Brent Harvey remains the most damaging kick in the AFL, even at age 38.
The little master, on the eve of his record breaking 427th game, is rated as the best kick inside the forward 50 for the past decade according to Champion Data statistics with a remarkable ‘hit-rate’ of 42%.
That score puts him well ahead of Nick Dal Santo (38%), Scott Pendlebury (37%), Steve Johnson (37%) and Kade Simpson (37%).
Former teammate David King said Harvey has always had a superior football IQ.
“He has assessed the game better than any other player since Greg Williams and Robert Harvey, and on a par with Gary Ablett Jr over the past decade,” King wrote in The Herald Sun.
“Again this season Boomer tops the “money kick” category. It’s a class-defining indicator.”
King also paid tribute to ‘Boomer’s’ character.
“Harvey is one of the AFL’s best stories, a role model for a game that doesn’t discriminate. Size hasn’t denied him, a challenging upbringing didn’t restrict him and he is a continuing example of identifying what talent can do rather than what it can’t.
“Standing at a continually disputed 177cm, Boomer has always broken down the barriers that his life has unearthed. Through dedication to a rigid training and lifestyle platform he’s built a fitness base that most don’t seek.”