Harvey, who played in the Kangaroos’ 1999 premiership and has won the best-and-fairest four times, will make his 300th appearance for the club in Sunday’s clash with West Coast at Subiaco.
But while that means he’s far closer to the end of his career than the beginning, the 32-year-old isn’t contemplating retiring any time soon.
“Ten years, I hope!” Harvey joked at his press conference on Monday, when asked how long he might keep playing for. “I've actually got no idea. I’m absolutely loving my footy at the minute. I reckon this is probably the most excited I’ve ever been.
“You look around, we’ve got the new facility [at Arden Street], a fantastic new coach, great coaching staff, and a bunch of youngsters who want to learn.
“In the next couple of years we can achieve something pretty special.
“I’m definitely playing next year. I just got the contract so that’s great. After that … hopefully Brad [Scott] still thinks I’m going okay and we’ll take it from there.”
About 40 of Harvey’s closest family members and friends are flying to Perth to watch him become just the 63rd VFL/AFL footballer to notch 300 games.
“I think it will sink in a little bit more when the season’s finished and when my career’s finished,” Harvey said.
“But, I guess, to reach 300 games is something you don’t plan when you get drafted.
“You want to play one game, then 10, then 100 and get the father-son rule in.”
Harvey will also become only the fourth North Melbourne player - Wayne Schimmelbusch, Glenn Archer and Adam Simpson have preceded him - to reach the 300-game milestone.
“It’s a bit of a dream come true,” he added.
Even as a kid Harvey was a talented player and he once booted 21 goals in a junior match for Preston RSL.
But the record haul was later bettered by his brother, Shane, who later spent time at both North Melbourne and Essendon.
“I went to Perth for a game and my brother said to me ‘I’ll beat your record today’,” Harvey recalled.
“When I got home there was a note on the table saying ‘bad luck bruz, I just kicked 23!’”
Despite getting many offers to leave the Kangaroos, including a big one from Carlton, Harvey is proud to be a one-club player.
“[When the Carlton offer came in] I was driving in the car and I just rang my manager and said ‘don’t worry about it’. I didn’t want to know what sort of money it was, how long it was, because I couldn’t see myself leaving the North Melbourne footy club.”
