhere in Division 1, Banyule knocked off West Preston-Lakeside by 24 points and Heidelberg eased past Greensborough by 22.
Montmorency ended Bundoora’s undefeated start to the season with an 11-point win and Hurstbridge edged Whittlesea by eight.
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