Games: 383
Career: 1988-2008
Accolades: 2 x Brownlow medallist (1997, 1998), 8 x All Australian (1992, 1994-1999, 2003), 4 x Trevor Barker Award winner (1992, 1994, 1997, 1998), 8 x Victorian representative, 3 x E.J. Whitten medallist, AFLPA MVP (1997), St Kilda Team of the Century inductee, St Kilda Hall of Fame inductee
Robert Harvey was consistent in every sense of the word.
From his two decades of midfield dominance to his unchanging haircut, the iconic No. 35 engrained himself as both an immortal of the Saints and a legend of his era.
A club record 383 games, back-to-back Brownlows, eight All Australians, four Trevor Barker Awards, three E. J. Whitten Medals and a place in St Kilda’s Team of the Century serve as a reminder of his incredible consistency, which saw him represent his club with distinction for 21 seasons.
The longevity of Harvey’s career saw him line up alongside two distinct midfield generations, with the 1990s seeing him at arguably the peak of his powers.
Alongside Nathan Burke and Nicky Winmar, Harvey dominated the centre week after week.
He became renowned for his unmatched endurance and running ability – both in games and at training – which exhausted even the most elite athletes while he himself barely broke a sweat.
It was a well-known fact throughout the 1990s that opposition sides had to alternate taggers each quarter because they simply couldn’t match his running power.
Just as astonishing was his knack for accumulating disposals with ease.
From 1990-1999 the disposal-magnet had 93 games with more than 30 disposals, 33 of which came from his back-to-back Brownlow years (1997-1998).
He ended his esteemed run in the red, white and black with 9,656 disposals – the most of any player in the competition’s 162-year history – at an average of 25 touches per game.
His remarkable talent was furthered by his goal-kicking on the run, and when combined with his ball-winning ability and deft evasive skills at full pace, he was close to unstoppable.
In a standout match in 1999 against the Western Bulldogs, Harvey booted three goals and racked up a career-best 45 disposals to prove he wasn’t slowing down after over a decade in the game.
Harvey became the first Saint since Ian Stewart (1965-1966) to win back-to-back Brownlow Medals, and despite injury concerns in the early 2000s, the seemingly ageless midfielder pushed on for almost another decade.
Away from the red, white and black, Harvey proudly represented the Big V, winning three E. J. Whitten Medals for his stellar performances against the best of the best.
Throughout the 1990s, Harvey was one of the league’s most prodigious talents and a vital figure in St Kilda’s upward surges.
The iconic Saint played a vital hand in 1991 in steering the red, white and black to its first finals berth since 1973, before putting on a 36-disposal masterclass in the 1997 Grand Final.
Premiership success proved to be one of the few accolades missing from Harvey’s glorious list of achievements.
Heading into the 2000s, Harvey was appointed captain of the club (2001-2002), earned his eighth All Australian selection and surpassed Nathan Burke’s record as the club’s record games-holder.
The battle-hardened Harvey then helped build up the next generation of St Kilda midfielders – Lenny Hayes and Nick Dal Santo, among others – before calling time on his astounding 383-game career.
There were many Saints heroes throughout the 1990s, but few could win over the admiration of both the faithful and the opposition.
Robert Harvey is one of those select few.
