North legend Drew Petrie will keep a close eye on emerging forward Nick Larkey, after the youngster was recently handed his famous No.20 jumper.
“It’s great to hear that Nick will take the number, I wish him well and hopefully he can add to his games tally significantly this year,” Petrie told NMFC.com.au.
“I’ll always watch North and I’ll always have an eye on whoever’s in the number 20 jumper.”
After 17 seasons in the AFL, Petrie can still remember being handed the number.
“I remember walking into the Arden St changerooms seeing my name printed below the number 20, it was one of the most exciting days at the club,” Petrie recalled.
“But, I was just a custodian of the number 20 while I was at North Melbourne.
“It’s not my jumper, I never owned it, it never belonged to me, I was the person who was privileged to wear it.”
Made famous by Wayne Schimmelbusch, Petrie went on to surpass Schimmelbusch’s record for most games played in the No. 20.
“It was about the North Melbourne jumper and wearing that with pride and representing that to the best of your ability each time you pulled it on.”
Larkey, who is preparing for his second AFL season, understands the weight the number 20 holds and admits he idolised Petrie as a kid.
“It’s an absolute honour and I can’t believe it, I’m pretty surprised,” Larkey told NMFC.com.au.
“I grew up watching Drew play and he use to be one of my favourite players to watch.
“He’s a legend of the club and everyone still talks about him around here, so I wish I had have met him, but it’ll be an absolute honour to carry on his legacy with number 20.”
Larkey made a nervous call to his predecessor as soon as he got the news of his jumper change.
“I called him last night and he just told me that it isn’t just a number and that he’s just a custodian of that number,” Larkey revealed.
“Everyone around here says he’s a legend and a really nice guy. I always had a picture in my mind that he’d be an easy bloke to talk to, and he was.”
Despite being too young to witness the outstanding career of Wayne Schimmelbusch, the impact the former captain had on the jumper hasn’t been lost on the 19-year-old.
“If I can be half the player that Drew Petrie and Wayne Schimmelbusch were, then I’ll be pretty happy with my AFL career,” Larkey said.
“They’re two legends of the game and I just look forward to wearing the number 20 and giving it everything I’ve got to uphold what they left it with.”
Meanwhile Mitch Hibberd will switch from No.39 to No.17 after Aaron Mullett was delisted and moved to Carlton.
Wally Carter (126), Allen Aylett (220), Denis Pagan (97), Graeme Melrose (111), Kym Hodgeman (91), Glenn Freeborn (55) and Nathan Grima (86) are just some of the most notable players to have worn No.17.
