North Heidelberg star Shane Harvey completing stunning suburban career in Northern Football League

NORTH Melbourne games record-breaker Brent Harvey is showing no signs of slowing down, and the same can be said for younger brother Shane.

North Heidelberg star Shane Harvey.

THE longevity of the Harvey gene pool is well known.

Brent recently became the all-time record holder for AFL games and is on track to become the first player to reach 450 matches at the elite level.

The North Melbourne champion’s younger brother Shane might not possess the same love of training and his desire to play in the AFL waned after three years.

But the AFL’s loss has been Northern Football League club North Heidelberg’s gain.

With a 2014 premiership medal, five Dogs best and fairests, a Schickert Medal and five league goalkicking awards already in the trophy cabinet, the 33-year-old’s career is showing no end.

North Heidelberg’s Shane Harvey leads his children out to get his premiership medal in 2014. Picture: Richard Serong

He’s kicked more than 700 goals from about 140 games with the Dogs. Not bad considering he spends about half his time in the midfield.

Coach Steve Saddington said Harvey could be the class clown at times and while Boomer has an appetite for training, the same couldn’t necessarily be said for Shane.

“He gets away with anything he wants to do around there,” Saddington said.

“You hear all this about Brent being the first one in and last one out (of training) whereas Shane is the opposite in some ways.

“You watch him train, you wouldn’t think he was fast or fit, but there is probably no one fitter or faster than him.”

North Heidelberg star Shane Harvey tackles a Lower Plenty opponent last year. Picture: Mark Wilson

After a stint in the country, Harvey returned to his home club in 2008, spent 2010 with Barooga up on the border before returning to Shelley Reserve in 2011.

There has been the temptation, but never contemplation, to leave — offers up to $2000 a game would do that — but he has been loyal to the club where he remembers going to watch his dad, Neil, run around for.

He is one of about half a dozen Dogs players whose fathers played at the club.

“It does mean quite a lot to me and I am proud to say I am a North Heidelberg boy,” the Doreen resident said.

“They get a bad wrap around the circles but it is something I am proud of to say I have played a lot of footy at North Heidelberg.”

Shane Harvey celebrates his goal during his Essendon days.

Essendon took Harvey with pick No.18 in the 2001 “superdraft”, which produced the likes of Luke Hodge, Luke Ball, Chris Judd, Jimmy Bartel, Gary Ablett, Sam Mitchell, Steve Johnson and Dane Swan.

After 11 games, he was delisted at the end of 2003.

North Melbourne gave him a second chance with pick No.6 in the pre-season draft but he was delisted at the end of 2004 after just another three games.

Shane Harvey with brother Brent when he was recruited to North Melbourne in 2003.

Harvey, about 10cm taller than Brent, said he’d had enough of the elite level after just three years.

“Looking back at it now I would have loved to still be playing and continued and had a really good career but at the time I finished my heart wasn’t in it,” he said.

“I would have loved to have played 300 games but I am not unhappy about my decision only playing 14 and not continuing.”

Harvey, who is halfway through the intensive 33-week police academy after working in heating and cooling, is now holding out for Boomer to come join him for a kick.

It’s not an unusual sight to see Boomer down in the rooms before a Dogs game, never forgetting his roots.

Shane shared his three games at North Melbourne with Brent, with their only other game together coming in the under-11s when as a four-year-old Shane filled in.

“I don’t remember any of it but my parents tell me I kicked a goal,” he said.

“Hopefully in the next couple of years, or not hopefully, but I’m sure he’ll end up finishing in a couple of years and he’ll come down.”