Melbourne recruit Charlie Spargo has drawn comparisons with AFL legend Brent Harvey

WE’VE always thought there would never be another Brent Harvey. But maybe that’s not the case. Melbourne might have unearthed a star in top draft pick Charlie Spargo.

Charlie Spargo was taken by Melbourne in the national draft. Picture: Aaron Francis

BRENT Harvey proved size doesn’t always matter in the AFL.

Now the Demons believe Charlie Spargo is about to show the AFL world he can thrive on an AFL playing field at 172cm, too.

The Demons had to wait until pick 29 to secure Spargo as their first selection, a player often compared to Harvey for his playmaking skills and poise.

The same height as Harvey, he will become a fourth-generation player after initially being GWS-linked before the AFL declared him on the open market.

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The Albury midfielder will follow father Paul (North Melbourne and Brisbane), grandfather Bob (Footscray) and great grandfather Bob Sr (Footscray and Melbourne).

Spargo was seen as a likely top-10 selection entering 2017 but a badly timed shoulder injury saw him drop down the draft order.

Charlie Spargo in action in the TAC Cup. Picture: Stuart Milligan

Melbourne recruiter Jason Taylor agreed there was something to the Boomer Harvey comparison.

“Yeah, there is a little bit of that when he’s up and going. Because of his running capacity he looks more of a midfielder but another asset is he can go up in the air as well.

“He is an AFL Academy member and Murray Bushranger and he really did have an outstanding Under 16 championships.

“His body hasn’t been right but he had a shoulder operation and missed a fair chunk of the second half of the year, but we are looking for that type of player, a small forward with aggression and Charlie has that in spades.

“He is an aggressive player and we think he can add some ground level potency to the forward line and go through the midfield.”

So many quality junior players are overlooked because of their size but Taylor believes talent can win out.

“If they have got the right skills in their game, there is room for all of them for sure.”

A club that plucked line-breaker Jayden Hunt several years back has also taken another dasher in No. 48 selection Oskar Baker.

The former Brisbane Lions academy player, a 19-year-old from Aspley, kicked the NEAFL goal of the year charging off half back with four bounces.

At 19 and with strong hands overhead he is a risk worth taking that late in the draft.

Bayley Fritsch, a 20-year-old goalkicker from VFL affiliate Casey Demons, might one day be the Jack Watts replacement.

Charlie Spargo was taken by Melbourne in the national draft. Picture: Aaron Francis

“Fritsch is a good story for the club and Casey,” Taylor said.

“We have tracked him for three years but he didn’t have the continuity in his body and we nearly looked at him as a rookie last year,’’ he said.

“He kicked 42 goals this year in the VFL and won the Fothergill Medal and he’s a really good reader of the ball in flight and he’s classy.”