North Melbourne champion Brent Harvey joins Northern Football League club North Heidelberg
NORTH Heidelberg is embracing its status as premiership favourites after confirmation North Melbourne champion Brent Harvey will join the club.
Local Footy
Don't miss out on the headlines from Local Footy. Followed categories will be added to My News.
NORTH Heidelberg will start the hottest of premiership favourites for the 2017 Division 2 Northern Football League season, but that is a status coach Steve Saddington is welcoming.
The Bulldogs last night confirmed North Melbourne champion Brent Harvey will join brother and Northern Football League star Shane at the club next year.
Harvey’s cousin and four-time Heidelberg premiership captain Blair has also joined the club as an assistant coach.
However, Saddington said it would be unlikely the club would lure ex-North Melbourne players Drew Petrie and Daniel Harris.
Petrie, Harris and the Harvey brothers have discussed their desire of playing a season together post their AFL careers.
“There has been no dialect with me about any of that but I know they’ve planned to always play together,” Saddington said.
“At this stage, there has been nothing that I know of.”
With Harvey’s signature and no departures from its 2016 list, which lost the grand final to Hurstbridge, Saddington said the Bulldogs would embrace the tag of premiership favourites.
“It is what we want and what we deserve,” he said.
“A lot of the sides that go in (to Division 1) after winning the flag seem to come back.
“There is no better way on seeing how you handle pressure than coping with that tag for the whole year because everyone will be expecting us to win it.”
Very excited to announce that I will be joining my brother next season st @NorthHeidelberg hope to see you at the kennel. #godoggies
— Brent Harvey (@Boomer_29) October 17, 2016
Saddington joked they had signed Harvey, 38, who played the last of his 432 AFL games in the elimination final against Adelaide last month, until he was 50.
“He had offers everywhere, all over the country and state and some in the same league (but) it was never about money for him,” he said.
“He is not coming to the club looking at two or three years of playing, he is looking at leaving a legacy.”
‘Pull your head out of your butt’: Fev fires back at local clubs
Brendan Fevola and Aussie musician Guy Sebastian will pull on the boots for a local footy team this weekend, and after their appearances were subject to an investigation, the ex-AFL star has hit out.
‘Best position we’ve been in’: Cobras prepare for monster month
After relegation last season, Old Yarra Cobras have made an outstanding start to the season but the next month may shape where they sit. Here’s why and the players who are firing.