North Melbourne won’t offer Brent Harvey, Drew Petrie, Nick Dal Santo, Michael Firrito contracts for 2017

UPDATE: NORTH Melbourne chairman James Brayshaw says the decision to release four club champions was a call made with the next five years in mind. HAVE YOUR SAY

Brent Harvey’s North Melbourne career will end after 21 seasons. Picture: Wayne Ludbey

NORTH Melbourne coach Brad Scott says it was “heartbreaking” while chairman James Brayshaw says “it’s the end of an incredible era”.

The Kangaroos will part ways with much-loved veterans Brent Harvey, Drew Petrie, Nick Dal Santo and Michael Firrito at the end of the season.

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The club announced the decision on Wednesday after weeks of media speculation regarding the foursome’s future.

The Kangaroos will feature in the finals but the club will be hoping for a big crowd at its final home-and-away game against GWS this weekend in what could be a Melbourne farewell.

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While Petrie and Firrito were expected to retire at the end of the year, Harvey and Dal Santo had made public their desire to play on.

Kangaroos coach Brad Scott spoke to the media shortly after the announcement.

“Firstly, it’s a heartbreaking decision and one that wasn’t taken lightly ... it’s easily the hardest day of my coaching career,” he said.

“The decision has been made in the best interests of the football club.

“I spoke to all four boys yesterday. To the boys’ credit, they completely understand where the football club is coming from.

“I agree that (all four players) could contribute in 2017. But the future goes longer than that.

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“I’m not ashamed to say I love these guys and if they were here in 2017, I’d play them. That would not be in our best interests.

“This is not a bombshell, there have been discussions over a period of time.”

Harvey, 38, spent 21 years at Arden Street and will retire as the club and AFL games record-holder after playing his 427th game earlier this year.

Harvey’s manager, Shane Casley, said earlier this month the five-time best and fairest-winner would retire a one-club player if his contract at Arden St was not renewed for 2017.

Brent Harvey's 2016..
Games: 21
Disposals: 21.2
Marks: 4.1
Goals: 1.6
Score involvements: 7.3

Right call to delist?

— Sam Landsberger (@SamLandsberger) August 24, 2016

“No. He would not (seek a trade),” Casley told the Herald Sun.

The Kangaroos legend has averaged 22 possessions and 1.2 goals a game in 2016.

“All the stats say he has had a pretty solid year,” Casley said.

“But the club’s performance has been pretty poor over the past seven or eight weeks.

“I think they will get to the end of this season and review the whole list. He is one of a number of players they are reviewing.

“He is certainly keen to go on.”

The Kangaroos will lose a combined 1337 games of experience when the four hang up the boots.

Brayshaw said it was a decision made with the future in mind.

“The call is about the next five years, not about next year or even the next four games,” he said on Triple M.

“If we win the next four games and win a premiership I can’t think of a better way to farewell people of this calibre but you’ve got to have a strategic plan in footy, you can’t just make it up as you go along.

“Tough day. The boys will be hurting I’m sure. At the moment we are just feeling very, very sad because it’s the end of an incredible era for these four blokes.

Brayshaw said he understood the anger of fans but believed the timing was right.

“Supporters are quite rightly allowed the sentimentality that clubs aren’t,” he said.

Brent Harvey starred against Sydney last weekend.

Drew Petrie has kicked 428 goals for the Kangaroos.

“In Boomer, you’ve got a bloke who’s a 20-year-plus player at the club which is extraordinary, now the games record-holder. Drew Petrie, a 300-gamer, Michael Firrito, just a loved part of the fabric and Dal (Nick Dal Santo) since he’s come to the club from St Kilda has been sensational.

“The timing comes from these players - quite understandably - coming to Brad (Scott) and the club and saying we need to know where our future lies.

“Because there was a chance ... that we could have missed the finals altogether and if that was the case the players were understandably saying if that’s going to be our farewell game, we want to know.

“Highly likely, if you look ahead, that final is going to be interstate. So the players - I absolutely get - came to Brad and said we want to know so that we can tell family, friends and play our final game in Melbourne in front of the North Melbourne faithful.

“That was respected for the right reasons.

Petrie, 33, was drafted in 2000 and became the fifth Kangaroo to reach 300 games earlier this year.

Michael Firrito was a leader of North Melbourne’s defence. Picture: Michael Klein

Nick Dal Santo was a star at two clubs. Picture: Michael Klein

Firrito, 32, was drafted as a rookie in 2003 and has played 273 games.

Dal Santo, 32, crossed to North Melbourne from St Kilda in 2014 and helped the Kangaroos to back-to-back preliminary finals.

After reaching 300 games in the 2015 preliminary final, the three-time All-Australian could look for one more crack if a premiership contender is willing to take him on.

Earlier this week, Dal Santo said he wanted to play on.

“Absolutely, I want to play next year,” he said.

“I understand the club’s position as well, and we are in a unique situation where there’s a lot of us over that dangerous age of 30, but by saying that I feel like if you’re playing good footy and you give them good evidence, you’re a good shot to play.”