“The response is always great for this day and many families mark it down on the calendar as soon as the season begins. The players really enjoy getting involved with the Harvey’s Heroes members and being available for autographs, so it’s fun for them too,” North Membership Manager Sandra O’Mara told kangaroos.com.au.
A remarkable 800 members made their way to Arden Street for a fun filled day with the entire playing list.
Josh Gibson ran the boys and girls through their tackling techniques while Andrew Swallow was there to provide a lesson in handballing.
“There were lots of talented youngsters out there today. It was really good to see so many of them already able to do the basic things,” Swallow commented after the clinic.
While some of the players had it easy, Scott Thompson was run off his feet taking group after group for a jog around the Arden Street oval.
“I reckon I had the toughest gig of the day. The other boys had a fair bit of fun watching me run around being chased by all our junior supporters. However, it’s important that we had a decent warm up before the drills started,” Thompson said.
It was a much more relaxed atmosphere in there players’ change room where North captain Brent Harvey, Corey Jones, Jack Ziebell, Leigh Harding and Nathan Grima were stationed. Seated in front of the lockers, the boys took the kids for a quick tour before taking questions about life as an AFL player.
There was also a chance for some show and tell with Harvey showing the children Matt Campbell is in fact the smallest player in the league. The pair went back-to-back to prove Harvey’s claim.
“Everyone thinks I am the smallest player in the AFL but it’s not the case and I took the opportunity to show all the kids today when Matty wandered into the rooms. It was good the camera was there to capture the moment and put the issue to bed once and for all,” Harvey joked.
Perhaps the most popular was North’s mascot Barry ‘the Brooser’ Cracker who put a smile on everyone’s face when he appeared.
"There are 800 little heroes here, it's just fantastic. You walk outside, see the new facility getting built and 800 members having a kick," Harvey added.
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